Toccoa Falls College is a small college in Toccoa, Georgia that offers students the chance to combine a liberal arts education with the Christian faith. Founded as the Golden Valley Institute in 1907 in North Carolina, it moved just a few years later to Georgia. Though the institute initially offered just theology classes and programs, it later added a secondary school program to appeal to more students. Those classes later split off and became a high school for local students, which allowed the campus to become a college. The first college program it offered was a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Education, which is still available through the college today.
As TFC is a religious college, it does have some requirements that you won’t find on other campuses. Students typically live in residence halls designed for either male or female students only, though it now has a residence hall reserved for married students too. All students must take some religious studies courses as part of the curriculum, and students must agree to follow college rules regarding drinking, drug use and sexual activity. The college has three schools on its campus that consist of nine different departments that offer more than 30 major programs for undergrads.
Toccoa Falls College Accreditation Details
One type of accreditation that Toccoa Falls College has is specialty accreditation, which you might hear called program accreditation. An example of this accreditation comes from the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), which accredited all the business programs that the college offers. The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is another type of specialty accreditation that the college holds, which applies to all its music programs.
Most students are more concerned with regional accreditation, because this is a must have for those who need financial aid. Though many religious colleges only have accreditation from a religious accrediting body, Toccoa Falls College has full regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). SACS is important for students who do not need financial help too. It lets you know that the college meets certain standards and regulations in regards to granting degrees and that it will take steps to renew its accreditation as needed for future groups of students.
Toccoa Falls College Application Requirements
TFC wants students who are better prepared for college, which is why it looks favorable on those who completed a college prep curriculum. This type of curriculum should include at least six electives on advanced subjects like world history, world literature, calculus and debate or speech. It will also include three years of classes in social studies, math and natural sciences, which must include lab work. You’ll also need to take four years of English classes. The college will accept foreign language classes as electives. You must submit a transcript from your high school that shows your expected graduation date and also verifies that you followed a college prep curriculum. If you attended any other school before enrolling in TFC, you must submit transcripts from those schools too.
The online application offered by the college consists of five separate pages. You’ll have the chance to talk about your religious beliefs, the church you attend, where you went to high school, what you want to study and your interests outside of school. TFC also asks questions about your background to see the type of character you have. There is a $30 fee due when you submit your application. The only other requirements are a score from the ACT or SAT and a short essay.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Toccoa Falls College is one of the more affordable Christian liberal arts colleges. Full-time students can take a minimum of 12 credits up to 19 credit hours every semester for less than $21,000 a year. When you add in all college fees, you still pay less than $23,000 a year. Room and board can range from $5,500 a year for a dorm room and a meal plan that gives you five meals a week to around $7,700 a year for a dorm room and a meal plan that gives you unlimited meals in campus cafeterias. The total cost for a room, unlimited meal plan, tuition and fees is less than $31,000 a year.
The commitment that the college has to its students allows those who need extra financial assistance to get that help from the college. Those who fill out the FAFSA will receive a financial aid package based on the help they need. This package can include help from the federal government in the form of a PELL grant or a student loan, but the college also offers work study jobs. The Church Matching Grant will match any amount a church gives to a student up to $1,500, and the college offers five scholarships for incoming students too.
TFC Sport Management Program
The sport management program that Toccoa Falls College offers can help students become an agent for a professional athlete, a coach for amateur players or the manager of a sports facility. Not only does this program have a high graduation rate, but 100% of those graduates find work in the sports industry within six months of finishing the program. Students also take courses that help them earn their national coaching certification before graduating.
Students take 69 credits of general education courses that include 30 credits of theology classes like introduction to theology, foundations of spiritual formation and hermeneutics. They also take 18 credits of humanities courses that teach them how to properly write and research college papers, 12 credits of social science classes and nine credits of math, science and computer science courses. Students must take a minimum of 42 credits of sport management classes and 15 credits of electives to reach the 126 credits needed to graduate.
The sport management core gives students an inside look at this industry. It includes courses designed for those who want to run facilities like principles of accounting, sport financial management and principles of management. You’ll also take courses on sport marketing and principles of marketing as well as classes that help you work with athletes, including prevention and care of injuries and a class that lets you get your CPR certification. Toccoa Falls College requires that its sport management students also do a management internship.
