Texas Success Initiative (TSI)

The Texas Success Initiative, TSI, is a state law that requires all Texas public institutions to determine college readiness in reading, writing, and mathematics for all degree-seeking undergraduates, including incoming freshman and transfer students, for both on-campus and online courses. TSI status does not affect your admission to the University of North Texas. TSI affects students enrolling as first-time freshmen, transfer, or dual credit students. 


Your TSI Status

Check your TSI status by logging into your MyUNT account; your TSI status is located under the UNT Advising & Orientation tile (Advising tile on mobile). Read more about important TSI instructions.

What does your status mean?

TSI Complete = you have met all TSI requirements and do not need to take any further action.

TSI Not Complete = you were unable to provide documentation for an exemption or you attempted the TSI Assessment and did not meet the minimum score on one or more sections; mandatory advising will be required at your orientation meeting.

**If you receive the "No matching values were found" message, this means our office does not have any scores or exemptions on file for you. Please review the information below on providing us with the correct documentation. We must have an exemption or score on file for ALL TSI sections in order to register for courses. 

TSI Exemptions

Students may be exempt from taking the TSI assessment if they meet certain state-mandated exemption criteria. If you believe that you qualify for an exemption, you must provide documentation that provides an exemption from taking the TSI Assessment. All documentation should be sent directly to the Office of Advising Services by

  • email at TSI@unt.edu, or
  • via U.S. postage
    Office of Advising Services 
    1155 Union Circle #311190
    Denton, TX 76203-5017

**IMPORTANT: We may not have all of your transcripts on file – even if you sent them to the Admissions Office, so please send additional copies directly to the Office of Advising Services.**

If you are unable to provide proof of exemption from taking the TSI Assessment, you are required to sit for the assessment and provide the Office of Advising Services with scores before registering.

TSI Assessment 2.0 (TSIA 2.0) Testing

If you are TSI-incomplete and do not have proof of an exemption, taking the TSIA 2.0 is required for the area(s) in which you are incomplete, e.g., reading, writing, and math. The TSIA 2.0 is made up of two sections ELAR (English Language Arts and Reading) and Mathematics. If you are incomplete in reading or writing, you will need to take the entire ELAR portion. 

Before sitting for the assessment all students MUST complete the Pre-Assessment Activity

Students have the following opportunities to test before orientation where registration will occur.

Testing at the University of North Texas's Testing Center (Denton Campus)
The UNT Testing Center offers the TSIA 2.0 remotely using Zoom and in-person. To be eligible for remote testing, students need access to a desktop or laptop computer with a webcam and audio capabilities (phones and tablets are not supported at this time). For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit the UNT Testing Center's TSI Testing page. Please reach out to them at (940)-369-7617 or go to UNT Gateway Testing Center for more information.

Testing with a Virtual Proctor
All students have the option to take the TSI Assessment via online virtual proctoring. Students using this function must complete a Remote Proctoring Request in order to receive a voucher request. Please note that you will not receive a voucher immediately after submitting the request. Please allow up to 48 business hours. The voucher will come from Accuplacer and may appear in your Spam/ Junk folder. and have access to all of the following: high-speed internet, webcam, microphone, a distraction-free workspace, and a willingness to grant virtual control of your computer to a certified proctor. 

Testing at a Local Community College or Testing Center
We accept scores from all testing sites. You can request for scores to be sent to UNT, or email us a copy of your score report. Some testing sites require a voucher in order to sit for the assessment. If a voucher is requested, please fill out a Remote Proctoring Request

TSIA Scores

After testing is completed, submit your scores to by

  • email: TSI@unt.edu,
  • mailing copies via U.S. postage.
    Office of Advising Services 
    1155 Union Circle #311190
    Denton, TX 76203-5017

If you have taken either version of the TSI Assessment but cannot access your scores, please fill out our Score Retrieval Request so that the TSI team can retrieve your scores.

If you do not meet the minimum standard listed below you will be required to participate in a TSI advising session during your UNT orientation. The TSI hold on your account will remain there until this advising session. 

TSIA 2.0 Assessment Minimum Score Requirements (January 11, 2021-present)
ELAR

CRC 945 AND Essay 5-8

OR

CRC 910-944 AND Diagnostic Level 5-6 AND Essay 5-8

math

CTC 950

OR

CRC 910-949 AND Diagnostic Level 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TSI Assessment Minimum Score Requirements (before January 11, 2021) *While this version of the TSI Assessment is no longer being used, these scores are valid for up to five years from the date the test was taken.*
mathematics 350
reading 351
writing

340 and Essay Score of 4+ or

Placement Score of less than 340, ABE level of at least 4, and an Essay Score of at least 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TSI Resources

TSIA 2.0: Student Informational Brochure
TSIA 2.0: English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) Sample Questions
TSIA 2.0: WritePlacer (Essay) Guide with Sample Essays
TSIA 2.0: Math Sample Questions
TSIA 2.0: Study App
TSIA 2.0: Learning Resources for ELAR and MATH

Online Practice Tests
Union Test Prep
TSI Math Practice Test
TSI Reading Practice Test
TSI Writing Practice Test

Video Study Guides
Math
Reading
Writing

Study Tools
TSIA 2.0 ELAR Prep Course
MATHhelp.com: TSIA 2.0 Test Prep Course
Study.com: College Algebra Review
Essay Guide

Questions about TSI? Contact Us!

The Office of Advising Services 

TSI@unt.edu