Demand that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Protect Students!
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
In 2001, Texas passed the Texas Dream Act and became the FIRST state to offer undocumented students access to in-state tuition at public colleges and universities — a law that has served tens of thousands of students.
After a bill to repeal the Texas Dream Act failed to pass in the 2025 Texas legislative session, the U.S. Department of Justice colluded with the Texas Attorney General to file a lawsuit challenging the law. Only six hours after filing, the Texas Attorney General agreed that the Texas Dream Act should be overturned, such that students without “lawful presence” may no longer qualify for in-state tuition.
SIGN THE PETITION today to demand that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) extend the documentation deadline to Spring 2026 AND grandfather in all current students.
Without clear and timely guidance from THECB, and a rushed timeline that left no room for proper training, communication, or infrastructure, many colleges and universities across the states have:
Misclassified students who should still qualify for in-state tuition.
Wrongly requested proof of “lawful status” when the consent decree only requires “lawful presence.”
Denied undocumented students the ability to register at all, despite the consent decree only addressing tuition eligibility, not admissions or enrollment.
Failed to notify students of the change in their residency status
Expected students to obtain official documents from government offices abroad—a process that can take weeks or months.
Students are calling their respective residency offices repeatedly, receiving inconsistent and often incorrect information.
This is not due to a lack of care from staff — it’s a failure of implementation. And just days before some institutions’ deadlines, THECB released yet another guidance update on July 18, 2025, asking universities for immediate compliance but giving no details about how.
Students cannot be expected to meet evolving requirements on an impossible timeline. This moment is the result of a systemic breakdown — not student error.
Students across Texas believed in the promise of higher education. That promise is being tested now.
ADD YOUR NAME to our petition today to demand that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board extend the documentation deadline and grandfather in all current students!
Sponsored by
To:
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
From:
[Your Name]
Dear members of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board,
In 2001, Texas passed the Texas Dream Act and became the FIRST state to give undocumented students access to in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.
Since then, action from the Department of Justice and the Texas Attorney General has threatened students’ ability to access in-state tuition — a decision that impacts thousands of students, their families, and our communities at large.
As a concerned Texan, I respectfully urge you to extend the deadline to Spring 2026 for college students who are required to show evidence of lawful presence for the purposes of determining tuition.
I urge you to:
1. Give students the time they need to comply by extending the documentation deadline to Spring 2026. Give institutions time to implement changes responsibly and consistently. This is not about avoiding compliance—it’s about doing it right.
2. Grandfather in all current students. Students who enrolled before June 4, 2025, and submitted affidavits under the Texas law SB 1528, commonly known as the Texas Dream Act, should retain their in-state tuition through graduation. These students acted in good faith and made life decisions based on the law in place at the time. Their tuition status should not be revoked retroactively.
3. Protect immigrant student data. THECB must require institutions to destroy any immigration-related records collected during the reclassification process and commit to not collecting or retaining immigration status data unless explicitly required by law. Additionally, institutions must clearly communicate to students that their information is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and cannot be shared without a valid judicial subpoena.
We request that THECB issue clear statewide directives to ensure these protections are upheld and provide written guidance outlining the steps institutions must take to comply.
You have the authority to fix this. An extension acknowledges the harm caused by this rushed and confusing process. It would give both students and institutions the clarity, time, and resources needed to ensure fair and equitable implementation.
Students across Texas believed in the promise of higher education. That promise is being tested now.
Do right by your students. Extend the deadline to Spring 2026.