College Admissions News: Texas Students, July 2026

Why This Summer Is a Pivotal Moment for Texas Applicants

Two seismic shifts landed in the same week — one reshaping the standardized testing landscape, the other rewriting how the federal government defines which degrees qualify for maximum financial aid. Neither story is getting enough attention in Texas high school hallways. If you're a rising junior or senior, or a parent helping a student map out next steps, these developments affect decisions you're making right now: which test to prep for, which major to consider, and how much borrowing is realistic.

The Testing World Just Got a Lot Smaller

ETS has acquired ACT, merging the two organizations behind the SAT and ACT under one corporate roof. The deal, reported by Higher Ed Dive, consolidates the two dominant standardized testing companies at precisely the moment more colleges are returning to test-required admissions policies.

For Texas students, the timing is sharp. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M have both moved back toward test-required or test-recommended stances — meaning your SAT or ACT score carries real weight again. The merger doesn't change the tests themselves overnight, but it raises legitimate questions about long-term pricing, format evolution, and whether competition between the two exams will continue to benefit students.

A few things worth watching:

Score choice strategy may shift. Right now, many students take both the SAT and ACT and submit whichever is stronger. If the two tests eventually converge in format or scoring under unified ownership, that hedge disappears.
Fee structures are unknown. When two competitors merge, pricing pressure typically eases — rarely in the consumer's favor. Lock in test dates and prep resources before any changes take effect.
Texas public universities use the top-10% automatic admission rule, but test scores still matter for merit scholarships, honors programs, and out-of-state applicants. A strong score is worth the investment.

If you're a junior starting to build your college list, now is the time to take a diagnostic for both exams and commit to one before the testing landscape shifts further.

Federal Rules Are Redefining Which Degrees Unlock Full Aid

A court order forced the Education Department to issue a revised list of which credentials count as "professional degrees" — a classification that directly affects how much federal aid students can borrow. Inside Higher Ed reported the new list, which arrives alongside the most significant federal student loan changes in decades, effective July 1, 2026.

The broader policy context matters here. The Education Department has finalized a rule tying federal student aid to graduates' earnings, according to The College Fix. The Washington Post has reported that fields like religion, cosmetology, and the arts face the steepest aid reductions under the new framework — programs where median graduate salaries fall below the repayment thresholds the rule establishes.

For Texas families, this is concrete. Texas has a large number of students enrolled in fine arts programs at UT Austin, Texas State, and UNT, as well as theology and ministry programs at private institutions like Baylor and TCU. If a program's graduates don't earn enough to clear the federal threshold, future students in that program may find their borrowing limits reduced — or the program itself may face pressure to restructure.

The definition of "professional degree" also remains contested, per the American Council on Education. What qualifies today may be litigated further. Policies vary by institution and program — check each school's financial aid page and ask directly whether the programs you're considering are affected.

What This Means for Your Application

Translate both stories into concrete decisions before August:

Register for a fall test date now. With the ETS-ACT merger creating uncertainty, the 2026–27 testing calendar is the one you know. UT Austin's priority deadline for fall 2027 applicants is December 1 — your scores need to be in hand well before that.
Research your target major's earnings data. The federal government publishes College Scorecard data by program. Before committing to a major at a Texas school, look up median earnings for graduates of that specific program at that specific institution — not just the national average for the field.
Ask financial aid offices the right question. Don't ask "how much aid can I get?" Ask: "Is this program currently classified as a professional degree under the July 2026 federal framework, and how does that affect my borrowing limits?"
Run the numbers on private vs. public. Texas public universities offer strong in-state tuition, but private schools like Rice, Baylor, and SMU sometimes provide institutional aid that offsets sticker price. If your intended major is in a field the new federal rules penalize, a school with robust institutional grants may leave you better off than a public school where you'd lean heavily on federal loans.
Sophomores: use this summer to explore. You have time to let these rules settle before they directly affect your applications. Use it to shadow professionals in fields you're considering — the earnings data will mean more once you've seen the work firsthand.

Parents navigating this alongside their students can find a broader framework for these conversations on our parents resource page.

Stay Close to This Story

The July 1 loan changes are still being interpreted — by universities, by borrowers, and by courts. CBS News, USA Today, The Hill, and Investopedia all published explainers in the final days of June, and the details are still shifting. Bookmark reliable sources and check your target schools' financial aid pages directly rather than relying on any single summary.

If you want a structured way to track how these changes interact with your specific college list, see how GoodGoblin works — no pressure, just a clearer picture.