For the first time ever in Texas, students will be able to apply to colleges free of cost. Announced by Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Senate Bill 2322 creates a free college application week from Oct. 13-19, in which Texas residents can apply to public Texas Colleges free of cost through Apply Texas. 

Despite this change, more competitive colleges such as Texas A&M and UT Austin have urged students to focus on early applications instead of the free application week period due to the competition of admissions. 

With the early application deadline of UT and A&M being on Oct. 15, students can still take advantage of the financial opportunity and have a good chance of getting into their Texas College of Desire. From College transition coordinator, Chriss Hexter, she has advised for students to start right away that with the bill only being through Apply Texas.

“What’s wrong with Apply Texas is that it isn’t all in one place” Hexter has said. “Common App looks overwhelming at first but it actually is easy in the long run. Counselor and teacher recommendations all happen through the Common App, but with Apply Texas, it’s a lot more difficult for counselors and teachers. That’s why I tell students to start now since Apply Texas ends up being slower.”  

Still with the complication, senior Bailey Knight still plans on taking advantage of this bill. With knowledge beforehand from his mother who had info from her job, Knight has had the opportunity to create a plan and prepare. Originally planning to only apply to ACC, Knight added UT and A&M to his application list after hearing about the new opportunity.

“The idea that it’s free applications makes me feel a lot better about sending out a ton of applications even if they don’t get accepted,” Knight said. “It’s not like it’s a big burden on me financially to send out 13, 14 applications to a bunch of different colleges around Texas even if I don’t want to go there because it’s still good to l send one anyways as it’s free and it’s no real time wasted for me, just another opportunity I can put in”.

For students not as fortunate as Knight with preparation, Hexter advises that Weekly Senior workday dens on Wednesdays may be of help to get their applications in time before the free week deadline. Beyond this deadline, students can still get financial aid even without the bill. 

“If financial constraints are really a consideration, some kids could be eligible for waivers,” Hexter said. ” If kids are on free to reduced lunch and if they had a waiver for the SAT or the ACT, then those kids’ [Applications] are automatically waived for the this year”.

But beyond seniors, lower classmen can take advantage of the bill in the following years during the second full weeks of August. Junior Olivia Common was unaware of this yearly occurrence but now is glad to see its benefits.

“I think that it’s a very good program to start now and I’m very happy that it’ll be there for my senior year and better established then” Common said. “which will make it easier for me to get into college, maybe even more than the current seniors”.