Texas state lawmakers introduce bills to cap number of scholarships for international athletes

Two Texas state lawmakers introduced bills this month to cap the number of scholarships for international athletes. One bill is in the state Senate and another is in the state House of Representatives.

Sen. Brandon Creighton (R) filed S.B. 1390 in the Texas State Senate Feb. 14, and Rep. Drew Darby (R) filed a companion bill – HB 3100 – in the state’s House of Representatives Feb. 20. The two bills would limit 25% of “athletic scholarships, grants, or similar financial assistance” for international student-athletes.

The bills would take effect Sept. 1, 2025, if they go through the legislature and are signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. They are believed to be the first of their kind.

“For each intercollegiate athletic program, an institution of higher education may not award for an academic year to students who are citizens of a foreign country more than 25 percent of the athletic scholarships, grants, or similar financial assistance conditioned on the student ’s participation in the program that are available for the program for that academic year,” the bills read.

Front Office Sports’ Amanda Christovich first reported the legislation was in the works in the Texas legislature. A source told Christovich scholarships are, “a pathway to academic success and career advancement, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds.”

The NCAA estimates roughly 23,000 international athletes competed in college athletics in 2024 – roughly 4% of all student-athletes. That figure was down from the more than 25,000 who participated in 2023.

NCAA rules also stipulate international student-athletes cannot profit off their name, image and likeness. Athletes who are on F-1 student can only participate in authorized employment, typically related to the degree which they are pursuing.

Texas bills come ahead of House v. NCAA decision

The timing of the bills comes as roster limits are coming to college athletics, pending approval of the landmark House v. NCAA settlement. The proposed rosters include football (105), men’s and women’s basketball (15), baseball (34), men’s and women’s soccer (28), softball (25) and volleyball (18).

Additionally, the House settlement will also usher in the revenue-sharing era in college athletics. Schools will be able to share up to $20.5 million directly with athletes in 2025-26 if the agreement is certified in April, although questions continue to swirl about the allocation of that money.

In January, the Biden Administration issued guidance related to Title IX that said schools must be proportionally divided to avoid Title IX violations. Earlier this month, the Trump Administration rescinded that guidance. In a statement, U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said, “Title IX says nothing about how revenue-generating athletics programs should allocate compensation among student-athletes.”