If you have questions about living and learning at TCU, we're here to help. Click a topic below to see a list of frequent questions about that topic.
If you don't see the information you're looking for, contact us or search the TCU Web site.
Academics
TCU's Undergraduate Studies Catalog is now available exclusively online. Click here to explore it.
At TCU, faculty members have many responsibilities. However, they are especially committed to teaching. About 90 percent have the highest academic credentials in their particular fields. You won't find graduate students teaching many courses.
While they are expected to have scheduled office hours, most have open door policies. This means you can stop by their offices at any time, and they will help you get the most out of your education.
TCU faculty members are recognized researchers, and you may have the opportunity to assist them with their research. Faculty members help connect students with internships, employment, and opportunities for graduate study.
At TCU, you will find creative, talented and knowledgeable faculty members who will serve as mentors and friends.
The liberal arts and sciences include wide-ranging subjects intended to teach you how to read critically, think analytically and communicate effectively. A broad understanding of history, society, literature, economics, science, languages and culture will help you be comfortable in any conversation. These subjects teach you critical inquiry, a skill that comes in handy when the answers you need can't be found in a book.
For more information about the University Core Curriculum, click here.
Through several methods, above-average students may earn academic credit for college-level learning by taking an examination in the appropriate area. Read more about TCU's Advanced Placement, CLEP, Portfolio Assessment, Advanced Standing Examinations, IB, Conference Examinations and Audition Examinations for credit by clicking here.
Heritage, Mission, Vision & Values; Human Experiences and Endeavors; and Essential Competencies. For more information about the Core Curriculum, click here.
The full-time equivalent student-to-faculty ratio at TCU is 13:1.
TCU offers more than 100 undergraduate areas of study within seven colleges and schools:
- Addran College of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Neeley School of Business
- College of Communication
- College of Education
- College of Fine Arts
- Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
- College of Science & Engineering
To explore TCU's areas of study, click here.
The average class size for an undergraduate course is 27 students.
We don’t know! We plan to admit students who best fit our community regardless of when they apply. Because we have never
offered early decision before, it is unclear what the admitted student data will be for this cohort versus those who apply under one of our other application types.
International
Undergraduates in their first two years of higher education who are under 21 years of age are required to live in on-campus housing. If you are eligible to live off campus, you will find apartments and rental houses near TCU in various price ranges. Some are within walking distance and a few apartment complexes offer shuttle service to TCU. If you have a car, there will be even more options available.>/p>
A popular new facility just for TCU students is the GrandMarc at Westberry Place. http://www.grandmarctcu.com/ The GrandMarc is conveniently located on the edge of TCU’s campus and offers the amenities of a luxury apartment. Plus, they’re fully furnished.
For more information about local apartments or rental houses, go to http://www.apartmentguide.com or http://www.awardrealtors.com.
TCU has a very active International Student Association. ISA holds weekly meetings for all interested students and has several off-campus events each semester. "International Week" showcases TCU international students and educates everyone on campus about cultures around the world. In addition to ISA, you will find special interest groups such as Students for Asian-Indian Cultural Awareness and African Heritage Organization.
TCU will accept transfer students with strong grades in transferable classes from accredited institutions in other countries.
Because the classes taken in other countries may be very different from those students take in the U.S., it often takes students longer than anticipated to complete their degrees here. You must complete courses in your major AND the liberal arts and sciences core. This is true of any university in the U.S. to which you might transfer.
Yes, you may pay with American Express, Discover, or MasterCard.
To wire money, please contact us at frogworld@tcu.edu for wiring instructions. Incoming students should notify the Office of Admission when money has been wired to cover housing deposits or tuition deposits.
Nearly all funding is awarded to incoming students, not to continuing students. A few small awards are sometimes given after the first year to those with the highest TCU grade point averages who are not receiving other scholarships. If you do not receive adequate financial aid prior to your arrival, you should not attend TCU.
