Enrollment in a correspondence course does not require formal acceptance to Texas State and does not constitute admission to the university. In fact, you need not be enrolled in a college or university to take a course through this office. Courses are open to all those who meet departmental and course prerequisites and Texas Success Initiative Program (TSIP) requirements. A key benefit of correspondence study is that it does not require classroom attendance. You may take courses from any location and may enroll in courses at any time during the academic year. You may enroll in a correspondence course by completing the correspondence enrollment application and submitting it to the Office of Distance and Extended Learning. Call or e-mail to make sure the course you want is available before submitting an application. Depending on the enrollment application submission method you choose, you may pay by money order, credit card (MasterCard, American Express, VISA, or Discover), or personal check. Be sure to review the following policies and enrollment requirements before submitting your enrollment application.

Correspondence Course Credit for Texas State Students
For Texas State students, correspondence coursework completed through Texas State counts toward GPA and may be applied toward residency requirements for graduation with a bachelor's degree. Hours and grades earned through Texas State correspondence courses are counted in the hours required to be elibible for Dean's List and in the GPA calculation for Dean's List. Also, hours earned through Texas State correspondence courses are counted in the hours required to be eligible to graduate with honors and in the GPA calculation for honors.

Course Prerequisites
Find out if there are any required prerequisites for the course in which you’re planning to enroll. Prerequisites for all courses can be found on this Web site by going to course offerings. From there you can link to individual course information. It is your responsibility to ensure that you do not enroll in a course for which you have not met prerequisite requirements.

Special Requirements for Texas State Juniors and Seniors
If you are a Texas State junior or senior, you must obtain an academic advisor's approval signature on your enrollment application before submitting it to our office. To receive this approval signature, contact one of the academic advisors in the college of your major.

Texas Success Initiative Program
All Texas residents taking courses for credit must comply with Texas Success Initiative requirements. If you are not a Texas State student but are a Texas resident, please provide evidence of Texas Success Initiative compliance with your application. Compliance can be verified with an unofficial transcript showing a conferred degree or college credit prior to fall 1989, or qualifying SAT/ACT, TAKS, THEA, or approved alternative test scores. Students from private institutions need a copy of their latest semester transcript or grade report, or a letter of good standing from their university. If you are unsure about these guidelines, please contact the university’s Texas Success Initiative Program Office at 512.245.3942.

Required Meningitis Vaccination
Correspondence study students who will be on the Texas State campus at any time during their enrollment must provide proof upon enrollment that they have received the meningitis vaccination or are exempt from receiving the vaccine. For more information, see the Required Meningitis Vaccination page and vist the website of the Texas State Student Health Center.

Fill out both pages of the Correspondence Studies Enrollment Application completely. Note: If you do not already have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, you will need to download it to open the enrollment application. If you are unable to do so, you may obtain an enrollment application from the back of our course catalog or contact our office to request one be sent to you. Submit your payment, TSIP exemption certification (if necessary), and academic advisor approvals with your application. You may choose any one of the following options for submitting your application, payment, and accompanying paperwork.

Your application will be checked for completeness upon receipt. Incomplete applications will be returned with a request that the missing information or payment be provided. Your payment will be processed and course information will be mailed to you by first class mail. To avoid any delays, you may want to contact our office to confirm receipt of all necessary paperwork and payment. If you have not received your course information within two weeks of enrolling, please contact our office.

Course Withdrawals and Fee Refunds
You may withdraw from a course at any time by submitting a written request that includes your Texas State ID number (Texas State students), course information, and signature to the Office of Distance and Extended Learning. See the Costs page for fee refunds.

Transfers
You are allowed a one-time transfer from one course to another within six months of the original enrollment date. To transfer to another course, you must submit the request in writing or make the request in person at the Office of Distance and Extended Learning and pay a transfer fee of $25, in addition to $10 per graded assignment from the original course. The original enrollment and expiration dates remain the same. You must begin the new course with the first lesson. Enrollment in on-campus or extension courses cannot be transferred to a correspondence study course. No refunds can be given once a course has been transferred. No course may be transferred to a different student.

Returned Checks
If a check is returned for reasons other than an admitted bank error, you must resubmit your payment within 10 days with a cashier’s check, money order, or credit card. A $30 service fee will be assessed and must be included with payment. You may pay either in person at the cashier’s windows on the first floor of the J.C. Kellam Building, or by mailing the payment to the following address:

Texas State University-San Marcos
Attn: Cashier’s Office
188 J.C. Kellam
601 University Drive
San Marcos, TX 78666-4616.

You must then present the paid receipt at the Office of Distance and Extended Learning to get your record cleared.