Applicants must meet all applicable eligibility requirements:

• Be an actively drilling member in good standing with the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, or Texas State Guard.
• Active Guard Reserve members are eligible.
• Hold an eligible rank:
  • Enlisted: E-1 through E-9;
  • Officers: O-1 through O-5; or
  • Warrant Officers: W-1 through W-3.
• Be accepted and registered at a qualifying Texas college or university. Part-time and full-time students may apply.
• Complete the applicable initial military training requirement before the semester begins:
  • Basic Training;
  • Basic Officer Leader Course;
  • Military Science II with a valid Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty number; or
  • For Texas State Guard members, Basic Orientation Training, Resident Basic Orientation Training, or Advanced Individual Training.
• Continue serving in the applicable component through the official last day of the semester.
• Have an Expiration of Term of Service or Mandatory Retirement Date after the official last day of class.
• Maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.0.
• Not be flagged by the member’s unit.

Texas State Guard members do not have a contractual Expiration of Term of Service date but must continue serving through the end of the semester to receive award payment.

Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty and Dedicated Army National Guard cadets using the room-and-board scholarship option, as well as eligible nonscholarship contract cadets, may apply.

• STA is available only for the fall and spring academic semesters.
• STA is a needs-based benefit funded by the Texas Legislature.
• The Legislature reviews the program’s budget, need, utilization, and effectiveness during its biennial legislative sessions.
• Awards may cover up to 12 credit hours per semester for a maximum of 10 semesters or five years.
• Awards may be used for eligible tuition and mandatory fees.

After the institution’s Census Date, the school invoices STA for the Service Member’s remaining eligible tuition and mandatory fees. STA determines payment from the invoice submitted by the school.

The Census Date is the date on which the institution records its official enrollment count for submission to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The specific Census Date varies based on the institution and length of the academic term.

Service Members who are eligible for Federal Tuition Assistance must apply for it. A screenshot showing submission of the Federal Tuition Assistance application must be submitted with the Statement of Understanding and Third-Party Agreement. The STA application itself is completed online.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation provide a list of Texas colleges and universities.

View the Texas college and university list

The institution must otherwise meet STA eligibility requirements, including the requirement that its headquarters be located in Texas. For-profit institutions are not eligible.

There is no minimum amount of prior service required within a Texas Military Department component to qualify for STA.

However, the Service Member must remain eligible and continue serving through the official end of the semester.

The Texas Legislature established a statutory limit of 30 Texas State Guard STA awards per semester. The limit can be permanently changed only through legislative action.

The statute permits the Adjutant General to waive the limit for a specific semester and authorize additional Texas State Guard awards. When that authority is used, the Adjutant General must submit a report justifying the change.

Texas State Guard leadership determines which 30 members are selected to receive STA each semester.

• No remaining financial need: Other aid has already paid all qualifying tuition and mandatory fee charges.
• Other education benefits: Pell Grants, Federal Tuition Assistance, Post-9/11 GI Bill payments, Hazlewood benefits, or other assistance may eliminate the remaining eligible balance.
• Missing documents: The applicant did not submit all required application materials.
• No response: The applicant did not respond to requests for additional information.

Yes, but STA is applied only to remaining eligible charges.

• Eligible applicants must apply for Federal Tuition Assistance and provide proof of application during the STA application window.
• STA may cover eligible tuition and mandatory fees that are not paid by other military education benefits.
• When another program covers 100% of eligible tuition and fees, no remaining charges qualify for an STA award.

Yes. However, Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, TEXAS Grants, other grants, and scholarships are considered when calculating the eligible STA award.

These funding sources may reduce the amount of tuition and mandatory fees that STA can pay. Applicants should still apply when uncertain. STA will review the student’s financial aid and determine whether eligible charges remain.

Student loans are not included when determining the eligible STA award. STA may cover otherwise eligible tuition charges paid temporarily through a student loan when those charges are not covered by grants, scholarships, or other applicable aid.

STA must receive complete information about all financial aid awarded to the student. Without complete information, STA may calculate an award that exceeds the amount the school is permitted to apply to the student’s account.

In that situation, the school may reject all or part of the STA payment.

Yes.

The Minuteman Scholarship may be used for either room and board or tuition and fees. Because STA cannot pay room-and-board expenses, cadets are encouraged to use STA for eligible tuition and mandatory fees and use the Minuteman Scholarship for eligible living expenses.

Learn more about the Minuteman Scholarship

No. STA is applied to the remaining eligible tuition and mandatory fee charges after other financial aid has been applied to the student’s balance.

Yes. The STA award should be adjusted when a student is later awarded or accepts a scholarship or grant. This requirement is consistent with STA’s role as the last payer.

For the Spring 2026 semester, 1,244 Service Members applied and 837 received an award.

Generally, between 65% and 70% of Service Members who apply are eligible to receive an award and have eligible charges.

STA will send a roster of approved Service Members, including each student’s certified award amount, before classes begin.

Yes. The certified award amount will be indicated on the roster. The amount will be adjusted as needed after Census Day.

STA can provide the certification list or roster as:

• An Excel spreadsheet;
• A PDF list; or
• A formal letter for each sponsored student, when specifically requested.

