Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1716 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R10280 RDR-F
2	2	By: Middleton S.B. No. 1716
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to measures to support the enrollment of students with a
10	10	nontraditional secondary education at public institutions of
11	11	higher education, including eligibility for certain student
12	12	financial assistance programs.
13	13	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	14	SECTION 1. Section 51.9241, Education Code, is amended by
15	15	amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (e) to read as
16	16	follows:
17	17	(d) If an institution of higher education in its
18	18	undergraduate admission review process sorts applicants by high
19	19	school graduating class rank, the institution shall assign a class
20	20	rank to [place] any applicant who presents evidence that the
21	21	applicant has successfully completed a nontraditional secondary
22	22	education that does not include a high school graduating class
23	23	ranking by:
24	24	(1) calculating for each class rank of other
25	25	applicants to the institution the median score on each college
26	26	entrance examination the institution considers in admissions; and
27	27	(2) assigning to the applicant the highest class rank
28	28	for which the applicant's score on a college entrance examination
29	29	the institution considers in admissions is at least equal to the
30	30	median score for that class rank calculated under Subdivision (1)
31	31	[at the average high school graduating class rank of undergraduate
32	32	applicants to the institution who have equivalent standardized
33	33	testing scores as the applicant].
34	34	(e) An institution of higher education to which Subsection
35	35	(d) applies shall post on the institution's Internet website the
36	36	median score on each college entrance examination the institution
37	37	considers in admissions calculated for each class rank under
38	38	Subsection (d)(1) for the preceding admissions cycle.
39	39	SECTION 2. Section 56.013, Education Code, is amended to
40	40	read as follows:
41	41	Sec. 56.013. INFORMATION REGARDING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
42	42	FUNDED FROM DESIGNATED TUITION. The Texas Higher Education
43	43	Coordinating Board shall post on the coordinating board's Internet
44	44	website and disseminate to each public or accredited private high
45	45	school in this state information regarding the financial assistance
46	46	available under this subchapter and shall include information
47	47	designed to educate high school students and the parents of those
48	48	students on available opportunities and required preparation with
49	49	respect to institutions of higher education. The coordinating
50	50	board shall recommend a method of delivery of the information to
51	51	parents and students under this section.
52	52	SECTION 3. Section 56.304(a), Education Code, is amended to
53	53	read as follows:
54	54	(a) To be eligible initially for a TEXAS grant, a person who
55	55	graduated from high school before May 1, 2013, must:
56	56	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
57	57	coordinating board rules;
58	58	(2) meet either of the following academic
59	59	requirements:
60	60	(A) be a graduate of a public or accredited
61	61	private high school, or a graduate who presents evidence of
62	62	successful completion of a nontraditional secondary education, as
63	63	defined by Section 51.9241, in this state who graduated not earlier
64	64	than the 1998-1999 school year and who completed the recommended or
65	65	advanced high school curriculum established under Section 28.002 or
66	66	28.025 or its equivalent; or
67	67	(B) have received an associate degree from a
68	68	public or private institution of higher education not earlier than
69	69	May 1, 2001;
70	70	(3) meet financial need requirements as defined by the
71	71	coordinating board;
72	72	(4) be enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at
73	73	an eligible institution;
74	74	(5) be enrolled as:
75	75	(A) an entering undergraduate student for at
76	76	least three-fourths of a full course load for an entering
77	77	undergraduate student, as determined by the coordinating board, not
78	78	later than the 16th month after the date of the person's graduation
79	79	from high school; or
80	80	(B) an entering student for at least
81	81	three-fourths of a full course load for an undergraduate student as
82	82	determined by the coordinating board, not later than the 12th month
83	83	after the month the person receives an associate degree from a
84	84	public or private institution of higher education;
85	85	(6) have applied for any available financial aid or
86	86	assistance; and
87	87	(7) comply with any additional nonacademic
88	88	requirement adopted by the coordinating board under this
89	89	subchapter.
