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 An offer of admission 2-12 to a student to whom the presumption applies must indicate whether 2-13 the offer may be withdrawn under this subsection and that the 2-14 student's acceptance of the offer is conditioned on the student 2-15 graduating at the end of that semester as required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.