HBA-BSM H.B. 2386 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2386
By: Wilson
Higher Education
4/8/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, there is an increase in the number of college graduates in Texas
applying for admittance into graduate and professional degree programs, but
there are no provisions in place to attract the  applicants who are
graduating with bachelor's degrees at the top of their class to these
programs.  House Bill 2386 requires that applicants who graduate with a
bachelor's degree in the top 10 percent of their graduating class be
automatically admitted to the graduate or professional degree program they
apply to at an institution of higher education.   

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 2386 amends the Education Code to require each institution of
higher education (institution) that offers a graduate or professional
degree program to admit an applicant for to the degree program if the
applicant graduates with a bachelor's degree in the top 10 percent of  the
applicant's graduating class.  The bill requires an institution to hold a
lottery to award spaces to eligible applicants if the number of entitled
applicants exceeds the number of spaces available for a program.  The bill
also authorizes an applicant not selected for admission in a lottery to
delay admission to the institution until space is available.   

Each institution is required to adopt policies relating to the admission of
students no later than January 1, 2002. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001. The Act applies beginning with admissions
for the fall term or semester in 2002.