³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø

College is an increasingly expensive thing; even as schools offer more financial aid, the costs grow far faster than inflation, and students and parents are expected to shoulder an ever higher financial burden. States realize that this cost is a major barrier to education, and act to counter it. After all, a well-educated populace adds a lot of economic value to a state, in the work they do and the taxes they pay.ÌýIn this article then, we’re going to look at the scholarships offered by Texas to its students. There are a range of these, as is the case of most states, but the goal behind them is to make college just a bit more affordable, a more realistic dream for the best and brightest students Texas turns out.Ìý

Texas State Scholarships

These are scholarship programs funded by the state of Texas itself, for students who are going to attend a college in Texas. Most are for students who live in Texas, and most are only applicable to public colleges in Texas.

This scholarship is for students from other nations in the Western hemisphere to attend a public college in Texas. This is available to students from any country in the Western hemisphere besides the United States and Cuba. You must be a citizen of that country, and not have dual citizenship with the US. 

This scholarship provides a tuition waiver at select public colleges in the state of Texas. Note that this only covers the cost of tuition; housing and other costs associated with attending the college are the responsibility of the student. This scholarship is specifically for students who intend to return home after they have finished their degree. 

The scholarship has the following eligibility requirements: 

• Have resided in the Western hemisphere for the past five years
• Be nominated by the institution you are attending or will attend
• Not be a member of the communist party

As a tuition waiver, this scholarship opportunity lasts as long as you are attending the college in question. As you must be nominated by the school, each has their own requirements as well. This is worth looking into if you are an international student interested in attending a college in Texas. The scholarship lasts for 12 months, and is renewable.

This scholarship is funded by the purchase of license plates with a college’s insignia on them, with those funds going to the college to create a scholarship fund. This, understandably, means some schools have more funds than others, particularly larger schools or those with a more successful football team. 

How these funds are disbursed depends on the college in question, but they generally do not have a separate scholarship application. All you need to do is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and you will be considered for this funding by the college. These funds are only available at public colleges in Texas. 

The intention of this scholarship program is to incentivize students to join the armed services, either federally, or the Texas national guard. This scholarship is dependent on the student enrolling in an ROTC program at a public college in Texas while they are in school, in return, it serves as a tuition waiver for that school. 

In order to be eligible for this scholarship, you must meet the following requirements: 

• Graduated or be on track to graduate high school with the Distinguished Achievement Program
• Have a high school GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher
• Score a 1070 on the SAT or a 23 on the ACT
• Be ranked in the top third of your class
• Be registered with selective service, or exempt from it
• Agree to enter into a four year national guard contract or military service post graduation

If you do not meet the requirements, particularly the final one of enlisting post-graduation, you are required to repay the scholarship funding. 

This program provides funding for students to work on-campus jobs at both public and private universities within Texas, supplementing federal work-study funds. This is not a direct scholarship, but instead allows students to earn money to pay for tuition or other costs associated with attending college. 

In order to be eligible for this funding, students must be Texas residents, enrolled at least half-time in a university, show financial need, and not be receiving any form of an athletic scholarship (though this scholarship may be paired with other forms of scholarship funding). All that is required to apply for this scholarship is completion of the FAFSA, though certain colleges may have their own additional requirements. 

This is one of the largest scholarship programs in Texas, and exists to provide grant aid to students with financial need who are attending two year or four year public colleges, or technical schools. There is limited funding for this program, and not all qualified students will receive awards. The amount of funding provided by this scholarship varies, and is dependent on the amount of funding available. 

In order to be eligible for this scholarship, you must meet the following requirements: 

• Be a Texas resident, as determined by the institution you are attending
• Have financial need, and have applied for available aid
• Not already have a bachelor’s degree, nor have attempted more than 30 semester credit hours (Excluding dual enrollment courses in high school)
• Be registered for selective service if required
• Not have been convicted of any felony, nor concurrently receiving a TEXAS grant

In order to apply for this grant, you need only complete the FAFSA. This grant is renewable, but there is no guarantee of receiving it in subsequent years if you receive it one year. The amount of funding available to this scholarship varies from year to year, depending on legislative priorities. 

This is a scholarship available at public colleges in Texas. Each school makes their own decisions about who receives this scholarship, and awards funds from their own resources, though there is overall state funding for the program. The deadlines and methods of applying for this scholarship are set by each college, and the amount of funding available varies from school to school, though it cannot exceed the financial need of the student. 

The only requirements set by the state are that students be Texas residents, show financial need, and register for selective service (unless exempt). Note that individual institutions may have their own additional requirements for this scholarship. There are more eligible students than there is funding available. 

