Grants  - Toward EXcellence, Access & Success (TEXAS) Grant

To provide a grant of money to enable well-prepared eligible students to attend public and private nonprofit colleges and universities in Texas.

Requirements:

• Are Texas residents
• Have financial need (if applying for your first award, must not have a family contribution of more than $4000)
• Register for the Selective Service or are exempt from this requirement
• Graduated from a public or accredited high school in Texas no earlier than fall 2002
• Completed the Recommended High School Curriculum or distinguished achievement high school curriculum or its equivalent
• Enroll at least 3/4 time in an undergraduate degree or certificate program within 16 months of high school graduation
• Have not been convicted of a felony or a crime involving a controlled substance

NOTE: The student's high school transcript must indicate that the student has completed or is scheduled to complete the equivalent of the recommended or the distinguished achievement high school curriculum. If a student attends a public high school that did not offer all of the courses necessary to complete the curriculum, the district must certify to the Texas Education Agency that the high school did not offer all of the courses, and the high school counselor must certify that the student completed all courses toward such a curriculum that the high school had to offer.

The award amount depends on tuition and fees to be paid by the student. In general, it is an amount equal to the student's tuition and required fees at public colleges and universities. (For 2003-2004, approximately $1,570 per semester for public university students; $635 per semester for community college students; and $930 per semester for technical college students, based on enrollment of 12 hours per semester). Awards to students at Texas private colleges and universities are based on the public university amount.

Students who continue in college and meet program academic standards can receive awards for up to 150 credit hours or for six years or until they receive their bachelor's degree, whichever occurs first. In the first year of study, the academic standards are set by the college or university. In subsequent years, the requirements are completion of at least 75 percent of the hours taken in the prior year, plus an overall GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.