Current Students
The following resources support all students at TCU. We believe embracing the differences among us will make a better university community for all.
- Student Identity & Engagement
- TRIO Programs
- Office of Financial Aid
- Religious and Spiritual Life
- Student Access and Accommodation
- Student Organizations
- Office of Institutional Equity
- TCU Transfer Center
- Veterans Services
In the wake of 9/11, USCIS outlined three groups that are not permitted enrollment in a degree setting—applicants holding a B-1/B-2 visa or applicants holding a J-2 or F-2 visa. All other immigration classifications are permitted study, provided their visa status does not pre-empt their ability to obtain a degree. An example of the latter would be a student who is required to complete an internship that USCIS would classify as work, but who is in a classification that does not allow employment.
Immigration classification of students enrolled at TCU include two formal classifications, F-1 and J-1 students, and occasionally faculty. Students or faculty in this category are provided support via their concentration—students and interns work with the Office of International Services—while faculty work with the Office of the Provost. Inquiries into these classifications and how to obtain them may be made directly to the particular office.
Other immigration classifications do not require institutional status maintenance, and should first and foremost abide by the regulations found within their principal status. Common categories of non-Citizen students enrolled at TCU include Legal Permanent Residence, H-4, R-2, L-2, Asylee, TPS and Diplomat. USCIS does not consider study when assessing the merits of these visa statuses.
One other classification bears consideration, as well as its sub-classification. DACA is a legally-recognized classification that is composed of people who entered the United States without documentation, at an age when they could not give consent or dissent. This category is often—inaccurately—confused with “undocumented,” which by legal definition would be those of consent-giving age who entered the United States without inspection by someone from USCIS.
A final category would be all of those participants who have violated a legal status that had once been their legal platform in the United States. For these final three categories, Plyler vs. Doe (Texas) established by decision of the US Supreme Court in 1982 a number of protections for such students, affirming that a university would need to show a compelling reason why denial of education is in the best interest of the organization.
Following these broad outlines, TCU upholds the decision of the US Supreme Court, as well as its own mission to “educate leaders to think and act as responsible citizens in the global community,” and its status as a private university that values diversity and inclusivity. TCU recognizes federal guidelines overseeing immigration law and the rights of all TCU students to obtain a degree within these guidelines.
Native American Initiatives at TCU
We are committed to respectfully engaging Native American and Indigenous peoples and perspectives, and developing mutually beneficial relationships with these communities.
The TCU family has much to learn as we listen and learn from Native American and Indigenous peoples, and we would be honored for the public to join us as we address contemporary issues.
Programming
Annual Native American and Indigenous Peoples Day Symposium
A Celebration of Contemporary Native American Peoples and Cultures will be presented at TCU on October 1, 2018, featuring Professor Luci Tapahonso, the Navajo Nation’s inaugural poet laureate, and the Crow hip hop artist, Supaman.
Native and Indigenous Student Association
This association was founded in 2017 to build a community for and by Native and Indigenous peoples and allies to share cultures, heritages, traditions, languages, and customs in a respectful manner.
Our curriculum offers learning opportunities about Indigenous peoples and related cultures. This list is a sampling of courses offered:
- ANTH 30703: Archaeology of Mexico and Peru
- ANTH 30823: Native American Religions and Ecology
- ARHI 20083: American Indian Art
- ENGL 20573: Introduction to Native American Literatures
- HIST 40703: Indians of the United States
- RELI 10043: Understanding Religion: Society and Culture: Native Americans, Christians, and American Ideals
- RELI 30693: Native Americans, Religion, and Contemporary Issues
- SPAN 41703: Mexican Indigenous Literatures