By Wilson                                             H.B. No. 2386
         77R6265 KSD-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to automatic admission to graduate or professional degree
 1-3     programs at institutions of higher education.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter U, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 51.810 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 51.810.  AUTOMATIC ADMISSION.  (a)  Each institution of
 1-8     higher education, as defined by Section 61.003, that offers a
 1-9     graduate or professional degree program shall admit to the degree
1-10     program an applicant for admission to the program if the applicant
1-11     graduates from an institution of higher education with a bachelor's
1-12     degree and with a grade point average in the top 10 percent of the
1-13     applicant's graduating class.
1-14           (b)  If the number of applicants entitled to automatic
1-15     admission under Subsection (a) seeking admission to a graduate or
1-16     professional degree program at an institution of higher education
1-17     exceeds the available number of spaces offered for enrollment in
1-18     the degree program for any semester:
1-19                 (1)  the institution shall conduct a lottery to award
1-20     the spaces to eligible applicants; and
1-21                 (2)  an eligible applicant not selected for admission
1-22     may delay the applicant's admission to the institution until space
1-23     is available.
1-24           (c)  For purposes of this section, it is presumed that an
 2-1     undergraduate student with a grade point average in the top 10
 2-2     percent of the student's class at the beginning of a semester in
 2-3     which the student is entitled to graduate will graduate with a
 2-4     grade point average in the top 10 percent of the student's
 2-5     graduating class.  If the student does not graduate at the end of
 2-6     that semester, or fails to graduate with a grade point average in
 2-7     the top 10 percent of the student's graduating class, the
 2-8     institution of higher education that has admitted the student to a
 2-9     graduate or professional degree program under this section may, but
2-10     is not required to, withdraw an offer of admission to the student,
2-11     even if the student has accepted the offer.  An offer of admission
2-12     to a student to whom the presumption applies must indicate whether
2-13     the offer may be withdrawn under this subsection and that the
2-14     student's acceptance of the offer is conditioned on the student
2-15     graduating at the end of that semester as required by Subsection
2-16     (a).
2-17           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
2-18     beginning with admissions for the fall term or semester in 2002.
2-19           (b)  Each institution of higher education shall adopt
2-20     policies relating to the admission of students under Section
2-21     51.810, Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than
2-22     January 1, 2002.
2-23           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
2-24     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-25     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-26     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-27     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.