Families

9th and 10th Grade Parents or Family Members

• Talk with your student about college plans and what career they wish to pursue.
• Stay connected with student’s school work, grades and their testing skills.
• Encourage your student to take challenging classes they can handle such as Pre-AP/AP/Honors/IB. Work with your student to seek tutorial sessions when needed.
  AP Courses and Exams
• Be aware if your student is on track for all standardized tests such as the PSAT, SAT and ACT—Encourage your student to pick up information from their high school counselor’s office and/or Collegeboard.com
• Talk with your student about a financial savings plan for college and begin the actual savings account if not yet established. College Saving Strategies: A Guide for Parents
• Become acquainted with FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and other types of financial aid.
• Work with your student and seek information about college nights or events when college representatives will visit their school. Talk to your student about the information they've collected on colleges of interest. Help them research different college/university websites for an overview of the school regarding types of majors, location, social aspects and other areas of importance when choosing a college—information can be found in their high school counselor’s office. National College Fairs Resource
• Plan a visit to a college or university with your student during their high school spring break or summer.

 

11th Grade Parents or Family Members

• Be involved during this important time as your student begins to make decisions on attending college and will need your support and encouragement.
• Encourage your student to take AP classes and CLEP tests for college credit
  CLEP Credits are Accepted by Nearly 3000 Colleges
• Discuss with your student the colleges/universities they are considering. Ask what they want to study and why they are interested in particular schools.
• Work with them throughout the college admission process, but let them lead the process and be responsible for meeting required deadlines for applications and scholarship opportunities.
• Become familiar with the college entrance exams and which schools require them: SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) and the ACT (American College Test)—Encourage your student to get information from their high school counselor’s office and/or Collegeboard.com. TCU is test-optional through 2025.
• Attend college fairs with your student, but let them lead the conversations with the college representatives.
  Questions to Ask College Admission Counselors
• Study the information your student receives from various colleges/universities.
• Get a clear overview of your financial situation and if you are on the right track to cover your student’s college costs, or at least provide some financial assistance. Discuss this information with your student.
• Make sure your student has explored scholarship and financial aid opportunities. For TCU specifically, you and your student should be prepared to submit the FAFSA application (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and the CSS Profile.
• Ask your employer if company scholarships are available for employees’ children and/or church and other organization affiliations.
• Take your student to visit their top choice colleges/universities.
• Be aware if your student has connected with their assigned admission counselor at their choice schools in order to receive accurate information throughout the college admission process.
• Seek people familiar with the college admission process such as high school counselors, teachers, family members, parents with college students, etc. for guidance throughout the process.

 

Parents of Applicants and Admitted Students

While students are the ones attending college, families play an important role in the selection and application process. Get informed about the details and your child will appreciate your expertise.

Applying is only half the college admission process. Once your student is admitted, there’s plenty left to do. 

1. Commitment Deposit
   • This payment lets your selected college know that you plan to enroll at that institution. At TCU, admitted students who want to enroll must pay the 

     $500 nonrefundable commitment deposit by May 1 at 5:00 pm (CDT). This is applied toward your student’s first bill, and essentially acts as a first payment. The commitment deposit is made on the MyTCU Portal, by calling the Office of Admission with a credit card number, or in person by delivering a check to TCU's Office of Admission.

2. Vaccinations
   • All incoming students under the age of 22 must provide record of a meningitis vaccination administered within the past five years. Submitting your vaccination records to the TCU Health Center allows access to the housing application. Please ask your student’s pediatrician to use the TCU's Official Form.
     
     The State of Texas Senate Bill 1107 requires all incoming college and university students under the age of 22 to receive the bacterial meningitis vaccine. For more information, please visit TCU's Health Center.
     
     
3. Financial Aid
   • All students who submit the CSS Profile and FAFSA will receive a financial aid package. Financial Aid is a tile on the MyTCU Portal and contains information for all of the scholarship, grants and loans offered by TCU to your student. You can easily accept these offers on the portal. If you’d like to talk to someone in Financial Aid anytime during the application or enrollment process, send them an email at financialaid@tcu.edu or give them a call at (817) 257-7858. 
     
     
4. Housing
   • TCU requires all first-and-second year students to live on campus. But with the amenities and comfort provided by our residence halls, many try to live on campus for all four years.
     
     Once admitted students make the commitment deposit and submit vaccination records, they'll be eligible to complete the housing application. There are opportunities to specify a roommate, or TCU is happy to match roommates based on responses from the housing application. We’ve been doing it for about 100 years and we’ve gotten pretty good at matching roommates that result in lifelong friendships.
     
     Extended housing is an opportunity that many students take advantage of as a way to save money. Three students become roommates instead of the traditional two, and as a result the cost of housing is reduced. During the summer, students may sign up for extended housing.