State Grants | Financial Aid

Towards Excellence, Access and Success (TEXAS) Grant Program

Description

The purpose of this program is to provide grants of money to enable students to attend public and private institutions in the state of Texas.

Amount

UNTD's maximum award amount for 2014-2015 is $5000. If a student's tuition and fee charges for the term exceeds the amount of their TEXAS Grant award, UNT will make use of other available sources of financial aid other than loans or work study to cover the additional tuition and fee charge.

Students must be enrolled in at least 9 credit hours at UNTD each term for TEXAS grant to disburse.

If a student is not meeting the required number of hours for TEXAS Grant, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) allows awards to be prorated for a lesser amount in the following situations:

students are graduating, or
students have less than one full term of eligibility remaining, or
the THECB also allows institutions to consider situations where hardship can be documented, (based on Texas Administrative Code 22.231 Hardship Provisions). The following are hardship situations that can be considered:
- Severe illness or other debilitating condition that may affect the student's academic performance, or
- student is responsible for care of sick, injured or needy person, and that student's provision of care may affect the student's academic performance.

Eligibility

Students who are:
   •   Are Texas residents
   •   Have not been convicted of a felony or crime involving a controlled substance *
   •   Demonstrate financial need (Have an EFC less than or equal to $4,000 for initial Texas grant awards)
   •   Register for the Selective Service or are exempt from this requirement
and
   •   Complete the HSR or HSA High School program
   •   Enroll in a non-profit public college or university in Texas within 16 months of graduation from a public or accredited private high school in Texas
   •   Have accumulated no more than 30 semester credit hours, excluding those earned for dual or concurrent courses or awarded for credit by examination (AP, IB or CLEP).
or
   •   Have earned an associate degree from a public technical, state or community college in Texas and
   •   Enroll in any public university in Texas no more than 12 months after receiving their associate's degree

*Texas Grant Eligibility Certification
Effective Fall 2010, all institutions must collect and retain an eligibility statement from each person receiving a TEXAS Grant award that they have never been convicted of a felony or an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code.
A person is not eligible to receive an initial or a continuation grant:
“…if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Healthier and Safety Code, unless the person has met the other applicable eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has:

Received a certificate of discharge by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or completed a period of probation ordered by a court, and at least two years have elapsed from the date of the recipient or completion; or
Been pardoned, had the record of the offense expunged from the person’s record, or otherwise has been released from the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under this subchapter.”

Reference Statutory Citations:
TEXAS Grant Initial Awards TEC 56.304(b) http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.56.htm#56.304
TEXAS Grant Renewal Awards TEC 56.305 (b) http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.56.htm#56.305

Continued Eligibility

The TEXAS Grant award will transfer between institutions. Please contact the UNTD Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Office if you received the TEXAS Grant at another institution so that continuing eligibility can be confirmed. For more information on this program, please visit the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board TEXAS Grant site.

Renewal Requirements

At the end of the first year, you must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements in order to be considered for a second year in the TEXAS Grant program.

After completing the second year in the program, you are required to meet the following conditions at the end of every spring term.

You must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50.
You must complete 24 semester credit hours each academic year

Students entering the program from high school who continue in college and who meet program academic standards can receive awards for up to 150 semester credit hours, until they receive a bachelor's degree, or for five years if enrolled in a 4-year degree plan or six years if enrolled in a 5-year degree plan, whichever comes first.

Students entering the program based on acquisition of an associate's degree who continue in college and who meet program academic standards can receive awards for up to 90 semester credit hours, until they receive a bachelor's degree, or for three years if enrolled in a 4-year degree plan or four years if enrolled in a 5-year degree plan, whichever comes first.

Payment

Money is applied to student account once each semester.

Repayment

This is based on University Repayment Policy.

Texas Public Education Grant (TPEG)

Description

This grant is available to both undergraduate and graduate students. The grant doesn't have to be repaid. However, if you withdraw from the university or stop attending classes, you may be subject to the university's repayment policy.