Policies & Requirements

Online: Complete an online Admissions Application. A non-refundable $25 application fee must be paid online when submitting an application. Apply Online

By mail: Mail the completed application and the $25 application fee to:

Technical College of the Lowcountry
Attention: Admissions Department
P. O. Box 1288
Beaufort, SC 29901-1288

In person: Visit or apply at any of TCL’s campuses, click here.

IMPORTANT: Residency documents are required for all new and readmit students. Information for residency requirements.

Official transcripts from high school, (college and or university if applicable) and a placement test may be required depending on the program of study that you want to pursue.

We encourage students to apply early to avoid delay.

Enrollment Checklist:

Submit a completed Admissions Application
Apply for Financial Aid. Complete the FAFSA form at www.fafsa.ed.gov. TCL's school code is 009910.
Schedule placement assessment testing (ASSET/COMPASS) if applicable.
Schedule appointment with Academic Advisor.
Register for classes.
Fee assessment tuition payment – Students receiving financial aid, veterans' benefits or scholarships must present the registration form directly to the Financial Aid office. For TCL tuition student payment plan, click here.
Obtain student identification card and vehicle registration decal from the Learning Resource Centers at the Beaufort (Building 12, MacLean Hall, Second Floor) and New River campuses.
Students may purchase text books from the TCL Bookstore. For Bookstore information, click here.
For Specific Student Classification (pages 15-18 of catalog), click here.

Registration and Payment:

New and Re-admitted Students:
New and re-admit students must complete the application process prior to registering for classes. For some new and returning students, placement testing may be necessary. Please check with the Admissions Office for more information.

Registration:
Register early before your classes are filled. New students must meet with their academic advisor to register. Continuing students may register on line. Apply Online

Important Non-Payment Policy Information:
Students must pay all registration fees and tuition prior to each new semester in order to prevent being automatically dropped from class rolls. (This also includes students receiving financial assistance. Students removed from class rolls must meet with their academic advisor to re-register. Class vacancies resulting from non-payment will be filled on a first come, first serve basis.

On the Spot Registration:
Students who are unable to register with their academic advisor may attend the On The Spot Registration. Faculty and staff are in one location for your convenience.

Important Dates, click here.

TCL Admissions Citizenship and Residency Requirements:

US Citizenship Requirements (for entry into the Technical College of the Lowcountry):

The South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act (S.C. Code Ann. 59-101-430 [Westlaw 2008]) prohibits those unlawfully present in the united States from attending a public institution of higher education in South Carolina and from receiving a public higher education benefit. To attend classes at TCL, you must sign the Declaration of Citizenship on the Admissions application AND provide one of supporting documents listed below:

Requirements for citizenship verification:

Sign and date the Declaration of Citizenship section on the TCL application.
Provide one of the following forms of documentation:

*Copy of your South Carolina driver’s license if you first became a licensed driver in the

state after January 1, 2002;
*A Certified Birth Certificate indicating that you were born in the United States or a

               territory of the United States.
               A photocopy of your birth certificate is not acceptable.*
             *Current U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport that has not been expired more than 10 years;
             *Certificate of Naturalization -- USCIS Form (N-550 or N-570);
             *U.S. government issued Consular Report of Birth Abroad;
             *Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561); or
             *Unexpired U.S. Active Duty/Retiree/Reservist Military ID Card (DOD DD-2)

Admissions Residency Requirements:

Residency Policy
The residency policy governing tuition at the Technical College of the Lowcountry complies with the South Carolina Code of Laws 59-112 in determining tuition and fees to be paid by students attending the College. Students who are not legal residents of the State of South Carolina, or who do not qualify for residency exceptions are required to pay out-of-state tuition rates.

South Carolina Residency
Applicants applying to TCL who wish to claim South Carolina residency for tuition and fee purposes must complete the Residency Certification section of the Technical College of the Lowcountry Application for Admission and present all requested documents to the Admissions Office at any TCL campus.

Requirements for proof of residency:

Complete the Residency section of the TCL Application for Admission form.
Take one of the following documents to TCL to verify you are a South Carolina resident:

South Carolina driver's license or South Carolina State ID (issue date must be 12 months prior to date of application).
South Carolina income tax return for the last tax year.
If military, bring a copy of your original orders to South Carolina.
Additional documents may be required.

If you currently live in South Carolina and do not have one of the above residency documents, please call an Admissions representative at 843.525.8207 or 843.525.8208.

Residents of Effingham and Chatham Counties who meet Georgia residency requirements are eligible for in-state tuition at the Technical College of the Lowcountry.

