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Free College Application Week drew record starts, but universities warn of capacity strain
Summary
THECB reported ~260,000 applications during the inaugural Free College Application Week. Universities said the concentrated surge improved access but created administrative strain, higher incomplete application rates and temporary staffing needs to process transcripts and verify files.
The Committee heard that Texas's first Free College Application Week produced a large spike in applications concentrated into a two‑day period and saved families thousands in application fees. "During Free College Application Week, more than 260,000 applications were submitted to Texas institutions of higher education," Daniel Perez, THECB associate commissioner, told the Committee.
University admissions leaders said the concentrated volume created operational challenges: large numbers of incomplete application starts (one research campus reported roughly 22% of free‑week applications were not completed), heavy transcript processing, and increased call‑center and admissions workload that required temporary hires or sustained overtime. University witnesses stressed that while the program reduces a financial barrier, institutions need earlier notice, automated data flows and resources to process bulk applications in a compressed timeframe.
Panelists recommended strengthening pre‑week outreach with counselors (so students start prepared), improving data sharing with TEA (for verified high school records), and exploring staged application windows or improved integration between ApplyTexas and institutional systems to reduce manual transcript handling and incomplete files.
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