Texas Christian University (TCU) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private, religious university associated with the Disciples of Christ Christian church, but is open to students of any faith. Founded in 1873, TCU has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,640 and the campus, just five miles from downtown Fort Worth, sits on 268 acres.

Ranked as #99 among National Universities in U.S. News and World Report’s 2011 edition of Best Colleges, TCU has invested a considerable amount of time and money in new facilities and upgrades over the past several years, a sign of the school’s growth. Among the new facilities are Clarence and Kerry Scharbauer Hall, a classroom building; the Brown-Lupton University Union; four new residence halls in the Campus Commons; the Mary Wright Admission Center; and the Jane Justin Field House.

A $105 million renovation of the Amon G. Carter Stadium began after the 2010 football season, and a renovation of the Ballet and Modern Dance Building was started in December 2010.

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Information Summary

Ranks 5th in Texas and 98th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	95.1
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$65,684
Admission Success rate	N/A
ACT / SAT 75%ile scores	30 / 1343
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	15 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	92% / 83%
Enrollment Total (all students)	10,918

Academics

Texas Christian University has eight colleges: Liberal Arts, Business, Communication, Education, Fine Arts, Honors College, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Science and Engineering. Most popular majors at TCU are business, management, marketing, and related support services; communication and journalism; education; health professions; and social sciences.

The student-faculty ratio at TCU is 13 to 1, and 42.1 percent of the university’s classes have fewer than 20 students. The average freshman retention rate is 85 percent.

Through the university’s own programs, exchange programs, and partner programs, students can spend a semester or year abroad at more than 50 established programs in 25 countries around the world. TCU has sent students to Ghana, Jordan and South Africa, China, India, Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, Austria, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Spain, Russia, Argentina, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.

In place of the lengthier study abroad programs, students can spend the summer traveling with TCU faculty members to countries abroad and fulfill a three-credit course at the same time. A sampling of summer abroad programs includes Journalism in London, Language and Culture in Salamanca, Spain, Environmental Issues in Costs Rica, and Language and Culture in Japan.

TCU is also kicking off a new program in summer 2011, the TCU Global Academy, a multi-faceted program that will focus on the global theme of sustainability and will be located in Brazil. The interdisciplinary program aims to study sustainability, U.S. policy, and the dialogue between the U.S. and Brazil. Participating students and faculty will spend time in Brazil for the program.

Texas Christian University also offers an Intensive English Program to internationasl students, which provides study skills, listening, reading, grammar, communications skills and a language lab. Students are placed in beginner to advanced classes, depending on their skills. Every Friday, students in the program meet with faculty to share a meal and practice their English in a relaxed environment.

TCU also offers the College 101/Compass 101 program, an attempt by the university to increase retention of first-year students by intervening when students earn a grade point average of less than 2.0 in their first semester. In that case, students receive the resources, tools, and mentorships necessary to help them to achieve academic good standing by the end of their second semester of freshman year. The program includes a mandatory one-time meeting that reviews their study skills and and mentoring throughout the spring semester.

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Admissions

To be admitted to Texas Christian University, applicants must have completed at least four units of high school English, three units of math that include two of algebra and one of geometry, three units of science, three units of social studies, two units of a foreign language and two units of electives.

Also required are a student’s SAT and ACT scores, an essay, a guidance counselor’s evaluation, information about a student’s extracurricular activities, college courses taken while in high school, and information about special talents. Students planning to major in music or dance must audition as part of the application process.

TCU does have priority admissions, with an earlier deadline date for those applications. About 67 percent of all applicants to TCU are admitted, and about 84 percent of all freshmen return to TCU for sophomore year. About 33 percent of incoming freshmen at TCU graduated in top 10th percentile of their high school graduating class, and 65 percent in the top quarter of their graduating class.

If you’d like to visit TCU, you can schedule a personal visit by contacting the admissions office. Personal visits include a meeting with an admissions officer, a student-led tour, and other options. Incoming high school seniors and their families can also attend Destination TCU, a day-long summer program that includes an information session that covers admissions, financial aid, academics and college preparation tips. You also take a student-led tour of the campus and free breakfast and lunch. Destination TCU is usually held on four dates in June, July and August.

