College Readiness
Being college ready means having the academic knowledge, skills, and personal attributes necessary to succeed in entry-level college courses without needing remedial classes. It involves a combination of hard and soft skills.
Reference the requirements below for more information on College Readiness.
Important Updates for Dual Credit Eligibility
Dallas College has recently updated its dual credit eligibility requirements, effective Summer 2025 and for all future semesters. Please review the details below to understand these changes and determine if dual credit is the right path for you.
Eligibility Changes
Students with 0-14 College Credit Hours
Students are no longer required to have TSI (Texas Success Initiative) scores or qualifying scores on exams such as the PSAT, SAT, or ACT to enroll in dual credit classes that previously required these assessments.
However, while testing requirements have changed, dual credit courses are still college-level classes. Students should carefully evaluate their readiness for the rigor and expectations of these courses before enrolling.
Students with 15 or More College Credit Hours
Students must have TSI status to take dual credit classes with TSI restrictions.
TSI status can be achieved in one of the following ways:
Passing a TSI course within the first 14 credit hours.
Ex. Passing ENGL 1301 makes you Reading and Writing Met
Taking and passing the TSI Assessment.
Earning qualifying scores on the ACT or SAT.
Are You College Ready?
Before enrolling in dual credit courses, it is essential to assess your readiness for college-level coursework. Dual credit classes offer a great opportunity to earn college credit while in high school, but they also require:
Strong time management skills
Solid study habits
The ability to handle a more rigorous workload
Students and families are encouraged to consider these factors carefully to ensure success in the program. The information below can also be used as guidance when deciding if you are college ready.
Students New to Dual Credit & Students with less than 15 Credit Hours | Students with 15 credit hours or more - must meet TSI. |
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Benchmarks to demonstrate College Readiness: PSAT Scores: English 460+ / Math 510+ STAAR EOC: English II 4000+ / Math: Algebra I EOC 4000+ & 80 or higher in Algebra 2 at the end of the school year. | Students who need to meet TSI requirements due to enrolling in 15 or more hours of dual credit may fulfill these requirements if they completed a course in the 0-14 hours of dual credit that has an associated TSI requirement and successfully passed the class. For example, ENGL 1301 requires TSI reading and writing. If a student passes this class while taking 0-14 hours of dual credit, they will be exempt from the TSI reading and writing requirements once they reach 15 or more hours of coursework.
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Academic Skills: Core Knowledge, Time Managemnt, | TSI Exemptions: SAT Scores: Reading/Writing: 480 Math: 530 ACT Scores: English + Reading: 40 Math: 22 |
Soft Skills: Communication, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Resilience, Adaptability | TSI Testing Steps:
Walk-in testing is available every weekday until 3:30pm, Fridays it’s only until 1:30pm. Students can bring their score report for an excused absences for the exam. All Dual Credit students get their first 2 TSI tests for free. Student are only charged for the third attempt and after ($10 per section). Students may retake the TSI as many times as they need to, but we will discourage back-to-back attempts, as scores typically don’t increase when they’re taken back-to-back. |
TSI Exam Scores: TSI ELAR: Score of 945+ AND Essay Score of 5 - 8 OR ELAR Score under 945 AND ELAR Diagnostic TSI Math: 950+ OR Math Score Under 950 AND Math Diagnostic Level of 6 |