Admission Overview


Thank you for your interest in Texas College – a higher education institution of distinction.

At Texas College, we are dedicated to your educational and career success. We take great pride in being a student-first institution of higher education. Our academic programs provide you the knowledge and skills you will need to reach your personal and professional goals.

Whether you are a recent high school graduate, or if it has been awhile since you’ve attended school, Texas College is the place that can help prepare you for that next step in life. Texas College will expose you to new opportunities that you never thought possible and help you realize your dreams. Our dedicated staff and faculty are here to help you at every step in your journey. We have what you need for you to succeed.

Give us a call at (800) 306-6299 or contact us or apply online on our website. Texas College is the place for you. Take the next step towards your future!

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Meningitis Vaccination Requirement for All Texas College Students

You will not be allowed to register for the upcoming semester unless the Office of Enrollment Services has received and processed vaccination documentation showing that you have complied with the following requirement.

REQUIREMENT:

Texas Senate Bill 1107, passed in May 2011, requires all students entering a public, private, or independent institution of higher education in Texas as of January 2012 and thereafter to provide documentation that they have had a meningococcal (bacterial meningitis) vaccine or “booster” dose during the five-year period prior to but no later than ten days before the first day of the first semester they will enter that institution. Check your shot records. You may need another shot to comply. Do not submit your documentation until you are admitted.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:

International students who are entering Texas College must comply with additional medical requirements before they will be allowed to register for classes.

Please note that international students have additional medical requirements.

  • Vaccine Exemption
  • Acceptable Documentation
  • Declining the Meningitis Vaccine
  • Submitting Documentation to Student Health Services
  • Where you can get the meningitis vaccine?
  • (including those without insurance)

Vaccine Exemption

Unless exempted as noted below, the following students must comply with this requirement.

  • All first-time students at Texas College.
  • All current Texas College students that currently do not have vaccination documentation on file.
  • All students who are transferring from any institution of higher education to Texas College.
  • All students who previously attended Texas College and who are enrolling following a break in enrollment of at least one fall or spring semester. (Students who complete a spring semester at Texas College are not enrolled for the summer at Texas College, and who return in the fall is considered “continuing students” and are not included in this requirement.)

You are EXEMPT from this requirement if:

  • You will be age 30 or older on the first day of classes of the semester in which you are enrolling at Texas College. You do not have to submit any documentation to Office of Enrollment Services.
  • You will be enrolled only in online courses. You do not have to submit any documentation to the Office of Enrollment Services.
  • You cannot take the vaccine because of medical reasons. Before you will be allowed to register for classes, UHS must receive specific, acceptable documentation to substantiate this reason.
  • You decline the vaccine due to reasons of conscience, including a religious belief. Before you will be allowed to register for classes, must receive a completed, notarized, original Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) Vaccine Exemption Affidavit Form. PLEASE NOTE: This is the onlyacceptable documentation for this exemption, and this process takes a significant amount of time. Begin well in advance of your intended registration date.

Acceptable Vaccination Documentation

Acceptable documentation includes:

  • The signature or stamp of a physician or his/her designee or public health personnel on a form that shows the month, day, and year of your most recent meningococcal vaccination or booster dose;
  • An official immunization record generated from a state or local health authority that includes the same information as above; or
  • An official record issued from school officials, including a record from another state, which includes the same information as above.
  • Documentation must be in English and include your full name and date of birth. Write your Texas College ID number and the semester you are entering/entered Texas College (e.g. Spring 2012) on all pages of your documentation before submitting it.

Declining the Meningitis Vaccine

Because of the severity and potential fatality of meningococcal disease (bacterial meningitis), please consult a physician about the need for the vaccine before seeking this exemption.

The only acceptable documentation is an original, completed and notarized Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) Vaccine Exemption Affidavit Form. Request this form directly from TDSHS by mail or via an online request process. TDSHS will mail a hard copy of the form to you. TDSHS does not make online copies of the form available to print out, and Student Health Services is not authorized to provide electronic or hard copies.

Request the Vaccine Exemption Affidavit Form from TDSHS

This is a secure web page for requesting exemption forms online. DSHS only has one exemption form. If you are an adult requesting the form for yourself complete the parent/guardian section and the child section with your information.

Write your Texas College ID number and the semester you are entering Texas College on this form (e.g. Spring 2012) before submitting it.

IMPORTANT: You must send the original, notarized form to Student Health Services. Emailed, faxed forms or photocopies are not acceptable. Initiate your request to TDSHS well before your intended registration date. It may take several weeks to receive your form during rush times.

Submitting Documentation to the Office of Enrollment Services

The following timelines apply for submitting documentation proving you’ve had the meningococcal vaccine, that you can’t take the vaccine because of medical reasons OR that you decline the vaccine because of reasons of conscience, including a religious belief.

Submit your documentation only after you have been accepted to Texas College. This requirement is not part of your admission process, but non-compliance will prevent you from registering for classes.

Submit your documentation to Office of Enrollment Management at least two weeks before your intended registration date, even if it is during an orientation session, to prevent registration delays.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: You can bring your documentation to the Office of Enrollment Health Services as soon as you arrive in Tyler or on campus.

Where you can get the meningitis vaccine?

(including those without insurance)

You can get the meningococcal vaccine at most doctors’ offices and private clinics, many large pharmacy chains, and some minor emergency centers or medi-clinics. Call in advance to see whether they offer the vaccine, require an appointment, and take your insurance.

If you have Medicaid or CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Plan), please contact your established healthcare provider as your first option.

If you are uninsured or your insurance will not cover the meningococcal vaccine

  • If you are 18 or younger, you might qualify for the Texas Vaccines for Children Program. Call the United Way’s referral helpline, by dialing 211, to find healthcare providers in your area who participate in this program.
  • Many Texas city/county health departments offer free or low-cost meningococcal vaccine as part of children and adult immunization programs. Call to confirm that they offer the meningococcal vaccine for someone your age and in your circumstances.
  • In Tyler, you may contact the Northeast Texas Public Health District Immunization Program for a low cost immunization option.

Northeast Texas Public Health District
Immunization Program
815 North Broadway
Tyler, TX 75702
PHONE 903.510.5604
WEB www.healthyeasttx.org

Clinic Hours:
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Wednesday
8 a.m. – 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.