The Office of Undergraduate Education

Texas Success Initiative Exemptions

Pending institutional verification of the following situations, TSI exemptions apply to:

  1. Students who are non-degree seeking or non-certificate-seeking.
  2. For a period of five (5) years from the date of testing, a student who is tested and performs at or above the following standards on the following tests:
    • ACT – Composite score of 23 with a minimum of 19 on the English test shall be exempt for both the reading and writing sections of the TSI Assessment, and/or 19 on the mathematics test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI Assessment.
    • SAT –
      • If you took the SAT during or after March 2016:
        • Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score of 480 or higher shall be exempt for both reading and writing TSI requirements.
        • Math score of 530 or higher shall be exempt for the math TSI requirements.
      • If you took the SAT prior to March 2016:
        • Combined critical reading (formerly "verbal") and mathematics score of 1070 with a minimum of 500 on the critical reading test shall be exempt for both reading and writing sections of the TSI Assessment, and/or 500 on the mathematics test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI Assessment.
    • Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) – 11th grade exit-level TAKS with a minimum scale score of 2200 on the math section and/or a minimum scale score of 2200 on the English Language Arts section and a writing subsection score of at least 3, are TSI exempt for the corresponding sections. (Note: The writing subsection score is often not printed on high school transcripts, but can usually be found on the exit level TAKS score report.)
    • STAAR end-of-course (EOC) – A minimum score of Level 2 on the English III shall be exempt from the TSI Assessment required under this title for both reading and writing, and a minimum score of Level 2 on the Algebra II EOC shall be exempt from the TSI Assessment required under this title for the mathematics section.
  3. Students who have graduated with an associate or baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education. Transcripts must be filed with Enrollment Services for verification purposes.
  4. Students who have previously attended any Texas public institution and have been determined to have met TSI requirements by that institution.
  5. A student who is enrolled in a certificate program of one year or less (Level-One certificates, 42 or fewer semester credit hours or the equivalent) at a public junior college, a public technical institute, or a public state college.
  6. A student who is serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States, the Texas National Guard, or as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States and has been serving for at least three years preceding enrollment. Students must file a Verification of Active Duty form each semester with Enrollment Services.
  7. A student who on or after August 1, 1990, was honorably discharged, retired, or released from active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States or the Texas National Guard or service as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States. A copy of the DD214 form showing this status is required and must be filed with Enrollment Services.
  8. A private or out-of-state college or university and who have satisfactorily completed college-level coursework as determined by a grade of C or better in courses that are recognized as requiring college-level reading, writing and/or mathematical skills as approved by UT Dallas.

Note: Official transcripts should be submitted to UT Dallas Enrollment Services as soon as possible. Official evaluation must be completed to determine course equivalencies before a TSI waiver will be granted. If you are a student with a TSI Hold on your record, it must be removed prior to registering for courses. Contact an academic advisor in your program for more information. If you have any questions regarding TSI exemptions, please contact the TSI Coordinator at UT Dallas, Amanda Montgomery, at Amanda.mont@utdallas.edu.