Yes, international students on F-1 visas can legally work on campus 20 hours per week during the school year (most actually work 10-15 hours) or 40 hours per week during school holidays and the summer break. We recommend that you concentrate on academic studies your first semester and begin working your second semester at TCU. Getting a job is competitive, but jobs are available throughout the campus.
We encourage all students, including international students, to study abroad during their time at TCU. In fact, TCU is known for its strong Study Abroad opportunities. For more information, go to www.international.tcu.edu/intro.asp.
After you are admitted to TCU, we will require a tuition deposit and the TCU Financial Statement (if not provided earlier), signed by you and your sponsor. Your sponsor’s employer must provide a letter verifying employment and salary. The sponsor’s bank must provide a letter indicating the average monthly balance over the past year and the current balance. The sponsor must have sufficient funding in his or her bank to cover your first year’s educational costs, plus show evidence of the ability to pay for subsequent years.
Once you have submitted all of the required financial documents and the enrollment fee, we will prepare your I-20 (the document used to apply for the F-1 student visa). This usually takes about two weeks, not including mailing time.
There is no universal ranking system in the U.S. You should not choose a college based on magazine rankings, since many are subjective or based on information that is not consistent among all colleges. The various rankings may supply you with additional information or give you new viewpoints about a university, though.
TCU has been "ranked" by publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review, Wall Street Journal, and Careers & Colleges. The best ranking system, however, is the one that you develop yourself to determine which university can best meet your needs (academic, personal, and social).
We seek students with above-average grades and a strong selection of academic courses. Most students from public high schools will rank in the top 25% of their class, and most attending private schools will rank in the top 40%. We do take into consideration the rigor of your particular school. The SAT middle 50% range is 1620-1860 and the ACT is 23-28. While your academic credentials are most important, we also consider your talents, leadership potential, and determination to make a difference.
Yes, the residence halls at TCU are very nice! Undergraduates in their first two years of higher education who are under the age of 21 are required to live in on-campus housing. Others may apply for on-campus housing, based on availability. For more information, go to here.
You will combine classes in your major with a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences. All TCU students take classes such as history, social science, math, English, physical science, fine arts, religion, cultural and global studies, social values, speech and literature. For more information on the TCU Core Curriculum, go to http://www.core.tcu.edu.
TCU is fortunate to have many new and renovated buildings, including facilities for business, technology, performing arts and campus recreation. You'll also benefit from a new bookstore, alumni and visitors center, and apartment-style residence halls. A new University Union, the hub of campus life, opens in 2008. All classrooms at TCU have updated technology, including features such as laptop hookups and built-in projectors for multimedia presentations. Nearly all spots on campus have wireless networking.
Students who score below a 550, 213 or 80 may be offered conditional admission to TCU and begin their studies in our Intensive English Program. IEP students can live on campus and use all TCU facilities. Upper-level IEP students may be approved to enroll in one academic class while studying English. Learn more by clicking here.
A Report of Medical History form is sent to students after admission and must be submitted before enrolling at TCU. All students born after 1957 must have two doses of the Measles (Rubeola) vaccine. In addition, within 12 months prior to enrollment, a Mantoux/TB skin test is required. The University provides a comprehensive health insurance plan that covers students for illnesses and injuries throughout the year. A dedicated, well-qualified staff of physicians and nurses in the TCU Health Center provide economical medical and pharmacy services. For more information, visit http://healthcenter.tcu.edu.
International students living outside the U.S. and participating in August orientation should pay a minimum of 40% of their total charges (tuition, fees, room, and board) at orientation or by September 5 (February 5 for those entering in January), and the balance is due in three monthly installments. New students living in the U.S. or those permitted to register early will be expected to pay 20% of their bill by the 5th day of the month classes begin, and the balance is due in four monthly installments. For studnets using the payment plan, a finance charge in the amount of 1% (12% APR) will be assessed each month on the outstanding balance. Paymnet in full can be made at any time.
