The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is a state mandate required for all incoming students to be assessed in the areas of math, reading and writing. Unless you’re exempt, you’ll need to take it and report your score to UTSA before Orientation.
In order to determine if students are ready for college-level coursework, the State of Texas requires incoming students, who are not fully or partially exempt, to take the TSI Assessment (TSIA) which has two sections: Math and English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR).
How can I be TSI Complete?
There are three ways students can become TSI Complete. We encourage you to check your Rowdy Ready status on your myUTSA Account for specific information on your TSI status.
- Exempt
- Submit your passing TSI Assessment (TSIA) scores to UTSA
- Take and pass the TSI Assessment (TSIA) at UTSA
Meet Exempt Criteria
For students to be fully exempt from taking the TSI assessment, they must meet the exempt criteria for both sections of the TSI: Math and English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR) and submit appropriate scores to UTSA to be transcribed into our student system to be used for TSI exemption purposes. Some students could be given partial exemptions when they meet one of the exempt criteria for only one of the sections. This means students will still need to take the TSI Assessment for the section they were not exempt. View details below on which tests and the corresponding scores qualify for an exemption.
| Exempt for TSI Math | Exempt for TSI ELAR | |
|---|---|---|
| SAT | Math: 530 | Reading & Writing (EBRW): 480 |
| ACT (Administered prior to February 15, 2023)¹ | 23 Composite Score (without writing) with Math sub score of 19 | 23 Composite Score (without writing) with English sub score of 19 |
| ACT (Administered on or after February 15, 2023)¹ | Math Sub Score of 22 | Combined Score of 40 on the English and Reading (E+R) tests |
| STAAR | Algebra II: 4,000 | English III Writing: 4,000 English III Reading: 4,000 |
| Texas College Bridge | Students who have participated in a statewide Texas College Bridge program can send their completion certificates to UTSA through their Greenlight portal. | |
| College Prep Course | Students who have completed a college prep course through a San Antonio area high school may submit their completion certificates to tsi@utsa.edu. | |
| Pathway Program | Students admitted into our Undergraduate Pathway Program will work towards meeting TSI requirements with our UTSA English Language Center. | |
| College Credit | Students who took coursework at another institution (including Dual Credit), can submit their official transcripts for evaluation to be fully or partially exempt. | |
| AP Score | Students can submit their AP scores to UTSA. Note: Student must accept their AP credit for it to be considered. | |
| Earned Prior Degree | Students who have previously earned a Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree in Texas can submit their official transcripts to become exempt. | |
| Non-Degree Seeking | Students who are admitted and considered non-degree seeking will be exempt. | |
| Military | Students who have served in the military (on or after August 1, 1990) and were honorably discharged, retired, or released from active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States, the Texas National Guard, or a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the U.S. (copy of DD214 required) will be exempted.
Active duty military members of the armed forces of the United States, the Texas National Guard, or a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the U.S. will be exempted (letter from commanding officer required). This temporary exemption will be valid for only one semester; orders must be resubmitted each semester. |
|
¹ The use of scores from both the ACT administered prior to February 15, 2023, and the ACT administered on or after February 15, 2023, is allowed as long as the benchmarks are met.
Submit TSIA Scores
Students who have taken the TSIA at a remote College Board-approved testing site must submit a request to allow UTSA to download their test scores through the UTSA TSI Office Portal. Follow these steps:
- Log into the UTSA TSI Office Portal with your myUTSA ID and passphrase at testing.utsa.edu.
- Type the name of the location where you took the TSIA.
- Provide your Student ID used on the TSIA.
- Check the box giving UTSA permission to download your TSIA Scores.
- Submit your request.
Note: Requests can take 2-3 business days to process. Only one request is needed unless you retested remotely after submitting your last request to UTSA. Your TSI status may still say “Incomplete” if your scores were not passing.
Take the Assessment (TSIA)
Students who live in San Antonio should take the TSI Assessment at UTSA. We offer both in-person and remote options. Learn more information about the following steps at testing.utsa.edu.
- Take the Pre-Assessment Activity (PPA).
- Register for the TSIA (on campus or virtually).
- Take the TSIA and pass.
Passing TSIA Scores
The TSIA has two sections: Math and English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR). Students will answer multiple-choice questions and an essay to complete their assessment. We encourage students to use the TSI Study Guide to prepare for the test.
Passing with TSIA Diagnostic Section
If a student is close to passing the multiple-choice sections, but their score is not high enough, another set of questions will populate to give the student a second chance. This sub-set of multiple-choice questions is called the Diagnostic section.
