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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the automatic admission of undergraduate students to |
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general academic teaching institutions. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 51.803, Education Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as |
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follows: |
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(a) Subject to Subsection (b-1), each [Each] general |
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academic teaching institution shall admit an applicant for |
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admission to the institution as an undergraduate student if the |
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applicant graduated with a grade point average in the top 10 percent |
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of the student's high school graduating class in one of the two |
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school years preceding the academic year for which the applicant is |
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applying for admission and: |
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(1) the applicant graduated from a public or private |
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high school in this state accredited by a generally recognized |
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accrediting organization or from a high school operated by the |
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United States Department of Defense; |
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(2) the applicant: |
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(A) successfully completed: |
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(i) at a public high school, the curriculum |
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requirements established under Section 28.025 for the recommended |
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or advanced high school program; or |
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(ii) at a high school to which Section |
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28.025 does not apply, a curriculum that is equivalent in content |
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and rigor to the recommended or advanced high school program; or |
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(B) satisfied ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks |
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on the ACT assessment applicable to the applicant or earned on the |
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SAT assessment a score of at least 1,500 out of 2,400 or the |
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equivalent; and |
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(3) if the applicant graduated from a high school |
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operated by the United States Department of Defense, the applicant |
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is a Texas resident under Section 54.052 or is entitled to pay |
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tuition fees at the rate provided for Texas residents under Section |
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54.058(d) for the term or semester to which admitted. |
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(b-1) A general academic teaching institution is not |
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required to admit under Subsection (a) more than 50 percent of the |
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institution's first-time resident undergraduate students in an |
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academic year. If the number of applicants who qualify for |
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automatic admission to a general academic teaching institution |
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under Subsection (a) exceeds that percentage of the institution's |
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enrollment capacity designated for first-time resident |
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undergraduate students, the institution shall: |
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(1) offer admission to those applicants by percentile |
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rank according to graduating class standing based on grade point |
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average, beginning with the top percentile rank, until a sufficient |
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number of applicants have accepted admission offers to fill that |
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percentage of the institution's enrollment capacity designated for |
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first-time resident undergraduate students, except that the |
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institution must offer admission to all applicants with the same |
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percentile rank; and |
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(2) after offering admission to applicants under |
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Subdivision (1), consider any remaining applicants qualified for |
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automatic admission under Subsection (a) in the same manner as |
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other applicants for admission as first-time freshmen students in |
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accordance with Section 51.805. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies |
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beginning with admissions to general academic teaching |
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institutions for the 2010-2011 academic year. Admissions to a |
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general academic teaching institution before that academic year are |
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covered by the law in effect before the effective date of this Act, |
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and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |