Admission Requirements

Important Non-Payment Policy Information:

Students must pay all registration fees and tuition prior to each new semester in order to prevent being automatically dropped from class rolls. This also includes students receiving financial aid. Students removed from class rolls must meet with their Academic Advisor to re-register. Class vacancies resulting from non-payment will be filled on a first come, first serve basis.

TCL Admissions Citizenship and Residency Requirements:

US Citizenship Requirements (for entry into the Technical College of the Lowcountry):

The South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act (S.C. Code Ann. 59-101-430 [Westlaw 2008]) prohibits those unlawfully present in the United States from attending a public institution of higher education in South Carolina and from receiving a public higher education benefit. To attend classes at TCL, you must sign the Declaration of Citizenship on the Admissions application and provide one of supporting documents listed below:

Requirements for citizenship verification:

1. Sign and date the Declaration of Citizenship section on the TCL application.
2. If you have an employment authorization work permit, please make sure to stop by one of TCL’s Admissions offices on any of our campuses and submit.

Admissions Residency Requirements:

Residency Policy: The residency policy governing tuition at the Technical College of the Lowcountry complies with the South Carolina Code of Laws 59-112 in determining tuition and fees to be paid by students attending the College. Students who are not legal residents of the State of South Carolina, or who do not qualify for residency exceptions are required to pay out-of-state tuition rates.

South Carolina Residency: Applicants applying to TCL who wish to claim South Carolina residency for tuition and fee purposes must complete the Residency Certification section of the Technical College of the Lowcountry Application for Admission and present all requested documents to the Admissions Office at any TCL campus if selected for verification.

Requirements for proof of residency:

1. Complete the residency section of the TCL Application for Admission form
2. If selected for verification, please refer to the Proof of Residency Approved Documentation for proof of SC residency.

If you currently live in South Carolina and do not have one of the above residency documents, please call an Admissions Representative at 843.525.8207 or email Admissions@tcl.edu.

Residents of Effingham and Chatham Counties who meet Georgia residency requirements are eligible for in-state tuition at the Technical College of the Lowcountry.

***If you are a current student that needs to request a change of residency status, please refer to the Change of Residency Status Form and submit all required documents to Admissions.***

Permanent South Carolina Residents: Confirmation of legal South Carolina residency on the Technical College of the Lowcountry Application for Admission, and the requested documents, is acknowledgment that the student meets all requirements of Section 59-112, South Carolina Code of Laws that determine eligibility for in-state tuition rates.

Other South Carolina Residents: Applicants must prove that they have resided in South Carolina for the preceding continuous twelve months and must have abandoned all prior domiciles immediately preceding the first day of classes. The burden of proof for dependent students rests with the parent or guardian. This provision does not apply to persons or their spouses if they are in South Carolina primarily as students.

Note: Students who falsify information regarding their state of permanent residence will be charged the appropriate tuition rate for each term attended and may incur additional financial penalties.

Residency Appeals: If you wish to appeal your residency status, you must submit a completed Residency Reclassification Form, along with the supporting documents, to the Admissions Office for consideration. You will be notified of your residency reclassification status by the Residency Officer within ten (10) days after submitting the form.

For more information about the residency appeal process, you may contact any of our Admissions Counselors:

Phone: 843.525.8207 / admissions@tcl.edu

South Carolina Residency Law: Click here for the entire South Carolina Residency Law which determines rates of tuition and fees if you require more information than the following excerpt:

Determination of Rates of Tuition and Fees / Chapter 112 South Carolina Code of Laws

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South Carolina Domicile Defined for Purposes of Rates of Tuition and Fees — Section 59-112-20:

South Carolina domicile for tuition and fee purposes shall be established as follows in determinations of rates of tuition and fees to be paid by students entering or attending State Institutions:

• Independent persons who reside in and have be domiciled in South Carolina for a period of no less than twelve months with an intention of making a permanent home herein, and their dependents, may be considered eligible for in-state rates.
• Independent persons who reside in and have been domiciled in South Carolina for fewer than twelve months but who have full-time employment in the State, and their dependents, maybe considered eligible for in-state rates for as long as such independent person is employed on a full-time basis in the State.
• Where an independent person meeting the provisions of Section B above, is living apart from his spouse, or where such person and his spouse are separated or divorced, the spouse and dependents of such independent person shall have domiciliary status for tuition and fee purposes only under the following circumstances:

1. if the spouse requesting domiciliary status for tuition and fee purposes remains domiciled in South Carolina although living apart or separated from his or her employed spouse.
2. if the dependent requesting domiciliary status for tuition and fee purposes is under the legal custody or guardianship of an independent person who is domiciled in this State; or if such dependent is claimed as an income tax exemption by the parent not having legal custody but paying child-support, so long as either parent remains domiciled in South Carolina.

• The residence and domicile of a dependent minor shall be presumed to be that of the parent of such dependent minor.

Effect of Marriage — Section 59-112-40:

Marriage shall affect determinations of domicile for tuition and fee purposes only insofar as it operates to demonstrate an intention by the parties to make a permanent home in South Carolina.

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International Students

If you are an international student, you must make an appointment with the college’s U.S. Immigration Designated School Official, located in the Admissions Office; call 843.525.8208. Citizens of foreign countries who enter the United States as non-immigrants fall into one of approximately 35 visa status categories. International applicants who wish to study at the Technical College of the Lowcountry generally fall into an F-1 or M-1 student status and enter the United States on a student visa.

The Technical College of the Lowcountry is required to follow all federal and state guidelines when admitting students to the College. One section of the South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act reads:

Section 59-101-430:

• An alien unlawfully present in the United States is not eligible to attend a public institution of higher learning in this State, as defined in Section 59-103-5. The trustees of a public institution of higher learning in this State shall develop and institute a process by which lawful presence in the United States is verified. In doing so, institution personnel shall not attempt to independently verify the immigration status of any alien, but shall verify any alien’s immigration status with the federal government pursuant to 8 U.S.C. Section 1373©.
• An alien unlawfully present in the United States is not eligible on the basis of residence for a public higher education benefit including, but not limited to, scholarships, financial aid, grants, or resident tuition.