Military Service Eligibility
Every semester, all applicants undergo a review to ensure that tuition awards are only given to Service Members that satisfy some basic criteria that pertain to their military service.
The first is to ensure the applicant is an actively drilling member of one of the following components: (AGR are not eligible)
- Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG),
- Texas Air National Guard (TXANG),
- Texas State Guard (TXSG).
“Actively Drilling” means that members of the above components are assigned to a unit and attend monthly drills and annual training. Members that are in Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) or Inactive National Guard (ING) status are NOT eligible for the State TA program.
Some other eligibility criteria related to military service are:
- must have completed Basic Training (or its equivalent)
- must hold a qualifying rank (E1-E9, W1-W3, or O1-O5)
- must have satisfactory participation and not have any current personnel flags
- must have an ETS/MRD date after the end date of the semester
Scholastic Eligibility
There are various criteria that pertain to an applicant’s scholastic information. An applicant must be enrolled in a nationally or regionally accredited Texas college or university and pursuing their first:
- academic certification
- Associate's degree
- Bachelor’s degree
- Master's or Professional Degree
Some additional scholastic criteria that is required for a State TA tuition award includes:
- Must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA 2.0 or higher
- Must earn a passing grade for funded classes
- Second degrees at the same level already completed, i.e. lateral degrees,are not eligible.
Financial Eligibility
Each semester all applicant files are reviewed for financial eligibility. This review focuses on the charges applied by the school and the types of other financial assistance received. There are certain charges that are eligible for reimbursement. In general terms, charges that are eligible include “tuition and mandatory fees.” There may be limits to the amount of these charges that can be reimbursed. The “Amount” section of this website describes some funding limitations in addition to those explained in this section.
There can be various types of tuition charges. Only charges for in-district or resident tuition rates are eligible. Tuition charges above these rates, which could be part of out-of-district or non-resident rates, are not reimbursable. “Designated tuition” and “state tuition” charges may appear on a fee statement. These are eligible for reimbursement.
Mandatory fees can vary among different schools. Generally speaking, they are fees that are part of the registration charges applied to all students attending a given school. Fees that are only charged to students in a specific course are not eligible for reimbursement. This includes lab fees. Additionally, charges for books, supplies, dorms and meals are NOT reimbursable.
Another part of this review looks at the types of other assistance an applicant is receiving. One of the goals of the State TA program is to reimburse eligible service members for some of their out-of-pocket expenses of pursuing their adult education goals. If an applicant is receiving other aid that reduces the out-of-pocket burden, this reduces the amount that is eligible for a State TA tuition award. Other aid sources that are factored into the award calculation include Federal tuition assistance, grants, and/or scholarships, to name a few.
Here is an example to illustrate how we calculate an award amount. PVT Joe submits an application for State TA. The financial review of his file shows he is being charged $5,000 in tuition and mandatory fees. It is also found that he is receiving $1,000 in Federal TA and $3,000 in a tuition grant. He is also receiving a student loan for $4,000. Doing a little math (5,000 – 1,000 – 3,000) gives an amount eligible for reimbursement of $1,000. PVT Joe sends in an official transcript after the end of the semester showing he passed all 12 credit hours of classes, and he met all other eligibility criteria. PVT Joe was approved for a State TA award of $1,000.
Note that the loan amount in the above scenario was not factored into the calculation. Only “free money” assistance is used in the calculation of a State TA award.