Financial Aid
Most state and some federal financial aid programs have residency requirements. Most programs require students to be residents of the state in which they are receiving aid. Some do not require the student to be residents of the state, but do require the student to be eligible to pay tuition at the resident rate. Still others require only that the student be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Below is a list, by residency requirement, of the various programs available to students attending college or university in Texas:
State Aid for Texans
The Texas service member, his/her spouse, and dependents (assuming they have not established a separate residence from the member) meet the state residency requirements for participating in state financial aid program. This includes such programs as:
- Exemption for Texas Veterans (Hazlewood Exemption)
- Exemption for Orphans of the U.S. Armed Forces or Texas National Guard
- Exemption for Children of Persons who are Missing in Action or Prisoners of War
- TEXAS Grant Program
- Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program
- Texas B-on-Time Student Loan Program
- Professional Nursing Scholarships
- Vocational Nursing Scholarships
- Tuition Equalization Grant Program
- Kenneth H. Ashworth Fellowship Program
- License Plate Insignia Scholarship
- Rural Emergency Medical Services
- Texas Health Service Corps Program
- Outstanding Rural Scholar Program
- Tuition Assistance for Texas State Guard Members
- Loan Repayment Programs
- Texas College Work-Study Program
- Tuition Rebate for Certain Undergraduates
- Robert C. Byrd Scholarships (federal program requiring Texas residency)
- Texas National Guard Tuition Assistance Program
State Aid for Non-Texans
The non-Texan service member whose "Home of Record" is a state other than Texas, his/her spouse, and dependents cannot meet the residency requirement for the programs listed above; however, there are a few state programs open to residents and nonresidents (including members of the military and their dependents enrolled in participating institutions in Texas). These programs include:
- Texas Public Educational Grant
- Tuition Equalization Grant (For a nonresident to receive this grant, the person must be a National Merit Scholar)
- Fifth Year Accounting Student Scholarship
- Texas Tomorrow Funds
An individual eligible for a waiver allowing him/her to pay the resident tuition rate, could also meet the eligibility requirements for the:
- Hinson-Hazlewood College Student Loan Program: College Access Loan (CAL)
- Hinson-Hazlewood College Student Loan Program: Health Education Loan (HELP)
Federal Aid for both Texans and Non-Texans
All U.S. citizens or permanent residents meet the residency eligibility requirements to participate in federal financial aid programs. Such programs include:
- Federal Pell Grant Program
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
- Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program (Nonresidents only qualify for this grant if they have also received a Tuition Equalization Grant)
- Americorps
- Hope Tax Credit
- Lifetime Learning Credit
- Tax Deductions for Interest Paid on Educational Loans
- Federal Family Education Loan Program
- Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students
- Perkins Loan
- Stafford Loan-Unsubsidized
- William D. Ford Direct Student Loans
- Federal College Work-Study Program
General information on the process of applying for financial aid information can be found in Paying for College.
