If you have SAT or ACT scores that exempt you, please send a PDF of your official score report to us at tsi@austin.utexas.edu. See ACT scores here. See SAT scores here. We will let you know if you need to take further action. Please include your UT EID in all communication with our office
Students may be exempt from one or more TSI requirements under the following conditions.*
Exemption by Test Scores
Old SAT: Prior to March 2016
A student must achieve a minimum SAT critical reading and math composite score of 1070 with at least a 500 on the math section for a TSI exemption in math
A student must achieve a minimum SAT critical reading and math composite score of 1070 with at least a 500 on the critical reading section for a TSI exemption in both reading and writing
New SAT: On or after March 2016
Mathematics test: 530
Evidence Based Reading and Writing (EBRW): 480
Note: There is no combined minimum score for the new SAT
Old ACT Prior to March 03 2023
A student must achieve a minimum composite score of 23 with at least a 19 on the math section for an exemption in math
A student must achieve a minimum composite score of 23 with at least a 19 on the English section for an exemption in reading and writing
New ACT: On or after March 2023
A student must achieve a combined score of 40 on the English and Reading (E+R) tests to be exempt for both reading and writing or ELAR sections of the TSI Assessment.
A student must achieve a minimum score of 22 on the mathematics for an exemption in math. There is no composite score.
TAKS
A student with an exit-level TAKS math score of at least 2200 is exempt from the math requirement
A student with an exit-level TAKS English/language arts score of at least 2200 and an essay score of at least 3 is exempt from the reading and writing requirements
STAAR End-of-Course
A student with a score of at least Level 2 on the STAAR Algebra II end-of-course (EOC) is exempt from the math requirement (Algebra I scores are not admissible)
A student with a score of at least Level 2 on the STAAR English III end-of-course (EOC) is exempt from the reading and writing requirements (English II scores are not admissible)
*Note: SAT, ACT, TAKS, and STAAR scores used to support an exemption must be less than five years old. The writing section of the SAT test is not considered. Finally, mixing or combining scores from the SAT administered prior to Match 2016 and the SAT administered on or after Math 5, 2016 is not permissible.
If you believe you have test scores to exempt you, you can email tsi@austin.utexas.edu with a screenshot/scan of your test scores. Your full name must be present in all documentation. Please be sure to include your UT EID in all communication with our office.
Exemption by Course Credit
The following courses from another institution may exempt you from certain sections of the TSI Assessment:
| Credit for these courses |
May exempt you from |
| History, Psychology, Government |
Reading |
| Rhetoric, Writing, Composition |
Writing |
| College Algebra |
Math |
Note: You must submit a copy of your college transcript to the TSI office to be evaluated. You may submit an unofficial transcript. Make sure your full name is visible on the transcript. A high school transcript listing dual credit courses will not be accepted.
Additional TSI Exemptions
The student has earned a bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree
The student is serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States, the Texas National Guard, or as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States and has been serving for at least three years preceding enrollment
The student was honorably discharged, retired, or released from active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States or the Texas National Guard or served as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States on or after Aug. 1, 1990
The student is a non-degree-seeking or a non-certificate-seeking student
The student has attended another institution and has been determined to have met readiness standards by that institution
The student has transferred coursework determined by the university to be appropriate from a private or independent institution of higher education, an accredited out-of-state institution of higher education, or an international institution of higher education and has completed college-level coursework
