Student Enrollment Center (SEC)

Open Enrollment Admissions

Del Mar College has an "open enrollment" admissions policy under the authority of the Texas Administrative Code Title 19 and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Open enrollment means that all students will be granted admission as long as they complete the application process outlined on the next page.

Limitations

Admission to the College does not guarantee your admission to all programs of the College. Certain programs have limited enrollment due to special equipment needs or space limitations. Additionally, Del Mar College offers selective programs that have specialized admission requirements, such as additional testing and GPA requirements. These admissions limitations are listed under specific programs in the Catalog.

Right to an Academic Fresh Start

Texas Senate Bill 1321, entitled "Right to An Academic Fresh Start" allows a person who is a resident of Texas to apply for undergraduate admission and not have coursework completed 10 or more years prior to the date of anticipated enrollment included as consideration in the admission decision. This allows undergraduate students to begin a new course of study with a clear academic record.

Note: This is an all or nothing option. You are not able to pick and choose which courses to ignore and which courses to count. If you choose the "Academic Fresh Start" option, you will not receive any credit for any courses you took 10 or more years ago.

This means that

• Courses taken previously cannot be used to fulfill new prerequisite requirements.
• Courses taken previously cannot be counted towards your new degree.
• Courses taken previously will not be counted in your new GPA calculations.

Even if you choose the Academic Fresh Start option, you must still complete the usual admissions process, including providing information on all colleges or universities previously attended and providing official copies of transcripts from all schools you attended. Nothing in the law prohibits a public university from applying standard admissions requirements. Students under the Fresh Start provision must still meet the criteria for the Texas Success Initiative unless they have met one of the exemptions. The Academic Fresh Start provision does not affect Texas Success Initiative exemptions claimed on the basis of college credit earned prior to September 1989.

Additional notes:

• Academic Fresh Start may be claimed only upon application to DMC and will not be applicable to currently enrolled DMC students.
• Once enrolled, Academic Fresh Start may only be requested upon application for readmission to the college. The Fresh Start application must be completed and granted prior to re-enrolling.
• Once the "Right to an Academic Fresh Start" provision has been claimed, and the student has enrolled, the provision cannot be reversed.
• An applicant may use the Academic Fresh Start provision only once at DMC.

Applying for Fresh Start

Students must submit an application for Fresh Start prior to enrollment at the college, preferably at the time they apply for admission or re-admission. Students will not be granted Fresh Start until they have completed their admissions file and been admitted to the college. Download and print an Application for Fresh Start. The application should be completed, signed, and mailed to the Admissions Office located in the Student Enrollment Center. Alternately, the application may be completed at the Admissions office during regular office hours. See our contact information for mailing address, location, and hours.

Acceptance of Fresh Start Application

The final authority on applying or interpreting Texas Education Code 51.931, Right to an Academic Fresh Start is the DMC Director of Admissions. When the Fresh Start application is approved, the DMC Registrar's office will be notified and upon enrollment, a message will be posted to the student's academic record indicating admission has been granted through the Academic Fresh Start provision. If the student was previously enrolled at DMC, the grade point average will be changed on the academic record for any coursework completed here 10 or more years prior to the re-enrollment date. The original courses or grades will not be considered in the grade point average, but they will remain on the DMC academic record.

Effect on Financial Aid

Academic Fresh Start clears only your academic record. When deciding your eligibility for financial aid, previously taken coursework at Del Mar College and transfer courses towards your active degree plan at Del Mar College, will be included when reviewing your financial aid status. Please contact the DMC Financial Aid Services at (361) 698-1293 if you have any questions.

In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) does not recognize the academic fresh start program. Students cannot be certified for courses they have successfully completed. Students using VA Educational benefits should coordinate with the Veteran Services Office.