Passing with Older TSIA Scores
The older version of the TSIA (prior to January 2021) had three sections to complete with different scores. Students who recently took the TSIA (2021 and forward), should use the scores listed above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your TSI status will determine what level of courses you can register for. If you are exempt or have successfully passed all three sections of the TSI Assessment, you will be able to register for all entry-level college courses. However, if you failed to meet the minimum passing scores, you will be placed in remedial or developmental coursework, which is designed to prepare you for college-level courses in the areas where you fell below the TSI minimum requirements.
Yes, the ACT/SAT test score waiver was for admission purposes only and does not carry over to the TSI requirement. All incoming students are required to be assessed in Math and English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR) and taking the ACT/SAT could exempt or partially exempt you if you meet certain scores.
Yes, students who live outside of San Antonio can receive approval to take the TSI remotely at a College Board-approved testing site. These sites are typically colleges and universities located throughout the country.
Step 1: You will need to locate a site near you that meets the following criteria:
- The site must be a member of the College Board Remote Testing Network. Please note: the test proctor cannot be your teacher or any other individual with a stake in your academic success.
- The test proctor must be unrelated to you. Parents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, etc. are not allowed.
- The site must be able to communicate with UTSA officials via a professional email address (e.g. john.smith@college.edu) and phone number. Due to security concerns, we cannot communicate with proctors via a non-professional email domain such as Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail.
- The site must be able to return documents either by scanned email (preferred method) or by fax.
Step 2: You will need to send an email to testinfo@utsa.edu and include the following information in the email:
- Your full legal name as it would appear on an official transcript (no nicknames or abbreviations).
- Your myUTSA ID (e.g. abc123) or you can submit the alternative student ID (e.g. @12345678).
- Your contact information (phone number and email address)
- Testing institution contact information (Name of College or University, phone number, and email address)
A UTSA Testing Services staff member will determine your eligibility to take the TSI Assessment remotely. The staff member will notify you via email if you qualify. You and your proctor will then receive a voucher number via email. This voucher number will be unique to you and will allow your proctor to administer the test remotely.
Important Information About Fees: Your UTSA student account will be charged $45 (or $50 beginning with your third attempt on the TSIA) at the conclusion of your test. You will not be charged until you take the exam. Additionally, the remote site will charge a sitting fee that varies from institution to institution.
Yes, your UTSA student account will be charged $45 (or $50 beginning with your third attempt on the TSIA) at the conclusion of your test. You will not be charged until you take the exam.
Students who have taken the TSIA at a remote College Board-approved testing site must submit a request to allow UTSA to download their test scores through the UTSA TSI Office Portal. It can take 2-3 business days for your request to be processed once submitted.
Yes, UTSA offers both in-person and virtual TSIA options. Learn more about how to register.
Contact UTSA Testing Services at testinfo@utsa.edu or call 210-458-4125.
You can always retake the TSIA to try to get passing scores. If you are TSI incomplete in one or both sections, TSI Programs will help you register for developmental coursework which will help prepare you for college-level classes.
Need help? Contact UTSA TSI Programs at tsi@utsa.edu or call 210-458-4498.
Students who have taken the TSIA at a remote College Board-approved testing site must submit a request to allow UTSA to download their test scores through the UTSA TSI Office Portal. It can take two weeks for your request to be processed once submitted.
If you have already submitted scores and it was not passing, your TSI status will still indicate Incomplete. You do not have to resubmit scores unless you retested and passed.
Students who are not meeting one or both of the TSI requirements must take developmental coursework to prepare them for college-level classes in the future. Once you have registered for the developmental coursework, your TSI status on Rowdy Ready on your myUTSA Account will change to green and show “Registered.”
Students who are not meeting one or both of the TSI requirements must take developmental coursework. This coursework will prepare you for college-level classes in either math and/or reading/writing. Once you have registered for the developmental coursework, your TSI status under Rowdy Ready on your myUTSA Account will change to green and show “Registered.”
TSI Programs can assist students with TSI advising, developmental coursework registration, and TSI Score retrievals. You can contact them at tsi@utsa.edu or call 210-458-4498.
Testing Services
Contact Testing Services for questions about TSI testing.
testinfo@utsa.edu
210-458-4125
testing.utsa.edu
TSI Programs
Contact TSI Programs for questions about TSI score retrievals, developmental course registration, or TSI advising.
tsi@utsa.edu
210-458-4498