Free College Application Week

Overview

Free College Application Week is a statewide initiative that helps Texas residents apply to public colleges at no cost.  

Created by Senate Bill 2231 during the 89th Texas Legislative Session, all public colleges and universities in Texas are required to waive admission application fees for Texas residents who apply through ApplyTexas to undergraduate programs.  

When is it?

For the first year, Free College Application Week is October 13-19, 2025. Every year after the first, it is the second full week of October (Monday-Sunday). Applications must be submitted through ApplyTexas by 11:59 p.m. CST on the last day of Free College Application Week to qualify. Applications that are started but not submitted will not be eligible.  

Who can participate?

All Texas residents applying for undergraduate admission at Texas public institutions through ApplyTexas may participate.  

This includes first-time college students and transfer students. For details on residency status, see the Texas Residency Guidelines.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Applications that are submitted between 12:00 a.m. CST on October 13, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. CST on October 19, 2025, through ApplyTexas will be free.

The fee waiver is available to Texas residents only. All Texas residents can apply for free as part of Free College Application Week. For more information about who is considered a Texas resident, students should visit the Texas Residency Guidelines page, which provides details on the residency classification process.

No, the fee waiver currently applies only to undergraduate admissions. Texas residents can submit their applications with no fee to undergraduate programs only during Free College Application Week. Graduate program applications are not covered by this fee waiver during the event.

Yes, transfer students can participate in Free College Application Week.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rules state that public institutions must waive fees for applications submitted through ApplyTexas. It is up to each individual institution to decide if they want to waive fees using other admissions platforms.

Yes. All community colleges funded and operated by the state of Texas are public and must waive application fees during Free College Application Week.

Public institutions will follow their regular procedures for accepting fee waivers for eligible students outside of Free College Application Week.

Institutions will use the submission timestamp in ApplyTexas to determine if a student qualifies. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CST at the end of the designated week to be eligible for free status. Applications created but not submitted will not be eligible.

The student will need to submit any supplemental materials an institution of higher education requests.

Additional Resources

Contact

Inquiries regarding Free College Application Week should be sent to College and Career Advising Team.

Email College and Career Advisinghyperlink to fast program page