From October 13-19 high school seniors across the Lone Star State will be able to save hundreds of dollars

BANQUETE, Texas — For the first time in state history, Texas students can apply to every public university in the state without paying a single application fee.

Senate Bill 2231, passed during the 89th Texas Legislative Session, created a statewide Free Application Week, giving high school seniors one week each October to apply to any Texas public university for free.

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At Banquete High School, guidance counselor Joe Garcia said the change could make a major difference for students in smaller and rural districts.

“I was extremely excited hearing about it,” Garcia said. “We have a large amount of economically disadvantaged students, and so it helps them in any way possible to be able to venture out further than they normally would to different colleges in Texas.”

Many students say application fees have long stood in their way, forcing them to choose which schools they can afford to apply to.

“That’s a lot of money that comes out of my family that we don’t have,” said senior Marilyn Moody. “My tuition could be covered, yes, I could get scholarships, but that does not cover that initial fee. I was doing A&M-Corpus actually this morning, and it’s a $40 fee—and that’s just for the island. Not a lot of people have $40, not a lot of people have $20.”

For her classmate Emily Cuevas, the new policy offers a chance to apply more broadly without draining her savings.

“So far, I’ve applied to a few schools, and most of them have been like out of state or private,” Cuevas said. “I’ve been saving up the public schools in Texas just for this week, because I know that it helps to save the money to wait for this week.”

Under SB 2231, Free Application Week will take place each year during the second full week of October, encouraging students to apply to more schools and pursue their college goals.

For seniors like Moody, it’s one less barrier — and one more opportunity to dream big.

“Me and Emily have talked about actually rooming together, maybe in an apartment, because I’m gonna go to UT,” Moody said with a smile. “So Horns up, guys.”

Students can find links to each participating university on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board website.