Relating to the consideration of college entrance examinations for admission to certain public institutions of higher education and a study by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board regarding those examinations.
SB 1241 amends Texas law to allow public universities to admit students who achieve a minimum SAT score of 1,500 (or equivalent ACT score) as an alternative to graduating in the top 10% of their high school class. It directly affects undergraduate applicants to Texas public institutions of higher education who do not meet the top 10% academic requirement. The bill establishes specific score thresholds (1,500 on the SAT or equivalent ACT benchmarks) that applicants must meet to qualify for admission under this new pathway. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is also directed to study how these entrance examinations impact student success and institutional admissions. The law took effect September 1, 2025.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Feb 12, 2025
Signed Jun 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
4 edits
·
Jun 20, 2025
MODERATE
This bill updates Texas higher education admission rules to allow students to qualify for university admission based on standardized test scores set by the state rather than just ACT or SAT benchmarks. It also establishes a study to determine which college entrance exams and specific scores should be accepted as admission criteria.
Scope change
The bill expands eligibility for university admission by replacing fixed ACT/SAT score requirements with scores designated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
ELIGIBILITY
Replaced specific ACT College Readiness Benchmarks and SAT score requirements with a new requirement that students achieve scores set by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on designated college entrance examinations.
REQUIREMENT
Added a new section requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to conduct a study identifying which college entrance examinations and requisite scores should be used as admission criteria.
TIMELINE
Updated effective dates for admission changes to apply beginning with the 2028 fall semester, with the new study section expiring on September 1, 2027.
TECHNICAL
Removed formatting inconsistencies and placeholder text from the original bill draft to produce the final enrolled version.
Floor votes · Senate May 6, 2025 · House May 15, 2025
How they voted
28–2
Passed
Total votes 30
May 6, 2025
D
Democratic10
80% Yea
R
Republican20
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
59
Key actions
19
Committee
10
Amendments
9
Jun 20, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
May 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 22, 2025
Introduced
Senate concurs in House amendment(s)-reported
lower
May 22, 2025
Introduced
Senate concurs in House amendment(s)
upper
May 22, 2025
Introduced
House amendment(s) laid before the Senate
upper
May 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
House passage as amended reported
upper
May 16, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to 3rd reading as amended
lower
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
May 15, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (89-50-6)
house
May 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
May 8, 2025
Committee
Referred to Higher Education
lower
May 8, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
May 7, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
May 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed to engrossment as amended
upper
May 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Amended
upper
May 6, 2025
Introduced
Amendment(s) offered
upper
Apr 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Apr 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
upper
Apr 16, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Feb 28, 2025
Committee
Referred to Education K-16
upper
Feb 28, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
4 primary · 2 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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