About the Program
State law (Education Code, Sec. 51.931) allows students who are residents of Texas and who have academic credits earned 10 or more years prior to the starting date of the semester in which they seek admission to Collin College to have those credits or grades not considered in the admission decision. This allows students to begin a new course of study with a clear academic record.
This is an all or nothing option. Students are not able to pick and choose which courses to include or exclude. If the “Academic Fresh Start” option is selected, credits for any courses taken 10 or more years ago will not be counted. This means:
- Courses taken previously cannot be used to fulfill new prerequisite requirements.
- Courses taken previously cannot be counted towards the new degree.
- Courses taken previously will not be counted in the new GPA calculations.
Students must complete the admissions process, including providing information on all colleges or universities previously attended and providing official transcripts from all schools attended. Students under the Fresh Start provision must still meet the criteria for the Texas Success Initiative.
Additional notes:
- Academic Fresh Start must be claimed upon admission to Collin College and will not be applicable to currently enrolled students.
- 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 Collin College.
Applying for Academic Fresh Start
Students must submit an application for Fresh Start prior to enrollment at Collin College, preferably at the time of admission. The application is available through the Registrar’s Office. Students will not be granted Fresh Start until they have completed their admissions process. The application for Fresh Start should be completed, signed, and returned to the Registrar’s Office.
Approval of Fresh Start Application
The final authority on applying or interpreting the State law (Education Code, Sec. 51.931), Right to an Academic Fresh Start is the Registrar.
Effect on Financial Aid
Academic Fresh Start impacts only your academic record. For more information on the impact on financial aid, please contact the Financial Aid or Veterans Affairs offices.