Foreign Exchange Student Waiver Guidelines

Allowable Limitation for an Expedited Waiver

An application for an expedited foreign exchange student waiver will not be granted for a
limitation on the number of foreign exchange students that is less than five per high
school. An application for a waiver to limit the number of foreign exchange students to a
number from one to four per high school must be submitted as a general waiver. A
request to limit the number to zero will not be considered.

Local Policies
If a district has local policies or guidelines that impose limitations on foreign exchange
student admission applications or requests, including a deadline for an application or
request or a restriction on the foreign exchange programs that may place a student in
the district, the district must submit the policies with the waiver application. If the district
does not submit policies with the waiver application, the waiver is conditioned on the
district accepting foreign exchange students on a first come, first serve basis until the
number of students stated in the waiver is reached.

Subsequent Waiver Applications

If a district receives a foreign exchange waiver, the granting of any subsequent foreign
exchange student waiver to the same district is conditioned on the district enrolling, in
each year to which the previous waiver applied, a number of foreign exchange students
equal to the lesser of 1) the number stated in the waiver or 2) the total number for which
the district received an application or request for enrollment.

Course Credit and Graduation

The records or transcripts of foreign exchange students are required to be evaluated in
the same manner as those of other out-of-state, out-of-country, or private school
students entering the district and the district shall award the students credit and place
them in appropriate courses accordingly. 19 Tex. Admin. Code §74.26(a). The district
shall administer to a foreign exchange student the state assessments for the grade level
of the student’s placement, except that a foreign exchange student may be excused
from the exit-level testing requirements if the student waives in writing his or her
intention to receive a Texas public high school diploma. 19 Tex. Admin Code §101.5(e).
The waiver is at the option of the student and a school district may not require a student
to sign such a waiver. A district is required to administer exit-level tests to a student who
is eligible for the test and who has not voluntarily signed a waiver. A foreign exchange
student is entitled to receive a diploma if the student performs satisfactorily on required
exit-level tests and meets course credit requirements for the diploma.