Texas State Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Limit International Athlete Scholarships

Over the past week, two Texas state lawmakers have introduced bills aimed at capping the number of athletic scholarships that could be available to international students, Front Office Sports has learned. The bills are the first of their kind in the U.S.

The first bill was introduced in the state Senate by Republican Sen. Brandon Creighton (pictured above) on Feb. 14, and a companion bill was introduced in the state House by Republican Rep. Drew Darby on Feb. 20. The bills would both mandate that public colleges in Texas only offer 25% of total “athletic scholarships, grants, or other financial assistance” to athletes who aren’t U.S. citizens each year. 

“Athletic scholarships are a critical component of higher education for many U.S. students who cannot afford the costs of tuition,” a source involved in the legislation tells FOS. “These scholarships provide a pathway to academic success and career advancement, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds.” The source suggests that allowing foreign athletes to receive athletic scholarship money, partially funded by American taxpayer dollars, “undermines the primary goal of non-revenue collegiate sports, which is to provide educational opportunities for U.S. citizens.” 

The bills were introduced quietly—neither lawmaker posted a press release about them. Creighton was not immediately available for comment. Darby told FOS via email, “Despite what you may be led to believe, college sports are not a business, and our universities will not be in the business of maximizing profit for shareholders but providing educational and athletic opportunities for the American citizens whose tax dollars fund their operations. The legislation still allows for foreign recruits to play on scholarship but ensures that the system is not being abused to recruit talent for the sole purpose of winning and deviating from the sacred mission of post-secondary education.”

The NCAA is considered the main Olympic pipeline for Team USA, but it also provides opportunities for thousands of international athletes to come to the U.S., train in the NCAA system, and then compete for their home country. Players from outside the U.S. who play Olympic sports, such as tennis, receive compensation from their home countries’ sports governing bodies. About 25,000 current NCAA athletes out of 510,000 hail from outside the U.S., according to the governing body. 

Green and Spiegel immigration attorney Ksenia Maiorova, who reviewed the text of the bills, tells FOS that U.S. born athletes who have dual citizenship might “fall within the scope of this limitation” based on the way the bill is written. “The plain language makes this much broader than international athletes,” she says.

The news comes amid a larger effort by federal lawmakers and the Trump administration to limit the flow of undocumented immigrants into the country and increase immigration enforcement.

In the first weeks of the current administration, the visa application process for college athletes has slowed, immigration attorneys have told FOS. They’ve also said there is a concern it will be more difficult to obtain visas. 

Attorneys are advising their athlete clients to be diligent about complying with visa regulations, given the tenor of the Trump administration toward immigration enforcement. For example, international college athletes on F class visas should be more cautious about doing NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals, as student visa laws prohibit earning money for work, with just a few exceptions, the lawyers say. Athletes should also ensure they have their visa documentation on their person at all times.