84R2437 JRJ-D

By: Johnson H.B. No. 3384

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the automatic admission of certain transfer students to general academic teaching institutions.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. The heading to Section 51.8035, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 51.8035. AUTOMATIC ADMISSION OF CERTAIN TRANSFER APPLICANTS [COMPLETING CORE CURRICULUM AT ANOTHER INSTITUTION].

SECTION 2. Section 51.8035(a)(2), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(2) "General academic teaching institution" and "public junior college" have [has] the meanings [meaning] assigned by Section 61.003.

SECTION 3. Section 51.8035, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:

(b) A general academic teaching institution shall admit an applicant for admission to the institution as a transfer undergraduate student who submits a completed application for admission as a transfer student before the expiration of any application filing deadline established by the institution and:

(1) who:

(A) graduated from high school not earlier than the fourth school year before the academic year for which the applicant seeks admission to the institution as a transfer student and:

(i) [(A)] qualified for automatic admission to a general academic teaching institution under Section 51.803 at the time of graduation; or

(ii) [(B)] was previously offered admission under this subchapter to the institution to which the applicant seeks admission as a transfer student;

(B) [(2)] first enrolled in a public junior college or other public or private lower-division institution of higher education not earlier than the third academic year before the academic year for which the applicant seeks admission; and

(C) [(3)] completed the core curriculum at a public junior college or other public or private lower-division institution of higher education with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent; or

(2) who enrolled in a public junior college and completed at least 60 semester credit hours with a cumulative grade point average in the top 10 percent of cumulative grade point averages for all students of the public junior college who completed at least 60 semester credit hours at the public junior college during the academic year in which the applicant completed those semester credit hours, as determined by the public junior college under Subsection (e), provided the applicant completed the majority of the applicant's semester credit hours at the public junior college [and

[(4) submits a completed application for admission as a transfer student before the expiration of any application filing deadline established by the institution].

(c) For purposes of Subsection (b)(1) [this section], transfer semester credit hours from a different institution of higher education and semester credit hours earned by examination shall be included in determining whether the person completed the core curriculum at an institution of higher education.

(e) For purposes of Subsection (b)(2), as soon as practicable following each academic year, each public junior college shall calculate and report to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board the minimum cumulative grade point average required for a student at the public junior college to qualify for transfer admission under that subdivision.

SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act to Section 51.8035, Education Code, apply beginning with admissions to an institution of higher education for the 2016-2017 academic year. Admissions to an institution of higher education for an academic year before that academic year are governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.