Relating to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher education for certain students who were under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
ModeratePlan for compliance
Low Cost
Effective:2025-06-20
Enforcing Agencies
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board • Public Institutions of Higher Education (Registrars/Financial Aid Offices)
01
Compliance Analysis
Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation
Implementation Timeline
Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Effective immediately upon signature).
Compliance Deadline:Fall 2025 Billing Cycle. Systems must be updated before Fall tuition bills are generated (typically July/August 2025) to avoid issuing refunds.
Agency Rulemaking: The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) may issue guidance on "gap" students (those who previously aged out but are now re-eligible). Institutions must monitor THECB memos closely through August 2025.
Immediate Action Plan
1.Direct IT/Bursar: Immediately modify the automated billing logic in your Student Information System to move the exemption cap to the 27th birthday effective Fall 2025.
2.Scrub Data: Run a query for students aged 25-26 who were previously coded as "aged out" foster care exemptions. Proactively contact them regarding their regained eligibility.
3.Update Public Assets: Revise website FAQs, financial aid pages, and PDF forms to reflect the age 27 limit before Fall registration peaks.
4.Notify Legal: Prepare a standard response for students who turn 27 mid-semester to ensure consistent application of the "enrollment" definition across the institution.
Operational Changes Required
Contracts
Third-Party Servicers: If you outsource billing or financial aid verification, you must amend the Service Level Agreement (SLA) or change order immediately to reflect the new age logic (27 vs. 25).
Software Vendors: Contact SIS providers (e.g., Ellucian, Oracle, Workday) to ensure the "age-out" parameter in your tuition calculation module is updated.
Hiring/Training
Financial Aid Officers: Retrain staff to accept DFPS verification letters for applicants aged 25 and 26. Staff must stop automatically rejecting these applicants based on prior training.
Admissions Staff: Brief recruitment teams. Former students who stopped attending due to "aging out" at 25 are now valid prospects for re-enrollment if they are under 27.
Reporting & Record-Keeping
Form Revision: Audit all physical and digital "Tuition Exemption Request" forms. Replace text stating "under age 25" with "under age 27" immediately.
Audit Trails: Flag the 25-27 age cohort in your database. You must retain specific proof of age and DFPS status for this group to satisfy future THECB compliance audits.
Fees & Costs
Revenue Impact: Institutions must absorb the cost of waived tuition for this expanded demographic. There is no immediate state reimbursement mechanism attached to this bill.
System Costs: Minimal one-time administrative cost to update billing rules.
Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations
Definition of "Enroll": The statute requires a student to "enroll" not later than their 27th birthday. It is unclear if "enroll" refers to the date of course registration, the first day of the semester, or the census date.
*Risk:* A student turns 27 between registration and the first day of class.
*Guidance:* Until THECB clarifies, adopt the most student-favorable interpretation (date of registration) to avoid litigation under Chapter 54 of the Education Code.
The "Gap" Cohort: Students who turned 25 in 2024 (losing eligibility under old law) but are not yet 27 are now re-eligible. The statute does not explicitly address how to handle these "re-activated" students, but the plain text implies full eligibility. Denying them is a high-risk compliance failure.
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According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), on any given day, there are roughly 17,000 school-aged students in Texas schools who are in foster care. Under current law, students formerly in foster care who are eligible for a higher education tuition and fee exemption must take advantage of that exemption not later than their 25th birthday, but the author has informed the committee that, due to the difficulties many of these students face, it can take longer for them to use the exemption. In fact, TEA reports that only 33 percent of students formerly in foster care enroll in higher education within seven years of turning 18. H.B. 1211 seeks to remove the deadline for certain students who were formerly in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services to enroll in a public institution of higher education or applicable dual credit course in order to be eligible for a tuition and fee exemption.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
H.B. 1211 amends the Education Code to remove the requirement that an otherwise eligible student formerly under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services enroll in a public institution of higher education as an undergraduate student or in a dual credit course or other course for which a high school student may earn joint high school and college credit not later than the student's 25th birthday in order to be eligible for the exemption from the payment of tuition and fees at such an institution.
H.B. 1211 applies beginning with tuition and fees charged for the 2025 fall semester. Tuition and fees charged for a term or semester before the 2025 fall semester are governed by the law in effect immediately before the bill's effective date, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2025.
Honorable Terry M. Wilson, Chair, House Committee on Higher Education
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1211 by Lujan (Relating to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher education for certain students who were under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services.), As Introduced
The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined due to a lack of data on the number of individuals who were under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services who may be eligible for a tuition and fees exemption at an institution of higher education.
The bill would remove enrollment not later than a student's 25th birthday as an eligibility requirement for a tuition and fees exemption at an institution of higher education for certain students who were under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services. Any fiscal impact to institutions of higher education would be dependent on the number of students eligible for such an exemption.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
529 Health and Human Services Commission, 530 Family and Protective Services, Department of, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 717 Texas Southern University, 719 Texas State Technical College System Administration, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 758 Texas State University System, 768 Texas Tech University System Administration, 769 University of North Texas System Administration, 781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 783 University of Houston System Administration, 966 Howard College, 978 San Jacinto College
LBB Staff:
JMc, FV, LBO, GO
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Texas public institutions of higher education must immediately update financial aid and billing protocols to comply with HB1211, which expands the tuition exemption eligibility for former foster care students. Effective for the Fall 2025 semester, the statutory age limit for enrollment extends from 25 to 27, requiring immediate modification of student information systems to prevent unlawful billing. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Effective immediately upon signature).
Q
Who authored HB1211?
HB1211 was authored by Texas Representative John Lujan during the Regular Session.
Q
When was HB1211 signed into law?
HB1211 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.
Q
Which agencies enforce HB1211?
HB1211 is enforced by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Public Institutions of Higher Education (Registrars/Financial Aid Offices).
Q
How urgent is compliance with HB1211?
The compliance urgency for HB1211 is rated as "moderate". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.
Q
What is the cost impact of HB1211?
The cost impact of HB1211 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.
Q
What topics does HB1211 address?
HB1211 addresses topics including education, education--higher, education--higher--admission & attendance, education--higher--student financial aid and education--higher--tuition.
Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025
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