SB2231

The board must designate the week and permit the fee-free applications; it may adopt implementing rules. The benefit concerns the application fee, not tuition, housing, enrollment deposits or a guarantee of admission. The act does not make all college applications free throughout the year or waive academic admission requirements. Final law, new Education Code 61.0731.

The statutory category “institution of higher education” covers public institutions, including public universities, junior colleges and technical institutes; private institutions are separately defined and are not included in this mandate. The law says “individuals in this state” and “undergraduate admission.” It does not add an income test or limit the benefit to graduating high-school seniors, and it does not create a graduate-application waiver. The act does not specify a separate tuition-residency test or individual campuses’ application procedures. Final law; Institution definitions.

Changes during passage: The introduced, Senate committee, Senate-passed, House committee and final versions contain the same operative provisions. Both committees reported without amendments and the amendment index lists none. The final votes met the immediate-effect requirement, while the separate academic-year clause sets the first program year. Introduced; Senate committee; Senate-passed; House committee; Final law, sections 2–3; Amendment index; Version index.

Compare the published text versions in the official text index. A change is not attributed to a specific amendment here without a verified record.

Applicants can avoid covered application charges by applying during the designated week, potentially making it easier to consider more than one public institution. Institutions may lose application-fee revenue and must administer the waiver. The act does not establish how many additional people will apply, enroll or graduate. Final law.

The April 2 fiscal note anticipates no significant state or local fiscal implication, but explicitly warns that institutions could lose fee revenue. It treats that revenue as institutional funds outside the General Appropriations Act, so “no significant state impact” is not the same as no financial cost to colleges. The act supplies no statewide loss estimate or appropriation. Fiscal note.