These are a collection of fee exemptions for students meeting specific requirements at public colleges in Texas. These are a kind of scholarship; instead of direct funding, these students have tuition or other fees waived by the institution. There are many categories of students who can qualify for these, we advise checking the full list and seeing if you are eligible. You should check with the specific college you are attending if you think you are qualified for one of these exemptions; individual schools have their own requirements to apply for them. 

This is one of the primary grants available to students in Texas, and was established via a grant from the Texas legislature. There is limited funding available, and not all students who are eligible will receive funds from this award. This award also cannot always cover the full cost of tuition for students. 

In order to be eligible for this award, you must be a Texas resident (as determined by the college you are attending), registered for selective service (or exempt), have financial need, and have applied for available aid. You also must not have been convicted of any felonies. Disbursement of this award is done through the financial aid office at the college you are attending. You must apply to this award via FAFSA; additional requirements may be set by specific colleges. 

This grant is specifically for students who are attending a private college in Texas. The purpose of the grant is to cover the difference in tuition between the cost of a private university and what the student would pay at an equivalent public college. There is limited funding available, and not all private universities in Texas participate; you should inquire with the financial aid office at your college if you are interested. 

In order to be eligible for this scholarship, you must meet the following requirements: 

• Be a resident of Texas (as determined by the institution you are attending)
• You must be enrolled at least ¾ time in a degree program leading to an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree. Note that religious degrees are excepted from eligibility
• Have demonstrated financial need
• Not have already earned the degree for which you are currently enrolled
• Not be receiving an athletic scholarship (though other scholarships are available)
• Be paying more in tuition than you would at an equivalent public institution
• Be enrolled in selective service (or exempt)

There is a limited amount of aid available. You must complete the FAFSA and speak to the financial aid office at the college you are attending to apply. Certain colleges may have additional application requirements. 

Third Party Scholarships for Texas Students

There are additional scholarships which are available to Texas students attending college in Texas as well, funded by various third party organizations. We won’t be able to go through all of these, but we’re going to highlight some prominent ones. We’re not presenting these in any particular order. The amount of funding available varies between scholarships. 

This foundation exists to provide funding primarily to universities directly, but also offers scholarships to students. These take the form of interest free loans. These are not as good as full scholarships, but with many loans carrying high interest rates, the ability not to have to worry about that is valuable. 

The application for these is open from January 1 to February 28 each year. The loans are for up to $8,000; they offer approximately 800 of these loans each year. You must request an application form directly from the organization, this must then be submitted via mail. You must be in the top 10% of your graduating class or have a minimum 1100 SAT or 23 on the ACT. 

While in college, you must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0. Note that the scores are the minimum; they do not guarantee you will receive this award, that is simply the bar you have to clear for your application to be considered. This loan is renewed, with another $8,000 each year, to a maximum of four years. 

This scholarship is specifically for students from Bexar County who attend one of five participating colleges in the county. This is open to all graduating high school students in the county, whether they attend public, private, charter or home schools. The fund covers tuition and fees for the completion of an associate’s degree, or for up to three years of study in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. 

You must apply to one of the participating colleges in the county via ApplyTexas and complete the FAFSA in order to apply. This is quite a generous scholarship, though there are limited colleges you can attend with it. 

Every year, this foundation awards seventy scholarships to Houston area high school seniors. These awards are for $25,000, which is disbursed over four years. You must be in your senior year to apply; applications open in September, and can be completed fully online. You must have taken the SAT or ACT prior to applying, and the application requires you have a minimum SAT score of 1000 or an ACT score of 21. You must be a US citizen to apply. 

The applications are reviewed, and finalists are invited to interview. Based on the interview and application as a whole, awardees are determined. The decisions are based on academic merit and financial need. 

This foundation provides scholarships of $2,500-$5,000 annually to students whose parent suffered severe injury or death from their job. These can be reapplied to annually, for up to eight semesters of funding. You must be aged 16 to 25, and have been a resident of Texas at the time the incident occurred. 

You must apply for the scholarship online. This requires the online form, a resume, a current transcript, two letters of recommendation, documentation of educational expenses, and a written description of the workplace accident (along with documentation). Applications are due by June 1 for Fall semester and by November 1 for spring semester. 

This is a $5,000 non-renewable scholarship for women who are the first in their family to go to college. There is an associated scholarship for students of all genders who are entering a trade or technical school. The application for this must be done and submitted online. It is due by the end of March.

Final Thoughts

College is very expensive, even in-state schools which offer reasonable tuition. Different states offer different scholarship pathways; Texas has its own unique twist, and we hope this article has helped you understand what scholarships are available to you, and how you can avail yourself of them. They may not fund your entire college journey, but they’ll certainly help.

If you’re looking for help applying to college, or want advice on any aspect of the process, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors have a depth of experience, masters of guiding students through every part of the admissions journey. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.