Relating to requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to waive fees for admission applications submitted to public institutions of higher education during certain periods.
SB 2231 requires Texas public colleges and universities to waive application fees during the second full week of October each year, designated as "Free College Application Week." This policy directly affects Texas students applying for undergraduate admission to any public higher education institution in the state. The bill mandates the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish this annual fee waiver period, with implementation beginning for the 2025-2026 academic year. The provision applies to all public institutions of higher education in Texas and removes a financial barrier during the designated week. The law took effect immediately after Governor's signature on May 21, 2025.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Mar 11, 2025
Signed May 21, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
Engrossed
·
3 edits
·
Apr 16, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted from a draft introduction to an engrossed version, with minor formatting adjustments and the addition of a note about digital content accessibility. The substantive policy content regarding the waiver of application fees for Free College Application Week remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL
The bill header and introductory text were reformatted from a draft introduction style to the official engrossed version format, including updated sponsor information and bill number formatting.
A note was added at the top stating that digital content on TLO has been updated to align with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards.
Draft-specific markers such as 'AAHinojosa' and line number annotations were removed during the transition to the official engrossed version.
Floor votes · House May 8, 2025
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
47
Key actions
14
Committee
10
May 21, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
May 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 9, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 8, 2025
Upper · Passed
House passage reported
upper
May 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Committee
Referred to Higher Education
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Apr 16, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Apr 9, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Apr 9, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Apr 8, 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
Mar 25, 2025
Committee
Referred to Education K-16
upper
Mar 25, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
2 primary · 2 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Adam Hinojosa
RRepublican
P
Terry Wilson
RRepublican
Co
Angela Paxton
RRepublican
Co
Royce West
DDemocratic
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