Monday at TCU is another day-long session that takes place during the school year and includes a campus tour, a tour of a residence hall, free breakfast and lunch, special interest sessions, and meetings with faculty. Mondays at TCU are popular, so the university requires you to book at least two weeks in advance.

TCU also holds a Transfer Day specifically designed for prospective transfer students. Transfer Day takes place in the afternoon to accommodate visitor schedules, and includes a campus tour, an admissions information session, with specific information about transferring coursework and scholarships.

Financial Aid

The TCU Scholarship Committee reviews the applications for undergraduate admission to determine scholarship recipients. Freshmen need to maintain a 3.0 TCU cumulative grade point average at the end of the freshman year in order to have their scholarships renewed. Sophomores, juniors and seniors must maintain a 3.25 grade point average to continue their scholarships. Four-year merit-based cademic scholarships at TCU include the Chancellor’s Scholarship, Dean’s Scholarship, Faculty Scholarship, TCU Scholarship, and Founder’s Scholarship.

Grants include the TCU grant, awarded to students with financial eligibility, qualifying class rank and SAT/ACT scores; the Middle Income Assistance Grant, provided to students who may not qualify for other grant programs; the federal Pell Grant; the federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, and the Texas Grant Program.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 58th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in Texas.

Students

Because all freshmen and sophomores must live on campus, TCU offers an abundance of residence halls for its students — 13 in all. And out of those 13, all but one are coeducational.

Most rooms are double occupancy, but some halls also have triple occupancy rooms. All freshmen residence hall have community-style bathrooms except Foster, Moncrief and Waits halls, which have a mix of semi-private and community restrooms. All residence halls have lounges for studying and socializing and laundry rooms.

Freshman residence halls include Brachman Hall, which is home to about 155 residents; Colby, an all-women hall that houses 350 students; Milton Daniel, which is home to the John V. Roach Honors College; Moncrief, which houses athletes and non-athletes with approximately 224 first-year residents; and Sherley, which houses 315 freshmen.

Dining Options

TCU’s main dining hall is Market Square, located in the Brown-Lupton University Union. Market Square features seven dining stations and TCU students can eat all they want there. There’s a deli, a pizza and pasta station, comfort foods, a grill, international foods, and a soup and salad bar. Market Square also serves an all-day breakfast. Other campus dining options are Sub Connection and Bistro Burnett on the East Campus, the 1873 Sports Grill and Café and Union Grounds, also in the University Union; and NRG restaurant in the campus recreation center.

Partly because of TCU’s religious affiliation, there are about 20 religious organizations at the university for students, and about 200 other clubs and organizations. Greek life is popular here as well, with almost 40 percent of the student body belonging to TCU’s 30 fraternities and sororities. Volunteer activities are also a big draw for TCU students, organized by the school’s Center for Community Involvement & Service Learning.

Venturing off campus is fine, as long as you have a car since Fort Worth is about five miles from the campus. Students can actually go to a rodeo at the Cowtown Coliseum there, or watch the live bull riding shows at Billy Bob’s, a honky-tonk restaurant.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

TCU’s Horned Frog sports teams are members of the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference and the school’s football team is popular and competitive.

Men’s intercollegiate sports are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming & diving, tennis, and track & field. Women’s intercollegiate sports are basketball, cross country, equestrian, golf, rifle, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

In 2010, the Frogs baseball team competed in their first-ever College World Series after defeating Texas in the NCAA Austin Super Regional. TCU went 3-2 at the College World Series and finished the season ranked No. 3 by all the national polls.

The popular TCU football team has won 17 conference championships in its history, including three titles in the Mountain West Conference in 2005, 2009 and 2010.

Athletic facilities at Texas Christian University include the Amon G. Carter Stadium, with a capacity of more than 44,000 for TCY football games; the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, an 8,000-seat basketball stadium; Lupton Stadium and Williams-Reilly Field, which hosts TCU baseball games; the Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium, which seats 1,500; the Lowdon Track and Field Complex; and the University Recreation Center, where TCU’s swimming and diving teams compete.

Bibliography

Texas Christian University Horned Frogs – Official Athletic Site. Texas Christian University. Web. 01 June 2011.

Texas Christian University. Texas Christian University. Web. 01 June 2011.

“Texas Christian University | Best College | US News.” US News & World Report | News & Rankings | Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, and More. US News & World Report. Web. 01 June 2011.

Texas Christian University