HB 2 Certification Fee Waivers: Free Bilingual and Special Education Exam Path in Texas

Texas House Bill 2, signed into law on June 4, 2025, established certification fee waivers for candidates pursuing Special Education and Bilingual Education certification. For candidates in these areas, the first attempt on the required content exam is now free, and the certification application fee is waived as well.

This applies statewide to both new candidates pursuing initial certification and certified educators adding a new certification area. Here is exactly what is covered, who qualifies, and how to claim it.

What the HB 2 Fee Waiver Covers

Effective June 4, 2025, two separate fees are waived for eligible candidates in Special Education and Bilingual Education fields.

Fee	Amount Waived	Notes
Certification exam fee	$116–$136	First attempt only on the eligible content exam
Certification application fee	$78	For intern, probationary, standard, or additional certification by examination applications
Total potential savings	$194–$214	Per eligible certification area

The PPR pedagogy exam fee is not waived; candidates pay that independently. Fingerprinting fees (approximately $49) are also not waived under HB 2 for Special Education or Bilingual Education certification.

Who Qualifies

The waiver applies to two groups:

• Teacher candidates enrolled in an Educator Preparation Program (EPP) pursuing initial certification in an eligible Special Education or Bilingual Education field
• Currently certified classroom teachers adding Special Education or Bilingual Education certification through additional certification by examination

The waiver applies to new exam registrations made on or after June 4, 2025. Registrations completed before that date are not eligible for the exam fee waiver, though candidates who had registered but not yet tested were given options to withdraw and re-register under the new waiver.

Eligible Certification Areas and Exams

The following certification areas and their associated TExES exams are covered under HB 2. The exam fee is waived for the first administration only.

Bilingual Education

Certification Area	Exams with Fee Waived
Bilingual Education Supplemental: Spanish	#164 Bilingual Education Supplemental ($116); #190 BTLPT–Spanish ($116)
Bilingual Education Supplemental: American Sign Language	#164 Bilingual Education Supplemental ($116); #184 ASL EC-12 ($116); #073 TASC-ASL ($116)
Bilingual Education Supplemental: Arabic	#164 Bilingual Education Supplemental ($116)
Bilingual Education Supplemental: Chinese	#164 Bilingual Education Supplemental ($116)
Bilingual Education Supplemental: Japanese	#164 Bilingual Education Supplemental ($116)
Bilingual Education Supplemental: Vietnamese	#164 Bilingual Education Supplemental ($116)

Special Education

Certification Area	Exams with Fee Waived
Special Education Specialist: EC-12	#186 Special Education Specialist EC-12 ($136)
Deafblind Supplemental: EC-12	#185 Deafblind EC-12 ($136)
Teacher of Deaf and Hard of Hearing: EC-12	#181 Deaf and Hard of Hearing EC-12 ($116); #072 TASC ($116); #073 TASC-ASL ($116)
Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments Supplemental: EC-12	#182 Visually Impaired ($116); #283 Braille ($116)

Note on Special Education exams: Exams #161 and #163 had a last operational date of August 31, 2025. Candidates seeking Special Education certification after that date should register for the current active exam: #186 Special Education Specialist EC-12.

How to Claim the Exam Fee Waiver

TEA phased the rollout of the exam fee waiver in two windows due to the time required to update registration software.

Candidates who registered between June 4 and July 31, 2025:

Candidates paid the exam fee upfront and received an automatic refund; no action was required. Refunds began processing on July 1, 2025.

Candidates registering on or after August 1, 2025:

The exam fee is automatically waived at the point of checkout when registering on the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program website. No additional steps are necessary.

How to Claim the Certification Application Fee Waiver

The $78 certification application fee requires a manual process until TEA completes automation of its application software. Follow these steps carefully; paying the fee online before submitting the Help Desk Ticket delays the waiver process.

Step 1: Register for and pass the required content exam. Confirm that all passing scores appear in the “Examination History” tab of your Educator Certification Online System (ECOS) account.

