WACO, Texas (KXXV) — New Texas legislation eliminating college application fees for one week in October is encouraging residents like Waco ISD teacher Blanca Alvidrez to consider returning to school after years of financial hesitation.
- Texas Senate Bills 265 and 2231 eliminate application fees for public colleges and universities statewide.
- Waco ISD teacher Blanca Alvidrez is now considering graduate school, citing reduced financial pressure.
- Supporters say the legislation will especially benefit nontraditional students and low-income families across Texas.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Two newly passed Texas Senate bills are removing common barriers to higher education by eliminating public college and university application fees for one week in October— and it's already making an impact on families in Central Texas.
Blanca Alvidrez, a teacher with Waco ISD, says the financial stress of returning to school has always weighed heavily on her.
“Really the financial aspect. The financial struggle of going back and starting over with paying for fees and college and getting in debt again is a hard decision,” Alvidrez said.
Now, with the passing of Senate Bills 265 and 2231, Texans applying to public institutions will no longer be required to pay application fees for the one week — a move many students and parents believe will open up long-awaited opportunities.
“A lot of things that are holding a lot of people from going back to school are the application fees, so if you're already struggling to pay for the application fees and you don't get admitted it’s basically money being thrown away,” said Alvidrez. “I am definitely considering going back and it grabs my attention so I’m going to look into it.”
Her daughter, Samara Cook, is currently a student at Baylor University and remembers the struggle of navigating those financial hurdles during her own application process.
“It would've helped when I was applying for school,” Cook said. “The application fees were very expensive and there was a couple different schools that I looked at and a lot of what deterred me was the application fees.”
The bills aim to reduce financial obstacles for students, especially first-generation applicants and adults looking to return to school later in life.