For continuing students, 20% of total basic semester charges is required by the 5th day of the month that classes begin, and the balance is due in four monthly installments.
For continuing students, 20% of total basic semester charges (tuition, fees, room, and board) is required by the 5th day of the month that classes begin, and the balance is due in four monthly installments. For students using the payment plan, a finance charge in the amount of 1.25% (15% APR) will be assessed each month on the outstanding balance. Payment in full can be made at any time.
Tuition Costs
If you are admitted to TCU, you will receive a packet of information including instructions on paying a non-refundable tuition deposit and housing deposit. New freshmen must pay the tuition deposit by May 1 to reserve their places in the incoming class. Freshman and sophomores are required to live on campus. You can make your tuition and housing deposits online here.
TCU is recognized every year by publications like U.S. News & World Reportfor offering an excellent bang for the buck. Tuition and fees are covered by a single,comprehensive price each semester. Our pricing allows you to explore a wide variety of courses and subjects without the barrier of added costs. It reflects the complete educational experience you'll find at TCU.
Click here for the most recent estimated tuition costs.
Admission requirements
Because TCU is a selective university, we are able to consider all credentials, both academic and extracurricular, as well as teacher and counselor evaluations, when reviewing an application for admission.
For more information about high school credit requirements, click here then select Admission in the left menu.
Through several methods, above-average students may earn academic credit for college-level learning by taking an examination in the appropriate area. Read more about TCU's Advanced Placement, CLEP, Portfolio Assessment, Advanced Standing Examinations, IB, Conference Examinations and Audition Examinations for credit by clicking here.
We prefer for our students to have:
| 4 credits |
English |
| 3 credits |
Mathematics |
| 3 credits |
Science - 1 should be a lab - (biology or chemistry)
We will consider the credit in physical science |
| 3 credits |
Social studies |
| 2 credits |
Foreign language |
| 2 credits |
Academic electives |
TCU requires either the SAT Reasoning or ACT standardized test scores. We do not set minimum SAT Reasoning or ACT scores for consideration for admission. TCU superscores both the ACT and SAT, meaning we can take your best section scores from different test dates, and combine them for one terrific superscore.
Living on campus
More than 3,000 students live on campus -- about 48 percent of TCU's undergraduate population.
Students under 21 who are in their first two academic years at TCU and do not live at home with their family are required to live on campus.
Scholarships and aid
TCU requires both the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS/Profile in order to apply for financial aid. FAFSA cannot be filed until after January 1 because it asks for the previous year’s tax information. Therefore, students who apply early decision should complete the Profile and, if admitted, will be sent an estimated financial aid package shortly after offers of admission are released. The official financial aid award will not arrive until the spring when all admitted students learn of their awards.
The Chancellor's Scholarship is TCU's most competitive merit award and includes full tuition for eight semesters. Students who are selected to compete for a Chancellor's Scholarship must be interviewed on campus or by video-conferencing. This process occurs in January or February. For this reason, students who believe they may be eligible for the Chancellor's Scholarship are highly encouraged to apply Early Action or shortly thereafter. While all applicants are considered for scholarship, those who apply after the Chancellor's Scholarship interview process has ended will not be considered for this prestigious award.
Basic facts
Yes, although many students find that they use their cars rarely. Student parking permits are $75. For more information on campus parking regulations, visit the TCU Police Web site by clicking here.
TCU Campus Police manage security 24 hours a day and are fully qualified law enforcement officers licensed by the State of Texas.
Campus Police can be reached during an emergency by calling extension 7777 on campus. Lighted emergency phones are located around campus and provide one-touch access to the Campus Police dispatcher.
For more information, including statistics on campus security, click here.
The TCU campus is encompasses 269 acres in residential Fort Worth, and you can walk from one side of the campus to the other in about 15 minutes.
To take a virtual tour of the campus, click here.
For the most update student population count, please go to http://www.ir.tcu.edu/ and click Quick Facts on the left.
