Texas Colleges Prepare for the End of DEI

Inside Higher Ed

Johanna Alonso

December 19, 2023

For public colleges and universities in Texas, Jan. 1 isn’t just the start of the new year. It’s also the day the state’s anti–diversity, equity and inclusion bill, SB 17, will go into effect—a development many institutions have spent months preparing for.

But that preparation has varied greatly depending on the institution. Some universities jumped into overdrive as soon as Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill in June, immediately cutting DEI and related offices, such as multicultural and LGBTQ+ resource centers. Other institutions remain in limbo, unsure what if any actions to take ahead of the Jan. 1 deadline.

The result is a messy patchwork of campus policies, procedures and approaches designed to ensure compliance with the new law. Through interviews, analyses of university websites and reviews of official materials including press releases and memos, Inside Higher Ed has compiled this resource to provide a glimpse into what Texas’s 36 public four-year universities have done so far to implement SB 17. Hover over an institution’s name to learn what the DEI ban means for its campus.

In addition to the changes made on each campus, most of the state’s higher education systems—the University of Texas system, the Texas A&M system, the University of Houston system and the University of North Texas system—released systemwide guidance for SB 17, answering frequently asked questions about what is permissible under the new law. Some institutions actually made changes ahead of the bill’s passage, including removing DEI statements from hiring and admissions resources after the governor’s office instructed them to do so in February.

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