AUSTIN, Texas — A new law passed during the 89th Texas Legislative Session is helping Texas students apply to an undergraduate program at any public college or university without paying a single application fee.
Free College Application Week is a statewide initiative occurring for the first time this year from October 13-19, 2025.
“Seniors normally apply to anywhere between four to seven schools on an average, some of them apply to even more,” said Claudia Arellano Ferretiz, Austin ISD’s Early College Programs Coordinator.
Ferretiz said each application can range between $25 to $75. This means students can end up spending hundreds of dollars on application fees alone. This fee is also on top of all the additional costs to come.
“That doesn’t include cost when you’re sending your SAT scores, your AP scores, all that is an additional cost as well,” said Ferretiz.
Free College Application Week, established by Senate Bill 2231, is a way of opening the door for more students.
“Studies have shown that high achieving, low-income students are 27% more likely to submit five applications when receiving a fee waiver,” said Senator Adam Hinojosa during a Senate Committee on Education back in April.
To take advantage of this statewide initiative, applications must be submitted through AppyTexas by 11:59 p.m. CST on October 19. All Texas residents applying for an undergraduate admission at Texas public institutions may participate. Applications that are started but not submitted will not be eligible.
“When this initiative came through, it’s taken away that cost and that barrier itself, so families can start focusing on other senior activities for their students,” said Ferretiz.
Many educators have said waiving application fees shows a commitment to higher education, accessibility, and affordability.
“There are going to be more students that are going to have that want and are going to know that they’re going to be able to and not have to worry about the cost,” said Ferretiz.
Ferretiz is encouraging all Austin ISD students to reach out to their campus college and career advisors to learn more about the process.
As college application season continues, Austin ISD will also be hosting the 2025 Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers college fair on October 23 for Austin ISD juniors and seniors.