TCU is Texas Christian University. Our middle name comes from our historic relationship with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a Protestant denomination known for a broad interpretation and respect for diverse faith traditions. TCU welcomes students of all faiths - and of none. Students take one religion studies course as part of the liberal arts and sciences core curriculum. TCU does not seek to impose a particular religious point of view, but challenges each student to consider what he or she believes.
TCU's retention of freshman students who return for their sophomore year is 90 percent.
46% of TCU students are men and 54% are women.
75 percent of TCU students are from Texas, and 25 percent come from other states or countries.
States that are particularly well-represented in the student body include Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
TCU has over 400 international students who represent more than 85 countries.
TCU is located in a residential neighborhood about four miles from downtown Fort Worth, Texas.
Fort Worth is where the West began, and you'll find it is now an uncommon blend of the Old West and metropolitan culture and class. To learn more about the city, click here.
You can find maps and directions to campus here. To schedule a visit, click here.
Student life
Our Horned Frogs are fierce competitors, and lately they've been demonstrating that to assorted teams of bears, cowboys, cardinals, cougars (and don't forget mustangs). As an NCAA Division-I school, TCU competes in twenty sports.
Outside of TCU's official athletics, you can set personal records as a part of intramural sports. More than half of the campus participates in everything from flag football to Frisbee golf to floor hockey. You can also enjoy the new University Recreation Center -- just be careful on the climbing wall!
To learn more about TCU Athletics, click here.
To learn more about Campus Recreation and intramural sports, click here.
TCU offers around 200 ways to get involved outside of class. To see an exhaustive list of organizations, click here.
Study abroad
TCU offers study abroad opportunities in more than 30 countries. Programs range from three weeks to a full semester or year. Courses are offered in a number of academic disciplines, and destinations include Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia.
For more information, click here.
Deadlines
For more information on application deadlines, click here.
May 1, National Candidate Reply Day, is the deadline for submitting your tuition deposit and notifying us of your decisions regarding admission, scholarships, financial aid and housing.
If you applied Early Decision, your tuition deposit is due two weeks from the date you received your admission letter.
While early decision and early action both provide a quick response to our most interested students, early decision applicants are bound to attend TCU if admitted, and must withdraw applications to any other colleges. Early action students, however, are not obligated to attend, and still have until May 1 to decide whether or not TCU is the right university for them.
Students whose first choice is TCU ought to consider applying early decision as this is the surest way to demonstrate your desire to be a TCU student.
Yes. Students may apply to other colleges while their application to TCU is under review. Once offers of admission are extended, admitted students are required to withdraw applications from other colleges, or decline offers of admission previously extended to them via a rolling application process.
Students admitted under our early decision plan are contractually obligated to attend TCU. If an admitted student backs out of that commitment, he or she may not apply to TCU under any other admission plan.
In addition to an offer of admission, there are two possible outcomes. Students may be denied admission to TCU or their applications may be deferred to the regular decision pool. If an early decision application is deferred, the student is released from the obligation to attend TCU if he or she is ultimately admitted.
Yes. Our merit scholarship criteria are the same for all students, regardless of when they submit an application. This includes early decision applicants interested in our full-tuition Chancellor’s Scholarship.
Because financial aid awards will not be made prior to admission decisions, students who apply early decision should have the financial security to commit to TCU.
Transfer
No. TCU does not require that you have an interview or meet with an Admission Counselor, but if you have questions, we recommend that you either call us or make an appointment to meet in person, or click here to register for one of our Friday Information Sessions. During the visit, we can answer questions about:
- How courses you've taken will fulfill the TCU core requirements.
- Your admissibility and what you can do in the future to gain admission to TCU.
- What classes to take in the future, based on your intended major.
- How to present yourself in the best possible light for admission and scholarships.
You can click here to register for a campus tour and transfer information session. For an individual meeting with one of our Transfer Admission Counselors, please call 817-257-7490. To facilitate this meeting, please try to bring transcripts or grade reports from every college you’ve attended.