Yes. The certification list may change for several reasons:

• The list may increase due to late applicants. STA will continue to sponsor eligible Service Members until the semester’s available budget has been expended.
• The list may decrease or awards may change when Service Members withdraw from classes or lose eligibility.

Yes. The certified award can be credited to the student’s account upon certification. However, the amount may be adjusted up or down based on eligible charges.

No. STA operates as a third-party sponsorship program rather than a student reimbursement program.

The institution applies a sponsorship code or other account designation for an eligible TMD Service Member. The sponsorship may cover up to 12 credit hours and eligible mandatory fees.

After the school’s Census Date or final add/drop deadline, the school invoices STA for the eligible amount due. STA then processes the invoice and sends the institution one bulk payment covering all eligible sponsored Service Members enrolled at that institution.

1. The school places the approved sponsorship or payment hold on the Service Member’s account.
2. The Service Member remains enrolled through the Census Date.
3. After the Census Date, the school identifies the student’s uncovered eligible tuition and mandatory fees.
4. The school submits an invoice to STA.
5. STA reviews and processes the invoice and sends the school a single bulk payment for its eligible sponsored students.

Institutions and Service Members should consult the STA Process Map for a more detailed explanation of the application, certification, invoicing, and payment process.

No. STA funds cannot be refunded directly to Service Members or students.

1. STA must not exceed eligible tuition and mandatory fee charges after all other forms of applicable financial aid have been applied.
2. When a student receives STA and a refund is generated, the refund must not exceed the payments the student personally made or the value of a loan used to satisfy tuition and fee charges.

In that situation, the refund represents the return of the student’s own funds or loan proceeds—not STA funds.

Eligible mandatory or compulsory fee

A fee authorized by statute or by the institution’s governing board and charged to all applicable students upon enrollment.

Noneligible voluntary fee

A fee charged only to students who choose or use a particular service, program, course, or payment method.

Examples of generally noneligible fees include:

• Discretionary or optional fees, such as parking or credit-card processing fees;
• Fees applying only to international students;
• Department-specific or academic-program fees;
• Course-specific instructional fees;
• Laboratory fees;
• Equipment and supply fees; and
• Course-material fees.

Compulsory student-service fees are subject to applicable Texas statutory limitations and requirements, including proportional assessment based on enrolled semester credit hours where required by law.

Mandatory fees are fees authorized by statute or by the governing board of the educational institution.

To be considered mandatory, a fee must be obligatory and applied consistently to all applicable students. A fee is not necessarily considered mandatory solely because a student’s circumstances, such as attending remotely, require the student to pay it.

STA is funded through appropriations made by the Texas Legislature. TMD must administer the available funding in accordance with the governing statute and manage the program in a manner that supports continued access and long-term sustainability.

For students attending private or non-formula-funded institutions, Texas Government Code Section 437.226(i) bases the STA award on the average amount paid per student at a Texas public institution for the same semester. The award is not necessarily based on the full tuition rate charged by the private institution.

Awards may cover eligible in-state tuition and mandatory fees for enrollment of three through 12 credit hours. The award cannot exceed the student’s actual eligible charges.

For planning purposes, the estimated public-school comparison amount may range from approximately $3,734, based on the previous semester’s average, to approximately $5,366, based on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s reported public-university average.

Review Texas tuition and fee data

No. STA no longer accepts unofficial transcripts because of processing, verification, quality-control, and fraud-prevention requirements.

This requirement is included in the Statement of Understanding signed during the STA application process.

The preferred method is for an original certified PDF transcript to be sent through the institution’s transcript service so STA staff can securely download it.

Students may also email the certified PDF as an attachment. Do not embed the transcript in the email body, copy and paste it into the message, or drag and drop it as an inline image.

Hard-copy transcripts sent through postal mail are discouraged because delivery and processing delays may prevent the transcript from being recorded on time.

STA tracks each Service Member’s course history by requiring the Service Member to submit transcripts from the previous semester.

The Service Member’s STA record identifies whether:

• The Service Member previously failed a course;
• A course is being repeated; or
• The Service Member’s cumulative GPA has fallen below 2.0.

The Service Member is financially responsible for an unsuccessful course that results in a failing grade or an incomplete.

A second attempt at the same course will be an out-of-pocket expense for the Service Member.

A Service Member who withdraws during the semester for a nonmilitary reason is financially responsible for the tuition and fees STA paid on the member’s behalf.

Service Members are financially responsible for any course that does not result in a passing grade or successful completion.

A Service Member who withdraws for a nonmilitary reason is responsible for the tuition and fees that STA paid on the Service Member’s behalf.

When funds must be recovered, TMD will pursue repayment in the following order:

1. School refund, preferred: The school returns the funds directly to TMD.
2. Future award reduction: If the Service Member applies for STA in a future semester, the award will be reduced by the amount owed.
3. Texas Comptroller payment hold: Unresolved debts may be reported to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, resulting in a warrant or payment hold.
4. Texas Attorney General collection: After 90 days, the Comptroller may report an unresolved debt to the Texas Attorney General’s Office for collection. Collection action may include reporting the debt as a state delinquency on the student’s credit report.