90	90	SECTION 4. Section 56.3041(a), Education Code, is amended
91	91	to read as follows:
92	92	(a) To be eligible initially for a TEXAS grant, a person
93	93	graduating from high school on or after May 1, 2013, and enrolling
94	94	in an eligible institution must:
95	95	(1) be a resident of this state as determined by
96	96	coordinating board rules;
97	97	(2) meet the academic requirements prescribed by
98	98	Paragraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) as follows:
99	99	(A) be a graduate of a public or accredited
100	100	private high school, or a graduate who presents evidence of
101	101	successful completion of a nontraditional secondary education, as
102	102	defined by Section 51.9241, in this state who completed the
103	103	foundation high school program established under Section 28.025 or
104	104	its equivalent and have accomplished any two or more of the
105	105	following:
106	106	(i) successful completion of the course
107	107	requirements of the international baccalaureate diploma program or
108	108	earning of the equivalent of at least 12 semester credit hours of
109	109	college credit in high school through courses described in Sections
110	110	28.009(a)(1), (2), and (3);
111	111	(ii) satisfaction of the Texas Success
112	112	Initiative (TSI) college readiness benchmarks prescribed by the
113	113	coordinating board under Section 51.334 on any assessment
114	114	instrument designated by the coordinating board under that section
115	115	or qualification for an exemption as described by Section
116	116	51.338(b), (c), or (d);
117	117	(iii) graduation in the top one-third of
118	118	the person's high school graduating class or graduation from high
119	119	school with a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a four-point
120	120	scale or the equivalent; or
121	121	(iv) completion for high school credit of
122	122	at least one advanced mathematics course following the successful
123	123	completion of an Algebra II course or at least one advanced career
124	124	and technical or technology applications course;
125	125	(B) have received an associate degree from a
126	126	public or private institution of higher education;
127	127	(C) be an undergraduate student who has:
128	128	(i) previously attended another
129	129	institution of higher education;
130	130	(ii) received an initial Texas Educational
131	131	Opportunity Grant under Subchapter P for the 2014 fall semester or a
132	132	subsequent academic term;
133	133	(iii) completed at least 24 semester credit
134	134	hours at any institution or institutions of higher education; and
135	135	(iv) earned an overall grade point average
136	136	of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on all
137	137	course work previously attempted; or
138	138	(D) if sufficient money is available, meet the
139	139	eligibility criteria described by Section 56.304(a)(2)(A);
140	140	(3) meet financial need requirements established by
141	141	the coordinating board;
142	142	(4) be enrolled in an undergraduate degree or
143	143	certificate program at an eligible institution;
144	144	(5) except as provided under rules adopted under
145	145	Section 56.304(h), be enrolled as:
146	146	(A) an entering undergraduate student for at
147	147	least three-fourths of a full course load, as determined by the
148	148	coordinating board, not later than the 16th month after the
149	149	calendar month in which the person graduated from high school;
150	150	(B) an entering undergraduate student who
151	151	entered military service not later than the first anniversary of
152	152	the date the person graduated from high school and who enrolled for
153	153	at least three-fourths of a full course load, as determined by the
154	154	coordinating board, at the eligible institution not later than 12
155	155	months after being honorably discharged from military service;
156	156	(C) a continuing undergraduate student for at
157	157	least three-fourths of a full course load, as determined by the
158	158	coordinating board, not later than the 12th month after the
159	159	calendar month in which the person received an associate degree
160	160	from a public or private institution of higher education; or
161	161	(D) an undergraduate student described by
162	162	Subdivision (2)(C) who has never previously received a TEXAS grant;
163	163	(6) have applied for any available financial aid or
164	164	assistance; and
165	165	(7) comply with any additional nonacademic
166	166	requirements adopted by the coordinating board under this
167	167	subchapter.
168	168	SECTION 5. Sections 56.308(a) and (d), Education Code, are
169	169	amended to read as follows:
170	170	(a) The coordinating board shall post on the coordinating
171	171	board's Internet website and distribute to each eligible
172	172	institution and to each school district a copy of the rules adopted
173	173	under this subchapter.
174	174	(d) In addition to the eligibility requirements of Section
175	175	56.304, a person who graduated from an accredited private high
176	176	school or who presents evidence of successful completion of a
177	177	nontraditional secondary education, as defined by Section 51.9241,
178	178	is eligible to receive a grant under this subchapter only if the
179	179	student's official transcript or diploma includes the information
180	180	required as provided by Subsections (b)(2)(A) and (c).
181	181	SECTION 6. Section 56.484, Education Code, is amended to
182	182	read as follows:
183	183	Sec. 56.484. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP. (a) To
184	184	be eligible for a scholarship under this subchapter, a student
185	185	must:
186	186	(1) have graduated from a public or accredited private
187	187	high school, or be a graduate who presents evidence of successful
188	188	completion of a nontraditional secondary education, as defined by
189	189	Section 51.9241, in this state while ranked in the top 10 percent or
190	190	as the valedictorian of the student's graduating class, subject to
191	191	Section 56.487(b);
192	192	(2) have completed the recommended or advanced high
193	193	school curriculum established under Section 28.025 or its
194	194	equivalent;
195	195	(3) have applied for admission as a first-time
196	196	freshman student for the 2010-2011 academic year or a subsequent
197	197	academic year to an institution of higher education that has
198	198	elected to offer admissions for that academic year to applicants as
199	199	provided by Section 51.803(a-1);
200	200	(4) enroll as a first-time freshman student in an
201	201	institution of higher education not later than the 16th month after
202	202	the date of the student's high school graduation;
203	203	(5) have been awarded a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M
204	204	for the same semester or other academic term for which the
205	205	scholarship will be awarded;
206	206	(6) be a Texas resident under Section 54.052; and
207	207	(7) comply with any other eligibility requirements
208	208	established by coordinating board rule.
209	209	(b) For purposes of Subsection (a)(1), the class rank of a
210	210	student who presents evidence of successful completion of a
211	211	nontraditional secondary education shall be calculated in the
212	212	manner provided by Section 51.9241(d)(1).
213	213	SECTION 7. The changes in law made by this Act to Section
214	214	51.9241, Education Code, apply beginning with admissions to a
215	215	public institution of higher education for the 2026 fall semester.
216	216	Admissions to a public institution of higher education for a term or
217	217	semester before the 2026 fall semester are governed by the law in
218	218	effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the
219	219	former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
220	220	SECTION 8. The changes in law made by this Act to Chapter
221	221	56, Education Code, apply beginning with student financial
222	222	assistance awarded by a public institution of higher education for
223	223	the 2026 fall semester. Student financial assistance awarded by a
224	224	public institution of higher education for a term or semester
225	225	before the 2026 fall semester is governed by the law in effect
226	226	immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former
227	227	law is continued in effect for that purpose.
228	228	SECTION 9. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
229	229	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
230	230	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
231	231	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
232	232	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.