For 20 years, Texas has granted automatic admission to state universities for all Texas students who rank in the top ten of their graduating class.
But now, as The Austin American-Statesman reports, an Amarillo Senator has introduced a new bill into the Legislature that would do away with the “10 percent law.”
Kel Seliger’s Senate Bill 2119 has a strong headwind going against it. There have been numerous attempts in the past to repeal the law, which was enacted to ensure more minorities and low-income students have a chance of attending college in the Lone Star State.
Critics note that the law admits the top 10 percent across the board, regardless of test scores or outside interests. This has made filling certain majors, like education, difficult at some universities.
Still, the law has strong support behind it from groups like the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
