By: Buckingham, West S.B. No. 1813
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to common admission application forms for institutions of
higher education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 51.761, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 51.761. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter, "board,"
"general academic teaching institution," "governing board,"
"institution of higher education," "medical and dental unit,"
"public state college," "public technical institute," "private or
independent institution of higher education," and "university
system" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.
SECTION 2. Sections 51.762(a), (f), and (h), Education
Code, are amended to read as follows:
(a) The board, with the assistance of high school counselors
and an advisory committee composed of representatives of general
academic teaching institutions, junior college districts, public
state colleges, [and] public technical institutes, and private or
independent institutions of higher education [and with the
consultation of all institutions of higher education that admit
freshman-level students]:
(1) shall adopt by rule:
(A) a common admission application form for use
by a person seeking admission [as a freshman student] to a general
academic teaching institution;
(B) an electronic common admission application
form for use by a person seeking admission [as a freshman student]
to an institution of higher education [that admits freshman-level
students], other than a general academic teaching institution or a
medical and dental unit; and
(C) if the board determines that adoption of the
form would be cost-effective for nursing schools, an electronic
common admission application form for use by a person seeking
admission as a student to an undergraduate nursing education
program at an institution of higher education; and
(2) may adopt by rule a printed format common
admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as
a freshman student to an institution of higher education that
admits freshman-level students, other than a general academic
teaching institution.
(f) The board shall ensure that copies of the [freshman]
common admission application forms appropriate for use by a person
seeking admission to an institution of higher education as a
freshman student and information for the use of the forms are
available in electronic format [for distribution] to the
appropriate personnel at each public high school in this state.
(h) An applicant may file, and each institution of higher
education shall accept, an application for admission [as an
entering freshman or undergraduate transfer student] that uses the
appropriate form adopted under this section. The form used to apply
to a general academic teaching institution may be filed in either
electronic or printed format. An institution of higher education
is not prohibited from requiring an applicant to submit additional
information within a reasonable time after the institution has
received an application using a form adopted under this section.
SECTION 3. Section 51.763(a), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) The governing board of a university system shall adopt a
common admission application form consistent with this subchapter
to be used by any person seeking [freshman or undergraduate
transfer] admission to one or more of the general academic teaching
institutions within the university system.
SECTION 4. Section 51.762(b), Education Code, is repealed.
SECTION 5. The changes in law made by this Act apply
beginning with applications for admission to institutions of higher
education for the 2018-2019 academic year.
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2017.