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By: West S.B. No. 502
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to common undergraduate admission application forms for
public institutions of higher education in this state.
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," "public state college," "public
technical institute," and "university system" have the meanings
assigned by Section 61.003 [of this code].
SECTION 2. Section 51.762, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 51.762. COMMON ADMISSION APPLICATION FORMS. (a) The
board, with the assistance of an advisory committee composed of
representatives of general academic teaching institutions, junior
college districts, public state colleges, and public technical
institutes, and with the consultation of all [affected general
academic teaching] 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; and
(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; 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. [In addition to information required to
determine the residency status of the applicant and information
relating to the use of the form at each institution, the board shall
include on the form information that the board considers
appropriate.]
(b) The board, with the assistance of an advisory committee
composed of representatives of general academic teaching
institutions, junior college districts, public state colleges, and
public technical institutes, and with the consultation of all
[affected general academic teaching] institutions of higher
education that admit undergraduate transfer students, may adopt by
rule:
(1) a common admission application form for use by a
person seeking admission as an undergraduate transfer student to a
general academic teaching institution; and
(2) an electronic or printed format common admission
application form for use by a person seeking admission as an
undergraduate transfer student to an institution of higher
education that admits undergraduate transfer students, other than a
general academic teaching institution.
(c) In addition to information required to determine the
residency status of the applicant and information relating to the
use of the form at each institution, the board shall include on each
application [the] form adopted under this section information that
the board considers appropriate.
(d) The board shall attempt to ensure as much uniformity in
the forms adopted under this section as possible, regardless of the
category of institution for which the forms are adopted.
(e) [(c)] The board shall publicize in both electronic and
printed formats the availability of a form adopted under this
section [in both electronic and printed formats].
(f) [(d)] The board shall ensure that copies of the freshman
common admission application forms [form] and information for the
[its] use of the forms are available in electronic format for
distribution to the appropriate personnel at each public high
school in this state.
(g) [(e)] The board shall make a form adopted under this
section available to the public electronically by the Internet or
other commonly used telecommunications media and may contract with
an institution of higher education or other provider to satisfy
this requirement.
(h) [(f)] An applicant may file, and each [general academic
teaching] institution of higher education shall accept, an
application for admission as an entering [a] freshman or
undergraduate transfer student that uses the appropriate
[application using a] form adopted under this section. The form
used to apply to a general academic teaching institution may be
filed in either [an] electronic or printed format. An [A general
academic teaching] 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.
(i) [(g)] In addition to other information considered
appropriate by the board, the board [shall] by rule shall require
each institution to collect information regarding gender,
ethnicity, and date of birth as part of the application process and
report this information to the board.
SECTION 3. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
shall adopt common freshman admission application forms as required
by Section 51.762, Education Code, as amended by this Act, not later
than September 1, 2006. An institution of higher education must
accept freshman applications using the appropriate common
admission application form beginning with applicants for admission
for the 2007-2008 academic year.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.