Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB3039 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R20510 CXP-D
2	2	By: West S.B. No. 3039
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the transfer of students in public higher education.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Sections 51.4033 and 51.4034, Education Code,
12	12	are amended to read as follows:
13	13	Sec. 51.4033. TRANSFER REPORT [OF NONTRANSFERABLE CREDIT].
14	14	(a) Not later than May 1 of each year and in the form prescribed by
15	15	the coordinating board, each general academic teaching institution
16	16	shall provide to the coordinating board and the legislature a
17	17	report that:
18	18	(1) describes [describing] any courses in the
19	19	Lower-Division Academic Course Guide Manual or its successor
20	20	adopted by the coordinating board for which a student who transfers
21	21	to the institution from another institution of higher education is
22	22	not granted:
23	23	(A) [(1)] academic credit at the receiving
24	24	institution; or
25	25	(B) [(2)] if the student has declared a major and
26	26	has not changed majors, academic credit toward the student's major
27	27	at the receiving institution;
28	28	(2) details the institution's goals to increase the
29	29	number, success, and persistence, as measured by the coordinating
30	30	board, of students who transfer to the institution from a public
31	31	junior college;
32	32	(3) assesses the institution's academic and technical
33	33	transfer pathways;
34	34	(4) identifies:
35	35	(A) any existing barriers to transferring to the
36	36	institution; and
37	37	(B) emerging issues affecting transfer students
38	38	at the institution;
39	39	(5) details the institution's actions to serve current
40	40	and prospective transfer students through local and regional
41	41	articulation agreements that include:
42	42	(A) faculty collaboration;
43	43	(B) public junior college program enhancements;
44	44	(C) student outreach and advising services;
45	45	(D) website information development;
46	46	(E) targeted financial aid;
47	47	(F) student success programs; and
48	48	(G) degree program alignment; and
49	49	(6) contains any other information relating to the
50	50	transfer of academic credit to the institution required by
51	51	coordinating board rule.
52	52	(b) A report required by this section must indicate for each
53	53	course described by Subsection (a)(1):
54	54	(1) the course name, [and] type, and common course
55	55	number;
56	56	(2) the name of:
57	57	(A) the institution of higher education or other
58	58	postsecondary educational institution at which the student
59	59	completed the course; and
60	60	(B) the [which] institution of higher education
61	61	that awarded or transcribed [provided] academic credit for the
62	62	course; and
63	63	(3) the reason why the receiving institution did not
64	64	grant academic credit for the course as described by Subsection
65	65	(a), including whether the institution complied with the dispute
66	66	resolution process under Section 61.826.
67	67	(c) Not later than September 1 of each even-numbered year,
68	68	the coordinating board shall submit to the governor, the
69	69	Legislative Budget Board, the house appropriations committee, and
70	70	the senate finance committee a report that evaluates actions to
71	71	increase the number, success, and persistence of students who
72	72	transfer to a general academic teaching institution from a public
73	73	junior college. The report must include:
74	74	(1) a comparative analysis of institution reports and
75	75	performance data, including application and admission rates,
76	76	financial aid awarded, time-to-degree, and baccalaureate
77	77	graduation rates of students, including transfer students, by
78	78	program completion at public junior colleges and general academic
79	79	teaching institutions during the preceding academic year;
80	80	(2) a study of public junior college transfer
81	81	practices; and
82	82	(3) recommendations for legislative or other action to
83	83	meet the transfer student-related goals of the state's master plan
84	84	for higher education developed under Section 61.051.
85	85	(d) The coordinating board may adopt rules necessary to
86	86	implement this section.
87	87	Sec. 51.4034. REPORT OF COURSES TAKEN AT PUBLIC JUNIOR
88	88	COLLEGES. (a) Not later than May 1 of each year and in the form
89	89	prescribed by the coordinating board, each public junior college
90	90	shall provide to the coordinating board and the legislature a
91	91	report on courses taken by students who, during the preceding
92	92	academic year, transferred to a general academic teaching
93	93	institution, completed a field of study curriculum, or earned an
94	94	associate degree at the college.
