Admissions to Special Programs

Honors Program

In order to qualify for admissions to the Honors Program at Laredo College, students must: Be a legal resident within the geographic area of Laredo and Webb County and at the discretion of the Honors Selection committee a county which is contiguous to Webb County.

• Be eligible to take college level courses (no developmental).
• Be exempt from taking a Texas Success Initiative exam (TSI) or pass all portions of a TSI exam or achieve minimum score on ACT or SAT and must meet at least one of the following requirements:
  • SAT= 1070 (verbal and math only) with minimum score of 500 in English and 500 in Math
  • Act=24 with a minimum score of 19 in English and Math
  • Graduation in the top 20 percent of high school class
  • A cumulative high school GPA of 95 or higher

Law Enforcement Academy

Academy application packets are issued by the Law Enforcement Agency. Completed applications are due at orientation. For more information contact the department at 956-794-4908.

• Be at least 21 years of age, or become 21 years of age before course completions, or 18 years of age if the applicant has received and associate's degree or 60 semester hours of credit from an accredited college or university.
• Be a U.S. Citizen
• Be a high school graduate
• Be sponsored by a Law Enforcement Agency and meet all State rules and regulations (background investigation, fingerprints, psychological, physical, age and education). Sponsoring Agency must provide a marked vehicle for Emergency Driving and Patrol Procedures components of the Basic Peace Officer Course.
• Pass physical fitness assessment based on the Law Enforcement Ageless Genderless validation study by Tom Collingwood, Ph.D. The assessment includes:
  • 1.5 miles run 15:20
  • 29 push-ups
  • 31 sit-ups

Child Development

Due to the nature of the curricula and the criteria for child-care center and public school volunteers, determined by the state licensing agency, there are special entrance and continuation requirements for the completion of CDEC and TECA Child Development courses. As required by The Texas Health and Human Services Minimum Standards for Child Care Centers, October 2018 (P20330-0000), the student must comply with the following:

• A student must be able to supervise children at all times as defined by Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §746.1205.

TAC §746.1205. What does Licensing mean by "supervise children at all times"?

Supervising children at all times means that the assigned caregiver is accountable for each child's care. This includes responsibility for the ongoing activity of each child, appropriate visual and/or auditory awareness, physical proximity, and knowledge of activity requirements and each child's needs. The caregiver must intervene when necessary to ensure children's safety. In deciding how closely to supervise children, the caregiver must take into account:

• Ages of the children;
• Individual differences and abilities;
• Indoor and outdoor layout of the child-care center; and
• Neighborhood circumstances, hazards, and risks.

• At the beginning of each semester, students must complete a background check as defined by TAC §745.607.

TAC §745.607 Requesting Background Checks. What are background checks?

• A name-based criminal history check: the Department of Public Safety (DPS) conducts a comparative search between a person’s name and the DPS database of crimes committed in the State of Texas;
• A DFPS central registry check: DFPS conducts a comparative search between a person’s name and the DFPS central registry, which is a DFPS database of people who have been found by DFPS’s divisions of Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services, or Licensing to have abused or neglected a child; and
• An out-of-state central registry check: a comparative search between a person’s name and another state’s database of persons who have been found to have abused or neglected a child.

• A student must not have any criminal convictions as defined by §745.661.

TAC §745.661 Criminal Convictions and Central Registry Findings of Child Abuse or Neglect

What types of criminal convictions may affect a person’s ability to be present at an operation?

(a) A felony or misdemeanor conviction under Texas law, the laws of another state, or federal law may affect a person's ability to be present at an operation. There are three charts with information regarding specific crimes that may affect a person's ability to be present at an operation. Each chart specifies whether a conviction permanently or temporarily bars a person from being present at one of the relevant operations while children are in care, whether a person is eligible for a risk evaluation, and whether a person who is eligible for a risk evaluation may be present at the operation pending the outcome of the risk evaluation. The three charts are:

(1) Licensed or Certified Child Care Operations: Criminal History Requirements;

(2) Foster or Adoptive Placements: Criminal History Requirements; and

(3) Registered Child Care Homes and Listed Family Homes: Criminal History Requirements.

(b) The three charts listed in subsection (a) of this section will be reviewed and updated annually, published every January as an "In Addition" document in the Texas Register, and are available on the DFPS website at www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Care/.

(c) A person currently on parole for a felony offense must have an approved risk evaluation prior to being present at the operation.

(d) For any felony offense that is not specifically enumerated in the relevant chart listed in subsection (a) of this section, a person convicted within the past 10 years for the offense must have an approved risk evaluation prior to being present at the operation.

(e) Substantially similar federal offenses and offenses in other states will be treated the same as the similar Texas offense.

(f) This rule does not apply to a person who requires a background check under this subchapter because of the person's responsibilities as a DFPS or Licensing employee or volunteer. The person will have a background check conducted by DFPS or HHSC as part of the person's application to become an employee or volunteer.

• Must have a negative T.B. test or negative chest x-ray from the USA during the first two weeks of the semester. If an outbreak were to occur, an additional T.B. test may be required.
• Must submit two letters of reference (not from relatives).
• Must sign a code of ethics statement at the beginning of the semester.

NOTE: Entrance and continuation requirements listed above also apply for CDEC 2187, CDEC 2188 and CDEC 2486. Internships are on or off-campus at either LC Camilo Prada Child Development Center or at a Contracted Webb County Head Start Center.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the curricula and the criteria, for public school volunteers, there are special entrance and continuation requirements for the completion of EDUC courses. All students enrolling in EDUC classes requiring field experience assignments must turn in a clear criminal history background check from the Webb County Sheriff's Department or The Laredo Police Department indicating that the student does not have a criminal history.

NOTE: To receive credit for CDEC, EDUC, & TECA courses, the student must complete all CDEC, EDUC, & TECA, courses with a grade of "C" or better.

NOTE: If the criminal history check identifies any criminal convictions, the student will not be permitted to continue in any EDUC course.

NOTE: Successful completion of all undergraduate, lower level courses, taken at Laredo College does not guarantee acceptance to a transfer institution.

Health Sciences Programs

Students seeking admissions to Emergency Medical Services, Nursing (Associate Degree, Bachelors of Science, Vocational), Radiologic Technology, Medical Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Diagnostic Medical Sonography or other Health Sciences Programs must apply for admission and be accepted to the individual program.

Students desiring admissions to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program require a current unencumbered registered nursing license.

Admissions into the Nursing Programs and Allied Health Programs require students to be college level ready as per Texas Success Initiative (TSI) requirements, to have acceptable passing scores on standardized examinations, and all prerequisite courses completed with a grade of "C" or better and meet the required LC institution and overall grade point average of each particular program. The Student may further be ranked by the highest GPA. Students should verify admission requirements by visiting with the program directors. Nursing Programs applicants must complete an on-line application at the Nursing Department's application website (Link to Application). All other Health Sciences Programs applicants should obtain Admission Packets online through each particular program's website. The completed packets must be returned via email to each particular program by the specified deadline. Students who were previously enrolled in any Health Sciences program(s) at Laredo College or at any other college or university, must have exited in good standing in order for their application to be considered. Applicants will be notified by LC's official means of communication regarding their admission status.

Continuing Education

Continuing Education offers instruction in occupational and professional development, workforce skills, personal growth and social awareness. This is offered for adults in the community who wish to expand their learning through non-credit courses and programs.  Admission is open to any adult who is at least 18 years of age, however some specific courses may be geared for a younger audience.  Senior citizens (65 years or older) can enroll in certain Continuing education open enrollment courses without payment of tuition when space is available.  Qualifying seniors must still pay all applicable fees.