TCU defines a Transfer student as someone who has graduated from high school and has enrolled in a long (fall or spring) semester. Taking summer classes during the summer between high school graduation and the start of the freshman fall semester in college does not change a student's status from Freshman to Transfer. Also, classes taken for college credit in high school do not change a student’s freshman status. Students who take classes in high school for college credit are considered Freshmen with college hours. You can receive consideration of credit for these hours by sending an official college transcript to the TCU Office of Admission.
When a student applies for admission, they apply either as a Freshman or a Transfer student. (Please see the definition of a Transfer student above.) Freshman applicants who have more than 23 hours of transferable college credit will be classified as sophomores when they enroll.
TCU computes your GPA based on every class that is transferable to the university. Even though grades below a “C” will not transfer for credit, we will compute them into your GPA for admission consideration. In other words, if you take an English Composition class and earn a grade of “D,” it will not transfer to TCU for credit, but the grade will be considered in the admission decision. TCU does not replace grades, therefore if you have retaken a class, we will average both grades into the GPA. This policy is independent of any policy at the school where you are transferring the credit. Incomplete “I” grades will be converted to an “F.”
Students who are denied admission as a freshman must complete at least 24 hours of transferable coursework before they can be considered for admission to TCU. If you were denied admission in the past year, we still have your application and will waive the essay, resume and application fee. You will need to download a reactivation form. Please send in the completed and signed form and an official transcript of any college grades you have received one semester before you want to enroll. If you do not have 24 hours of transferable credit completed at the time of application, but you will have the required hours by the end of the semester, we may defer our decision until we get your final grades. Consideration is based on the quality of the coursework taken and GPA in the completed coursework.
Typically, the reason transfer students are denied admission is due to poor grades. For reconsideration, you must show marked improvement, with at least one full-time semester of strong academic coursework. If you were denied admission in the past year, we will still have your application on file and will waive the essay, resume and application fee. You will need to download a reactivation form and submit the form one semester before you want to enroll.
Yes, we need official transcripts from all schools that you have attended, even if you did not complete the semester.
The TCU Office of Admission requires official transcripts from every college you’ve attended, even if you withdrew from all of your classes and do not have grades. Please contact each school and have them send us an official transcript in a sealed envelope to TCU Admission Box 297013, Ft. Worth, Texas 76129.
Here is a list of what is required for transfer admission consideration:
- A completed application for admission, which includes your signature, felony statement, application fee and the transfer section.
- Official transcripts from every college you've attended.
- An official high school transcript, if you have less than 24 hours of completed coursework when you apply.
- An essay of 300 to 500 words. Essay questions are on the application.
- An activities or work resume.
Once your application is complete, it typically takes about 2-4 weeks for an admission decision. If you apply near a transfer admission deadline, it may take a little longer.
TCU welcomes transfer students and as a result awards many scholarships to its top transfer scholars. To be considered for a merit scholarship, you must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 and at least 27 hours of graded and transferable coursework by June 1st. We do not require a separate application for scholarship consideration, so if you apply for fall admission by April 15 th, we will automatically consider you for all scholarships in which you are competitive. In other words, your application for admission is your application for scholarship.
Yes. If you are an outstanding athlete, then you may be elibible for one of our athletic scholarships. Please contact the coach of the particular sport for more information. Also, TCU awards scholarships to outstanding performers in the fine arts. The Nordan Scholarship auditions are usually held in January preceding the fall semester and are awarded to the top students in Music , Theatre , Dance and Art . Please contact the department for specific dates and audition/portfolio requirements. TCU also offers merit scholarships for Army and Air Force ROTC students.
No. Admission decisions are only for the term for which you applied, but you can fill out a reactivation form and we will consider you for a different term. If you completed coursework and received more grades since the last time you applied, we will also need an official transcript with the additional grades.