95	95	(b) A report required by this section must include:
96	96	(1) the total number of:
97	97	(A) [(1)] courses attempted and completed at the
98	98	college, including the total number of semester credit hours for
99	99	those courses, disaggregated by whether the course is in:
100	100	(i) [(A)] the Workforce Education Course
101	101	Manual or its successor adopted by the coordinating board; or
102	102	(ii) [(B)] the Lower-Division Academic
103	103	Course Guide Manual or its successor adopted by the coordinating
104	104	board;
105	105	(B) [(2)] courses attempted and completed at the
106	106	college that are not in the recommended core curriculum developed
107	107	by the coordinating board under Section 61.822; and
108	108	(C) [(3)] dual credit courses, including courses
109	109	for joint high school and junior college credit under Section
110	110	130.008, attempted and completed at the college; and
111	111	(2) any other relevant information required by
112	112	coordinating board rule.
113	113	(c) The coordinating board may adopt rules necessary to
114	114	implement this section.
115	115	SECTION 2. Subchapter H, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
116	116	amended by adding Section 51.4035 to read as follows:
117	117	Sec. 51.4035. PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION REGARDING DENIAL
118	118	OF TRANSFER CREDIT. (a) Each institution of higher education shall
119	119	maintain on the admissions page of the institution's Internet
120	120	website a list of:
121	121	(1) the five majors or degree or certificate programs
122	122	offered by the institution with the highest number of courses for
123	123	which academic credit is denied or not applied toward the major or
124	124	program; and
125	125	(2) the five courses for each major or degree or
126	126	certificate program described by Subdivision (1) for which academic
127	127	credit is most frequently denied because the credit is not
128	128	applicable toward the major or program.
129	129	(b) The coordinating board annually shall provide to each
130	130	institution of higher education a list of the courses described by
131	131	Subsection (a)(2).
132	132	(c) The coordinating board may adopt rules necessary to
133	133	implement this section.
134	134	SECTION 3. Subchapter S, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
135	135	amended by adding Section 61.8231 to read as follows:
136	136	Sec. 61.8231. TRANSFER LIAISON. (a) Each institution of
137	137	higher education, using existing resources, shall designate at
138	138	least one employee of the institution to serve as a single point of
139	139	contact for other institutions of higher education and the board
140	140	regarding transfer issues and to act as a liaison officer for
141	141	current or incoming students at the institution who will transfer
142	142	into or out of the institution.
143	143	(b) On a transfer or request to transfer to or from an
144	144	institution of higher education, the institution's transfer
145	145	liaison shall provide a current, former, or prospective student, as
146	146	applicable, with:
147	147	(1) a complete and current list of the institution's
148	148	core curriculum applicable to the student;
149	149	(2) a complete and current list of the institution's
150	150	field of study curricula that may be applicable to the student;
151	151	(3) for a receiving institution, a list of courses
152	152	completed by the student:
153	153	(A) for which the institution will accept
154	154	academic credit; and
155	155	(B) for which the institution proposes to deny
156	156	academic credit in accordance with Section 61.826, including the
157	157	procedures for credit transfer dispute required by that section;
158	158	and
159	159	(4) any other information required by board rule.
160	160	(c) On the admission of a transfer student, the receiving
161	161	institution of higher education's transfer liaison shall assist the
162	162	student in obtaining a degree audit to determine whether the
163	163	student's completed coursework satisfies the institution's core
164	164	curriculum, satisfies a field of study curriculum of the
165	165	institution, or qualifies the student to be awarded a Texas Direct
166	166	associate degree under Section 61.834 or any other degree or
167	167	certificate offered by the institution.
168	168	(d) The board shall adopt rules necessary to implement this
169	169	section.
170	170	SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026
171	171	academic year.
172	172	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
173	173	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
174	174	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
175	175	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
176	176	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.