Permanent South Carolina Residents
Confirmation of legal South Carolina residency on the Technical College of the Lowcountry Application for Admission, and the requested documents, is acknowledgment that the student meets all requirements of Section 59-112, South Carolina Code of Laws that determine eligibility for in-state tuition rates.

Other South Carolina Residents
Applicants must prove that they have resided in South Carolina for the preceding continuous twelve months and must have abandoned all prior domiciles immediately preceding the first day of classes. The burden of proof for dependent students rests with the parent or guardian. This provision does not apply to persons or their spouses if they are in South Carolina primarily as students.

Note: Students who falsify information regarding their state of permanent residence will be charged the appropriate tuition rate for each term attended and may incur additional financial penalties.

Residency Appeals
If you wish to appeal your residency status, you must submit a completed Residency Reclassification Form, along with the supporting documents, to the Admissions Office for consideration. You will be notified of your residency reclassification status by the Residency Officer within ten (10) days after submitting the form.

For more information about the residency appeal process, you may contact our Residency Officer:

Rhonda Cole

Admissions Manager

Beaufort campus. Building 2 . Coleman Hall . First Floor . Admissions

843.525.8229

rcole@tcl.edu

If your residency appeal is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may address your questions and concerns to:

Cleo T. Martin

Director of Enrollment Management

Beaufort campus . Building 2 . Coleman Hall . First Floor . Financial Aid

843.525.8203

ctmartin@tcl.edu

South Carolina Residency Law
Click Here for the entire South Carolina Residency Law which determines rates of tuition and fees if you require more information than the following excerpt:

Determination of Rates of Tuition and Fees

Chapter 112 South Carolina Code of Laws

South Carolina Domicile Defined for Purposes of Rates of Tuition and Fees - Section 59-112-20, South Carolina domicile for tuition and fee purposes shall be established as follows in determinations of rates of tuition and fees to be paid by students entering or attending State Institutions:

A. Independent persons who reside in and have be domiciled in South Carolina for a period of no less than twelve months with an intention of making a permanent home herein, and their dependents, may be considered eligible for in-state rates.

B. Independent persons who reside in and have been domiciled in South Carolina for fewer than twelve months but who have full-time employment in the State, and their dependents, maybe considered eligible for in-state rates for as long as such independent person is employed on a full-time basis in the State.

C. Where an independent person meeting the provisions of Section B above, is living apart from his spouse, or where such person and his spouse are separated or divorced, the spouse and dependents of such independent person shall have domiciliary status for tuition and fee purposes only under the following circumstances:

1. if the spouse requesting domiciliary status for tuition and fee purposes remains domiciled

in South Carolina although living apart or separated from his or her employed spouse.

2. if the dependent requesting domiciliary status for tuition and fee purposes is under the legal custody or guardian-ship of an independent person who is domiciled in this State; or if such dependent is claimed as an income tax exemption by the parent not having legal custody but paying child-support, so long as either parent remains domiciled in South Carolina.

D. The residence and domicile of a dependent minor shall be presumed to be that of the parent of such dependent minor.

Effect of Marriage - Section 59-112-40. Marriage shall affect determinations of domicile for tuition and fee purposes only insofar as it operates to demonstrate an intention by the parties to make a permanent home in South Carolina.

International Students

If you are an international student, you must make an appointment with the college’s U.S. Immigration Designated School Official, located in the Admissions Office; call 843.525.8208. Citizens of foreign countries who enter the United States as non-immigrants fall into one of approximately 35 visa status categories. International applicants who wish to study at the Technical College of the Lowcountry generally fall into an F-1 or M-1 student status and enter the United States on a student visa.

The Technical College of the Lowcountry is required to follow all federal and state guidelines when admitting students to the college. One section of the South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act reads:

Section 59-101-430

An alien unlawfully present in the United States is not eligible to attend a public institution of higher learning in this State, as defined in Section 59-103-5. The trustees of a public institution of higher learning in this State shall develop and institute a process by which lawful presence in the United States is verified. In doing so, institution personnel shall not attempt to independently verify the immigration status of any alien, but shall verify any alien’s immigration status with the federal government pursuant to 8 U.S.C. Section 1373©.

An alien unlawfully present in the United States is not eligible on the basis of residence for a public higher education benefit including, but not limited to, scholarships, financial aid, grants, or resident tuition.

Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity It is the policy of the Technical College of the Lowcountry that no discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, disability, veteran's status, age or national origin will exist in any area of the College.