It’s time to apply to TCU! Last week, our portal opened up and we are now officially taking applications for incoming freshman wishing to start at TCU during the fall of 2020.

While TCU does have its own application, students can also use the Common Application or Apply Texas. We don’t look at those applications any differently, so please just use the type that is most convenient for you and your family. In addition to the application, we also require an essay, two letters of recommendation (one from a teacher and one from a counselor), your high school transcript, and a test score (either the SAT or ACT). Once we have all of these materials, your application to TCU will be complete!

When applying, here are a few additional things to keep in mind:

• TCU does accept self-reported test scores. This means that you don’t have to pay to have your tests officially sent but can instead simply email us a screenshot or tell us what you scored on each individual section and we’ll add that to your file for you.
• TCU superscores standardized tests, which basically means that we’ll take your best score from each individual section of the test. We do this automatically, so make sure you’ve sent in all of your scores.
• TCU can always add to your application. If you receive an additional letter or add something new to your resume, shoot us an email and we can attach the new information to your file.
• We review all of our applications at the same time, not in the order they’re received. This means that you have all the way until that first deadline on November 1^st to submit an application in order to receive a decision. It doesn’t matter if you applied on August 1^st or November 1^st, we’ll look at all of our completed applications together!

For students who do apply by the Early Action/ Early Decision deadline, a decision will be returned by January 1^st. This will include the admission decision and any academic scholarship that is awarded, but will not include a financial aid package.

At the end of the day, we know that applying for college can be a stressful and hectic process. However, we want to do everything we can to help mitigate some of that anxiety for you. If we can ever be helpful in any way, please let us know! You can find your own personal admission counselor. Good luck and happy applying!

Dalton Goodier is a Senior Admission Counselor with TCU’s Office of Admission. He first applied to TCU more than a decade ago.