Tompkins Cortland Community College

Tompkins Cortland Community College is a community college in New York that offers programs designed for those who want to transfer credits as well as those who want to start their careers. Also known as TC3 because of its name, this school started life in the city of Groton. Established in 1967, the college operated out of this city for six years before building a new campus in Dryden. This new campus had much more space for students as well as some state of the art facilities for the time. Citing the need for more improved facilities, the campus went through a renovation in 2007 that cost several million dollars. This renovation changed the campus library and brought in new athletics space.

TC3 is unique because it is one of the state's only community colleges to offer on-campus housing for its students. While most community colleges welcome commuter students who live on their own or with their families, TC3 allows students to live in one of the two dorms built in the late 1990s. This halls have more than 800 rooms available. The college also works with local high schools to help students get a head start on college. Those students can take classes on the campus and earn both college credit and high school credit at the same time. As TC3 is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) school system, students can earn a two-year degree or take general education courses through the college and then transfer to a full university in that system.

Tompkins Cortland Community College Accreditation Details

As TC3 is a community college and not a full university, it doesn't have all the specialty accreditation that a larger school might have. It does have regional accreditation though, which is key for getting financial aid. The United States Department of Education does not let schools without accreditation use federal funds or let students access those funds to pay for college. It has accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). TC3 also has accreditation and approval for all its programs from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.

Tompkins Cortland Community College Application Requirements

Enrolling in TC3 is easy because you only need to complete a few steps. The first is the completion of the online application. You can sit down and fill out this application in around 15 to 20 minutes. If you worry that you do not have enough time, you can register a new account with the site. The user name and password attached to that account lets you log back in to work on it later. You will need to provide contact information for your emergency contact, list any of the schools that you attended in the past and list a valid address in the United States. TC3 will verify this address exits before accepting you. The only other requirement is an official transcript from your high school.

After the college receives your application and transcript, you will need to submit proof that you had all required immunizations in the past. You can then apply for financial aid with the FAFSA and schedule an advising appointment. This appointment lets you meet with an academic adviser to go over the requirements of the program that appeals to you and what you can do with that degree. TC3 allows you to take placement tests too that might let you skip some lower level classes in certain fields.

Tuition and Financial Aid

SUNY schools charge lower tuition rates than other schools in the state. Your exact rate depends on where you live and where you come from before starting classes. If you live in the county surrounding the college, you will pay $81 per credit hour or $4,950 to take a full course load per semester. You will need to fill out a Certificate of Residence that shows you are a legal resident of the county. The cost for residents of other parts of New York is $372 per credit hour or $10,200 a year. If you are not a resident of New York, you'll pay this same amount. TC3 offers meal plans and campus housing that starts at $5,400 a year.

More than 90% of TC3 students use financial aid or educational benefits like the GI Bill to pay for college. You can now file an online version of the FAFSA to see if you qualify for any assistance, but you'll also want to complete the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application at the same time. Those forms will determine how much financial aid you get from the state and if you qualify for the work study program and federal government grants and loans. TC3 can help you learn more about other educational benefits and programs too.

Psychology and Counseling Programs

Tompkins Cortland Community College does not offer a set degree in psychology, but the college does offer several programs that can help you get started in this field and programs that let you complete some requirements before transferring to another program. One option is its Chemical Dependency Counseling program. You can take eight classes and earn a certificate or take 62 credits and earn a full degree. To get your degree, you will also need to do a minimum of 120 hours of fieldwork. TC3 will place you in a clinical facility that requires you work under a licensed professional.

The college offers an AA degree in social sciences that helps you meet the requirements for getting an AA degree and gain some practical experience before you begin working on a bachelor's degree. You'll have the chance to select the types of social science electives that you want to take, but you'll also take a science class with a lab component that helps you get familiar with research methods and writing papers based on your research.

You can also get an AA or an AAS in Human Services, which is a good choice for those who want to work in rehabilitation centers, treatment facilities and social work agencies. This program focuses on human development and the stages that children go through. You can learn how to identify signs of child abuse and childhood disabilities after completing this Tompkins Cortland Community College program.