Texas § 51.931 RIGHT TO AN ACADEMIC FRESH START.

Texas Statutes

§ 51.931 — RIGHT TO AN ACADEMIC FRESH START.

Texas § 51.931

Code EDEducation Code

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Bluebook

Tex. Education Code Code Ann. § 51.931 (2026).

Text

Sec. 51.931. RIGHT TO AN ACADEMIC FRESH START.

(a)This section applies to any public institution of higher education as defined in Section 61.003 of this code.

(b)Unless otherwise prohibited by law, a resident of this state is entitled to apply for admission to and enroll as an undergraduate student in any public institution of higher education under this section.

(c)If an applicant elects to seek admission under this section, a public institution of higher education, in considering the applicant for admission, shall not consider academic course credits or grades earned by the applicant 10 or more years prior to the starting date of the semester in which the applicant seeks to enroll. An applicant who makes the election to apply under this section and is admitted as a student may not re

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Sec. 51.931. RIGHT TO AN ACADEMIC FRESH START. (a) This section applies to any public institution of higher education as defined in Section 61.003 of this code.
(b) Unless otherwise prohibited by law, a resident of this state is entitled to apply for admission to and enroll as an undergraduate student in any public institution of higher education under this section.
(c) If an applicant elects to seek admission under this section, a public institution of higher education, in considering the applicant for admission, shall not consider academic course credits or grades earned by the applicant 10 or more years prior to the starting date of the semester in which the applicant seeks to enroll. An applicant who makes the election to apply under this section and is admitted as a student may not receive any course credit for courses undertaken 10 or more years prior to enrollment under this section.
(c-1) In considering an applicant for admission under this section, a public institution of higher education may choose to disregard academic course credits or grades earned by the applicant more recently than 10 years before the starting date of the semester in which the applicant seeks to enroll, except the institution may not disregard any credits or grades earned during the five-year period preceding that date. An institution that chooses to disregard course credits or grades earned during the additional period permitted by this subsection must disregard all course credits or grades earned during that period and may not award any credit for those courses.
(c-2) Each public institution of higher education shall adopt, post on the institution's Internet website, and submit to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board a policy regarding the admissions made by the institution under this section, including the period for which an applicant's course credits or grades will be considered by the institution under the policy.
(d) If a student who enrolls under this section completes a prescribed course of study, earns a baccalaureate degree, and applies for admission to a postgraduate or professional program offered by a public institution of higher education, the institution, in considering the applicant for admission into the postgraduate or professional program, shall consider only the grade point average of the applicant established by the course work completed after enrollment under this section, along with any other criteria the institution uses in evaluating applicants for admission into the postgraduate or professional program.
(e) Nothing in this section prohibits a public institution of higher education from applying standard admissions criteria generally applicable to persons seeking admission to the institution.

Legislative History

Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 724, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 30, 1993. Renumbered from Education Code Sec. 51.929 by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 17.01(7), eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by: Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 4 (S.B. 365 ), Sec. 1, eff. May 6, 2025.