General academic teaching institutions must admit certain applicants, consider listed factors in freshman admissions, and publish the admissions factors they use.
Sec. 51.805. OTHER ADMISSIONS. (a) A graduating student who does not qualify for admission under Section 51.803 or 51.804 may apply to any general academic teaching institution if the student: (1) successfully completed: (A) at a public high school, the curriculum requirements established under Section 28.025 for the foundation high school program; or (B) at a high school to which Section 28.025 does not apply, a curriculum that is equivalent in content and rigor to the foundation high school program; or (2) achieved a score set by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on a college entrance examination designated by coordinating board rule. (b) The general academic teaching institution, after admitting students under Sections 51.803 and 51.804, shall admit other applicants for admission as undergraduate students. It is the intent of the legislature that all institutions of higher education pursue academic excellence by considering students' academic achievements in decisions related to admissions. Because of changing demographic trends, diversity, and population increases in the state, each general academic teaching institution shall also consider all of, any of, or a combination of the following socioeconomic indicators or factors in making first-time freshman admissions decisions: (1) the applicant's academic record; (2) the socioeconomic background of the applicant, including the percentage by which the applicant's family is above or below any recognized measure of poverty, the applicant's household income, and the applicant's parents' level of education; (3) whether the applicant would be the first generation of the applicant's family to attend or graduate from an institution of higher education; (4) whether the applicant has bilingual proficiency; (5) the financial status of the applicant's school district; (6) the performance level of the applicant's school as determined by the school accountability criteria used by the Texas Education Agency; (7) the applicant's responsibilities while attending school, including whether the applicant has been employed, whether the applicant has helped to raise children, or other similar factors; (8) the applicant's region of residence; (9) whether the applicant is a resident of a rural or urban area or a resident of a central city or suburban area in the state; (10) the applicant's performance on standardized tests; (11) the applicant's performance on standardized tests in comparison with that of other students from similar socioeconomic backgrounds; (12) whether the applicant attended any school while the school was under a court-ordered desegregation plan; (13) the applicant's involvement in community activities; (14) the applicant's extracurricular activities; (15) the applicant's commitment to a particular field of study; (16) the applicant's personal interview; (17) the applicant's admission to a comparable accredited out-of-state institution; and (18) any other consideration the institution considers necessary to accomplish the institution's stated mission. (c) A general academic teaching institution may review other factors in making an admissions decision. (c-1) In making an admissions decision, a senior military college or other general academic teaching institution that maintains a corps of cadets as a fraternal organization beyond training through a Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program shall consider an applicant's intent to enlist in a branch of the United States armed forces or enroll in the corps of cadets. (d) Not later than one year before the date that applications for admission are first considered under this section, each general academic teaching institution shall publish in the institution's catalog a description of the factors considered by the institution in making admission decisions and shall make the information available to the public. (e) This section does not apply to an institution that has an open enrollment policy, except that a student may apply to a general academic teaching institution that has an open enrollment policy only if the student satisfies the requirements described by Subsection (a). (f) This section does not apply to Lamar State College--Orange or Lamar State College--Port Arthur as long as those institutions operate as two-year lower-division institutions of higher education. Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 155, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 941 (H.B. 3826), Sec. 3, eff. June 15, 2007. Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 449 (H.B. 2424), Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 2009. Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 211 (H.B. 5), Sec. 65(a), eff. June 10, 2013. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 492 (S.B. 1241), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2025. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1049 (H.B. 5646), Sec. 1, eff. June 20, 2025.