Academic Fresh Start
Academic Fresh Start is a program designed to give Texas residents an opportunity to enroll in college courses, without previous poor academic performance negatively impacting current enrollment, GPA, or academic standing.
Under the provisions of the Texas Education Code, Section 51.931, a Texas resident is entitled to apply for admission or re-admission to Laredo College, or to any specialized admission program at Laredo College, and elect to have all academic coursework earned 10 or more years prior to the requested enrollment date ignored for enrollment purposes.
An applicant who chooses to exercise the provisions of the Academic Fresh Start Program must meet all Laredo College admission or re-admission requirements and must submit official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended prior to the Academic Fresh Start being granted. The courses excluded under this provision may not be counted toward a degree, may not be counted in the GPA calculations or academic standing, and may not be used to meet prerequisite requirements. The original course or grades will not be considered in the grade point average, but they will remain on the Laredo College academic record.
Students seeking admissions to a selective admission program, i.e. nursing, etc. will need to contact the program director of their major prior to seeking admission into their respective program.
The applicant must complete the Academic Fresh Start agreement prior to registration, confirming the decision to enroll under the academic fresh start statute. An applicant who decided to apply under this statute may not receive any course credit for courses taken at any college or university 10 or more years prior to enrollment.
Students who have earned a certificate and/or a degree at Laredo College are not eligible for this Academic Fresh Start provision.
The Right to an Academic Fresh Start does not change your transcript and cannot be used for financial aid purposes. All coursework is ignored. Students under the Academic Fresh Start provision must still meet the criteria for the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) 2.0. When deciding eligibility for financial aid, the Office of Financial Aid must still count all prior credit earned.