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79R1818 KEL-D

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 technical institute,"
and "university system" have the meanings assigned by Section 
61.003 of this code.
	SECTION 2.  Sections 51.762(a), (b), and (f), Education 
Code, are amended to read as follows:
	(a)  The board, with the assistance of an advisory committee 
composed of representatives of general academic teaching 
institutions, junior college districts, and public technical 
institutes, and with the consultation of all [affected general 
academic teaching] institutions of higher education that admit 
freshman-level students, shall adopt by rule a common admission 
application form for use by a person seeking admission as a freshman 
student to an [a general academic teaching] institution of higher 
education.  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, 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 a common 
admission application form for use by a person seeking admission as 
an undergraduate transfer student to an [a general academic 
teaching] institution of higher education. 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.
	(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 [application using] a form 
adopted under this section.  The form used for the application may 
be 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.
	SECTION 3.  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board 
shall adopt a common freshman admission application form under 
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 that common admission 
application form beginning with applicants for admission for the 
2007-2008 academic year.
	SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.