Learning Communities FAQs

Most simply, a learning community is a village of students within the larger university. Learning communities provide "families" of students with small group interactions, peer and faculty/staff mentorship, and common intellectual experiences that lead to academic success and higher graduation rates. LC students engage each other, faculty and staff in academic dialogue while learning the university's culture and developing themselves personally, professionally, and academically.

Students do not pay additional fees to participate in LAUNCH: Learning Communities. TAMU Undergraduate Studies in the Division of Academic Affairs provides learning communities as a "high impact practice" that enhances learning, student development and success.

There may be incidental expenses for optional activities occasionally and the international immersion experiences do require payment of travel costs (but are usually supported by increased financial aid).

Every LAUNCH: Learning Community includes registration in UGST 181: Freshman Seminar during the first year on campus. The UGST 181 does not incur additional cost in fees or tuition for the student because it is listead as a zero-credit course. However, the satisfactory or unsatisfactory (S/U) completion of the learning community section does appear on the student's transcript.

LAUNCH: Learning Community programs are certified as Hullabaloo U First Year Experiences so that students can meet that campus requirement without adding to their schedule beyond their LC section.

Most of the LCs do not have additional courses. Some learning communities offer opportunities to enroll in additional courses (Honors) which include more challenge. Those courses are credit-bearing and do trigger tuition and fee billing as part of the student's normal registration.

Many of the LAUNCH: Learning Communities require students to be recipients of a specific scholarship. A few select students by application. The deadlines and processes for application will be specified on the program's pages.

The LCs that include a living-learning program will require students to complete the Living-Learning Program application through the Department of Residence Life's housing portal. Depending on supporting scholarship requirements, students may be required to live on campus. When that is the case, it is expected that students will select the living-learning program hall(s) unless participating in the Corps of Cadets or Aggie Band.

Students from LAUNCH: Learning Communities participate in living-learning programs based on their original LC. Our Living-Learning Programs include

• Honors Housing Community in McFadden and Lechner Halls
• ASPIRE (Terry and Haynes Scholars) in Hobby Hall
• First Year Eats LLP in Clements Hall for Century Scholars, Greater Texas Foundation Aggie Scholars, and Brownsville Scholars

For more information on the LAUNCH-affiliated living-learning programs, see the Department of Residence Life's Living-Learning Programs site.