BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 1231
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Current law does not provide a refund process for academic terms that are shorter than regular academic semesters or sessions. A number of institutions offer these shorter academic terms, and they have developed their own procedures for issuing refunds of tuition and fees.
As proposed, S.B. 1231 sets forth the procedure, timeline, and amount of refunds to be issued by an institution for tuition and fees and applies these requirements to shorter academic terms.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends the heading to Section 54.006, Education Code, to read as follows:
Sec. 54.006. REFUND OR ADJUSTMENT OF TUITION AND MANDATORY FEES FOR DROPPED COURSES AND STUDENT WITHDRAWALS.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 54.006, Education Code, by amending Subsections (a), (b), (c), and (e), and adding Subsection (a-1), as follows:
(a) Requires a general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit, as soon as practicable, to refund the amount of tuition and mandatory fees, rather than fees and tuition in excess of the minimum tuition, collected for courses from which students drop within the first 12 days of a fall or spring semester or a summer term of 12 weeks or longer, within the first four days of a term or session of more than five weeks but less than 12 weeks, or within the period specified by the institution for that purpose for a term or session of five weeks or less that is substantially proportional to the period specified by this subsection for a longer term or session.
(a-1) Creates this section from existing text.
(b) Sets forth the tables determining the amount required to be refunded based on the term, number of class days before the student withdrew, and percentage of tuition to be refunded. Updates the existing table to provide for a summer term of 12 weeks or longer, rather than comparable trimester, a session of more than five weeks but less than 12 weeks, and the amount refunded if the student withdraws from a term or session of five weeks or less.
(c) Authorizes separate withdrawal refund schedules to be established for optional fees. Deletes intercollegiate athletics, cultural entertainment, parking, and yearbooks, as such optional fees.
(e) Requires a general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit to terminate a student's student services and privileges, including, rather than such as, health services, library privileges, facilities and technology usage, and athletic and cultural entertainment tickets, when the student withdraws from the institution.
SECTION 3. Repealer: Section 54.006(g), Education Code (relating to the amount of fees or tuition prohibited from being collected by an academic institution if the student has not paid that amount on the date the student drops the course or withdraws from the institution).
SECTION 4. Makes application of this Act prospective to the fall 2007 semester.
SECTION 5. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2007.