Texas: school, college and career rules
Texas students graduate on the Foundation High School Program (22 credits, 26 with an endorsement) and must pass five STAAR end-of-course exams; residency for tuition is set by state law.
Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.Census
High school diploma
Students follow the plan in place when they started grade 9. The Foundation High School Program has been the default since students entered grade 9 in 2014-15. TEA
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| Subject | State minimum |
|---|---|
| English | 4 credits: English I, II, III (or a comparable AP or IB course) and an advanced English course |
| Mathematics | 3 credits: Algebra I, Geometry and an advanced math course |
| Science | 3 credits: Biology; Integrated Physics and Chemistry, chemistry or physics; an advanced science course |
| Social studies | 3 credits: World History or World Geography, U.S. History, U.S. Government (half credit), Economics or Economics and Personal Financial Literacy (half credit) |
| Languages other than English | 2 credits in the same language, or 2 credits of computer programming languages |
| Physical education | 1 credit |
| Fine arts | 1 credit |
| Electives | 5 credits |
| With an endorsement (26 credits) | Add the endorsement's courses, a 4th math credit, a 4th science credit and 2 more electives. Five areas: STEM, business and industry, public services, arts and humanities, multidisciplinary studies. |
22 credits minimum (Foundation); 26 with an endorsement. Districts do not have to offer every endorsement.
State tests for the diploma
Pass the end-of-course (EOC) exams in Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology and U.S. History. A student who fails no more than two can still graduate after an individual graduation committee review. TEA
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Also good to know
- In grade 12 every student must also submit a FAFSA, submit a TASFA (Texas Application for State Financial Aid), or turn in a signed opt-out form.
TEA
2025 Graduation Toolkit: Information for Planning High School Years and Beyond (PDF)Texas Education Agency- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
- The Distinguished Level of Achievement (four credits each of math, including Algebra II, and science, plus an endorsement) is required for automatic top 10 percent admission to Texas public universities.
TEA
2025 Graduation Toolkit: Information for Planning High School Years and Beyond (PDF)Texas Education Agency- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
- Texas law does not require Algebra II to graduate under the Foundation program; districts must tell families this every year (SB 232, 2019).
TEA
High School Graduation RequirementsTexas Education Agency- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
State test: STAAR
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. STAAR is the core of the Texas Assessment Program, with STAAR Alternate 2 for students with significant cognitive disabilities and TELPAS for English learners. TEA says the tests measure how far a child has learned the state curriculum standards. TEA
View source
| Test | Subjects | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| STAAR | Summative academic tests | Grades 3–12 |
| STAAR end-of-course (EOC) | Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, U.S. History | High school; passing all five is a graduation requirement |
| STAAR Alternate 2 | Alternate academic tests | For students who qualify |
| TELPAS and TELPAS Alternate | English language proficiency | English learners |
Source: TEA
View source
What the scores are used for
- Families get a STAAR Student Report Card explaining the child's score.
TEA
Assessment: STAAR and Scoring (families and students)Texas Education Agency- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
- The five EOC exams are part of the diploma requirements above.
TEA
High School Graduation RequirementsTexas Education Agency- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
National tests (SAT, ACT, AP, NAEP) are on the Exams hub.
Public colleges and universities
The state's public university system(s) and community colleges, from their own pages.
- The University of Texas SystemUniversity system · More than 270,000 students at academic and health institutions; more than one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and about 56% of its medical degrees.
- The Texas A&M University SystemUniversity system · 12 universities, a health science center and eight state agencies, with a $9.1 billion annual budget.
- Texas public community collegesCommunity colleges · No single system: 50 community college districts, each meeting the education and job-training needs of its own service area. In fall 2017 about 700,000 students, 46% of Texas higher education students, attended community colleges.
Sources: UT System
View sourceA&M System
View sourceTexas Comptroller
View source
Every school in Texas, public and private, with cost and completion: 407 colleges, community colleges and trade schools, with 33 city pages.
In-state tuition: the residency rule
Public colleges charge less to state residents. Who counts as a resident is set by state law or the college system, not by where you went to school alone.
- Texas Education Code section 54.052: you are a resident for tuition if you set up a domicile in Texas at least one year before the census date of your term and kept it for that year, or if your parent did (a dependent's domicile is presumed to be the parent's).
Texas Legislature
Texas Education Code, Chapter 54 (Tuition and Fees), Sec. 54.052 Determination of Resident StatusTexas Legislature- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
Statute text read from the Legislature's own document server (tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/ED/htm/ED.54.htm).
View source - Also resident under the same section: a graduate of a Texas high school (or Texas diploma equivalent) who lived in Texas for the three years before graduating and the year before the census date.
Texas Legislature
Texas Education Code, Chapter 54 (Tuition and Fees), Sec. 54.052 Determination of Resident StatusTexas Legislature- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
Statute text read from the Legislature's own document server (tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/ED/htm/ED.54.htm).
