84R11946 KSD-F

By: Perry S.B. No. 1543

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the admission of undergraduate students with nontraditional secondary education to public institutions of higher education.

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

SECTION 1. Section 51.9241, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

(b) Because the State of Texas considers successful completion of a nontraditional secondary education to be equivalent to graduation from a public high school, an institution of higher education must treat an applicant for admission to the institution as an undergraduate student who presents evidence that the person has successfully completed a nontraditional secondary education according to the same general standards, including specific standardized testing score requirements, as other applicants for undergraduate admission who have graduated from a public high school.

(d) If an institution of higher education in its undergraduate admission review process sorts applicants by high school graduating class rank, the institution shall place any applicant who presents evidence that the applicant has successfully completed a nontraditional secondary education that does not include a high school graduating class ranking at or above the average high school graduating class rank of undergraduate applicants to the institution who have completed a traditional secondary education.

SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply beginning with admissions to a public institution of higher education for the 2016 fall semester. Admissions to a public institution of higher education for a term or semester before the 2016 fall semester 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 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.