Step 2: Submit your online certification application: Intern, Probationary, Standard, or Additional Certification by Examination, as applicable. Complete the application up to the “Submit Application to TEA” button. Do not pay the fee online. Paying online delays the manual waiver process.

Step 3: Submit a TEA Help Desk Ticket to Educator Certification with the subject line:

SPED or BIL Certification Application Fee Waiver Request per HB 2

This alerts TEA staff to review the application and manually process the fee waiver.

If you accidentally pay the $78 fee online, submit a refund request through the TEA Help Desk. Allow several weeks for refund processing.

Special Situations

Missed exam appointments after fee was waived:

Candidates who miss a waived exam due to an emergency, such as an illness, injury, hospitalization, or death in the immediate family, may request a voucher from Pearson with appropriate documentation. Candidates absent without cause forfeit the waived registration and pay the full fee for the next attempt.

Questions about the fee waiver process:

Submit a TEA Help Desk Ticket with the subject line: Time-Sensitive Inquiry HB 2 Fee Waivers for Special Education and Bilingual Education. For exam registration support, contact Pearson at 1-800-877-4599. For general HB 2 inquiries, email HB2@tea.texas.gov.

What About CTE Certification Fees?

Career and Technical Education certification fees work differently under HB 2. The CTE incentive is a reimbursement subsidy paid to the school district, not a direct fee waiver to the candidate. The district is responsible for passing the reimbursement to the teacher. This covers exam fees, application fees, and fingerprinting for certifications achieved in select CTE fields on or after September 1, 2025.

Candidates pursuing CTE certification should speak with their district administrator about which certification areas qualify and how the reimbursement process works.

Why These Areas

Special Education and Bilingual Education are among the most persistently hard-to-staff certification areas in Texas. According to the Sullivan Foundation, roughly one in four English-learner seats entered the 2025–26 school year without a certified teacher nationally, a gap that is particularly acute in high-ELL districts across South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. According to TASB, only 37% of uncertified teachers remain in public education after five years, which makes certified Special Education teachers critical for long-term classroom stability.

The HB 2 fee waivers lower the financial barrier for candidates in these areas. They are part of a larger HB 2 strategy that also includes the Teacher Retention Allotment, expanded Teacher Incentive Allotment designations, and a PREP allotment for grow-your-own programs.

How TeacherBuilder.com Fits In

TeacherBuilder.com offers both Special Education EC-12 and Bilingual Education certification routes, both confirmed on the TeacherBuilder.com exam matrix. For candidates pursuing either area, the HB 2 fee waiver means the cost of the first TExES content exam attempt and the certification application fee are covered.

The certification process at TeacherBuilder.com begins with a transcript review: evaluating the degree, GPA, and subject-area hours to determine which route fits the candidate’s background before enrollment. Candidates complete 150 hours of Pre-Service Coursework, 50 hours of Field-Based Experience (FBE), and structured TExES exam preparation. Those who reach the Eligible for Hire benchmark — TExES passed, FBE completed, and Pre-Service Coursework finished are ready for Teacher of Record placement consideration, depending on pathway and time of year.

After completing the program, candidates pursue standard certification independently. The certification application fee is waived for qualifying Special Education and Bilingual Education candidates; follow the steps above to claim it.

Start with a free transcript review to find out which certification route fits your background.

About TeacherBuilder.com

TeacherBuilder.com is a Texas-based Alternative Certification Program (ACP) established in 2005, serving candidates and districts statewide. TeacherBuilder.com evaluates transcripts, matches candidates to appropriate certification routes, and guides them through defined eligibility benchmarks toward standard certification. Through structured preparation, internship and clinical options, and continued engagement for progressing candidates, TeacherBuilder.com builds teachers Texas can count on.

This article does not contain legal, educational, or government advice. As regulations can change from time to time, readers are advised to check with their local education departments to receive up-to-date information.