View source - A federal court judgment of 4 June 2025 permanently bars Texas from applying section 54.052(a) to people who are not lawfully present in the United States.
Texas OAG
United States v. State of Texas, No. 7:25-cv-00055-O: Order and Final Consent Judgment, 4 June 2025 (PDF)Office of the Attorney General of Texas- Checked
- 21 Oct 2026
The college's residency office makes the final decision. More on costs: What college costs.
State financial aid
Run by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). Federal aid (Pell Grants, loans) starts with the FAFSA: FAFSA, grants and loans.
TEXAS Grant (Toward EXcellence, Access, & Success)
State grant for students with financial need at Texas public universities and health-related institutions. You must be a Texas resident and enter through the high school pathway (an accredited Texas high school, at most 30 college credit hours attempted) or the associate degree pathway. Universities use 15 January as the state priority deadline; the 2025-26 priority Student Aid Index is $6,514. THECB
View source
Licensing boards
Lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses need a Texas license from a state board, even after passing a national exam. These are the boards that grant it.
| License | Texas board | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer How bar admission works | Texas Board of Law Examiners Texas requirements | Uniform Bar Exam (MBE, MEE and MPT). MPRE required (passing score 85). NextGen UBE from July 2028. NCBETexas: bar admission informationNational Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
Bar admission agency, the NCBE exams the jurisdiction requires, MPRE passing score and NextGen UBE plans. NCBE advises checking the agency itself for the latest rules. View source |
| Physician How a medical license works | Texas Medical Board | USMLE (M.D.) or COMLEX-USA (D.O.) FSMBContact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture. View source |
| CPA How the CPA license works | Texas State Board of Public Accountancy Texas requirements | Uniform CPA Examination NASBAState Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026. View source |
| Registered nurse How the RN license works | Texas Board of Nursing Texas requirements | NCLEX-RN · Nurse Licensure Compact member since Jan. 19, 2018 NCSBNContact Texas Board of NursingNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
NCSBN / NLCNLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact)
|
- Texas license rulesRequirement, exam, fee and renewal for every license on this site, copied from each board's page
- Texas Board of Nursing (BON)
- Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA)
- Texas Board of Law Examiners (on behalf of the Supreme Court of Texas)
- Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS)
State and city government jobs
Federal jobs are on USAJOBS; state and city governments hire through their own systems.
WorkInTexas.com
Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)
- Search state agency jobs on WorkInTexas.com.
- Since March 2026 the State of Texas Application is two steps: upload your resume and complete a brief questionnaire.
Exam: No statewide civil service exam is described; each agency hires for its own posted jobs.
Source: Texas Governor
View source
Police, fire and other public-safety routes: Public Service & Safety hub.
Registered apprenticeship
Texas has no State Apprenticeship Agency: the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers programs here. California is listed under both OA and SAA.Apprenticeship.gov
- Texas Office of Apprenticeship (U.S. DOL) with TWC's apprenticeship programTexas has no State Apprenticeship Agency: programs register with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship. TWC funds classroom instruction for registered apprentices and helps employers set up programs; to get TWC funds, programs and apprentices must be registered with DOL.
- Trades and apprenticeshipsElectrician, plumber, HVAC and other trade routes on this site
Source: Read through the Internet Archive capture of 13 Aug 2026 (the live page timed out from India).TWC
Where these facts come from
Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.
- Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV) · U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025) checked 2026-10-21
- Texas: bar admission information · National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact a State Medical Board · Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) checked 2026-10-22
- State Boards of Accountancy · National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact Texas Board of Nursing · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) checked 2026-10-22
- NLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF) · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact) checked 2026-10-07
- 2025 Graduation Toolkit: Information for Planning High School Years and Beyond (PDF) · Texas Education Agency checked 2026-10-21
- High School Graduation Requirements · Texas Education Agency checked 2026-10-21
- Assessment: STAAR and Scoring (families and students) · Texas Education Agency checked 2026-10-21
- About The University of Texas System · The University of Texas System checked 2026-10-21
- About the A&M System · The Texas A&M University System checked 2026-10-21
- Texas' Community Colleges: Statewide Overview · Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts checked 2026-10-21
- Texas Education Code, Chapter 54 (Tuition and Fees), Sec. 54.052 Determination of Resident Status · Texas Legislature checked 2026-10-21
- United States v. State of Texas, No. 7:25-cv-00055-O: Order and Final Consent Judgment, 4 June 2025 (PDF) · Office of the Attorney General of Texas checked 2026-10-21
- Toward EXcellence, Access, & Success (TEXAS) Grant: FY 2026 Program Guidelines (PDF) · Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board checked 2026-10-21
- Governor Abbott, TWC Launch Streamlined State Of Texas Application (10 March 2026) · Office of the Texas Governor checked 2026-10-21
- Apprenticeship Program · Texas Workforce Commission checked 2026-10-21
- The Apprenticeship System: Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) states · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21