As Texas Waives College Application Fees This Week, Austin Company Introduces CollegeAdmissionsAssistant.com, a $9-a-Month AI Admissions Assistant for Families

College Admissions Assistant opens in beta during Free College Application Week, giving Texas families year-round help with college lists, research and deadlines

Austin, TX, Oct. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Texas students apply to public colleges free of charge this week, Austin-based 10X Innovations, LLC today announced CollegeAdmissionsAssistant.com, an AI-powered admissions guide that helps families plan, research, and track college applications for $9 a month.

CollegeAdmissionsAssistant.com - College List for Univ. of Texas at Austin

From October 12 to 18, every Texas public college and university waives its undergraduate application fee for Texas residents who apply through ApplyTexas. More than 260,000 applications were submitted during the first Free College Application Week in 2025, and the state has set a goal of 350,000 this year.

The fee is only one barrier. Texas schools average roughly 400 students for every school counselor, and private admissions consultants can cost thousands of dollars. College Admissions Assistant is built for the work families do at home: deciding where to apply, understanding each program's requirements, brainstorming essays and keeping track of deadlines.

“Applying to college takes significant planning and research,” said April Mayrath, Chief Marketing Officer of 10X Innovations, LLC. “Some families are fortunate enough to work with private consultants who help their students through the process, but for most Texas families with college-bound high schoolers, that isn’t an option. They have to navigate admissions on their own. We created CollegeAdmissionsAssistant.com to give every family a place to get support with college applications. This week, students across Texas are focused on applying to college, and we’re here to help them and their families.”

With College Admissions Assistant, families can:

• Build a college list and explore a Career Roadmap that connects the student's interests to related programs.
• Research each college's admissions requirements, gathered by AI for the student's intended major, with sources shown.
• Track every application in one place, with a checklist and deadline for each college.
• Keep letters of recommendation organized: who was asked, when, and where each request stands, with finished letters stored in one place.
• Start personal essays with a head start. A completed student portfolio of grades, activities and achievements produces an essay outline with suggestions, and students can upload drafts and talk them through with the AI assistant. The assistant coaches; it doesn't write essays for students.

Accounts are held by a parent or guardian, or by a student aged 18 or older. Plans cost $9 a month or $99 a year and start with a 7-day free trial.

Five tips for Free College Application Week

1. Submit by 11:59 p.m. Central on Sunday, October 18. Applications started but not submitted don't qualify.
2. Apply through ApplyTexas; the waiver covers undergraduate applications to Texas public colleges for Texas residents.
3. Add one or two schools you might have skipped because of the fee.
4. Check each school's supplemental materials and essay requirements before you submit.
5. UT Austin's Early Action deadline is October 15, in the middle of the week; don't leave it for the weekend.

A free guide to the week is at CollegeAdmissionsAssistant.com/free-application-week. College Admissions Assistant is available now at CollegeAdmissionsAssistant.com.

About College Admissions Assistant

College Admissions Assistant is an AI-powered college admissions guide for families, offering assistant chat, essay coaching, program research and application tracking by subscription. It is operated by 10X Innovations, LLC, based in Austin, Texas. College Admissions Assistant provides guidance, not guarantees; admission decisions rest with each college. It is not affiliated with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or ApplyTexas.

Media contact

April Mayrath, Chief Marketing Officer, 10X Innovations, LLC · press@10xinnovations.ai · CollegeAdmissionsAssistant.com

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College Admissions Assistant logo

About 10X Innovations, LLC

10X Innovations, LLC is an Austin, Texas company that develops AI-powered education, training and assessment solutions for K-12 schools, higher education, corporate training and related fields. Its products include CollegeAdmissionsAssistant.com, which helps families plan, research and track college applications for $9 a month. The company was founded by a team with years of experience in higher education and college admissions. Learn more at https://10xinnovations.ai/.

Press Inquiries

April Mayrath
press@10xinnovations.ai
https://www.10xinnovations.ai