- Of veterans who, at the time of entry into the U.S. Armed Forces:
- Are Texas residents,
- Designated Texas as Home of Record, or
- Entered the service in Texas.
- Have a parent or is the spouse of a veteran of the U. S. Armed Forces, Texas National Guard, or Texas Air National Guard who died as a result of service-related injuries or illness, is missing in action, or became totally disabled for purposes of employability as a result of service-related injury or illness,
- Have no federal veteran's education benefits, or have federal veterans education benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only (such as Chapter 33 or 31; Pell and SEOG Grants are not relevant) for the term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits, and
- Are residents of Texas as of the term or semester in which they enroll.
NEW! Eligible children who receive the Hazlewood exemption for the first time beginning fall, 2011 must be 25 years of age or younger on the first day of the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed (unless granted an extension due to a qualifying illness or debilitating condition). This requirement does not apply to children who received the exemption prior to the 2011-2012 academic year.
The benefit may not be used for correspondence courses unless the courses are part of the student's degree plan.
Transferability of Benefits (Legacy Program)
Eligible veterans may assign unused hours of exemption eligibility to a child under certain conditions. To be eligible, the child must:
- Be a Texas resident,
- Be the biological child, stepchild, adopted child, or claimed as a dependent in the current or previous tax year,
- Be 25 years or younger on the first day of the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed (unless granted an extension due to a qualifying illness or debilitating condition), and
- Make satisfactory academic progress in a degree, certificate, or continuing education program** as determined by the institution.
If a child to whom hours have been delegated fails to use all of the assigned hours, a veteran may re-assign the unused hours that are available to another dependent child.
NEW! Effective with tuition and fee charges fall, 2011, a veteran's spouse or a child's guardian, conservator, custodian, or other legally designated caretaker may re-assign unused hours to an eligible child (through Legacy) on behalf of the veteran if the veteran died prior to requesting the transfer of hours.
Veterans' spouses are not eligible to receive a transfer of unused hours.
**See "Award Amount" below regarding eligible continuing education programs.
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Eligible Institutions
The awards are available only for use at a Texas public college or university.
To access listings of Texas public colleges and universities, follow this link to Texas Institutions of Higher Education (http://www.collegefortexans.com/index.cfm?ObjectID=D57D0AC5-AB2D-EFB0-FC201080B528442A) and select any of the schools listed under the Texas Public Institutions.
**Note: The schools listed under Independent Institutions do NOT qualify for Hazlewood Exemptions.
Award Amount
Eligible veterans, their children and spouses may receive an exemption from the payment of all tuition, dues, fees, and other required charges, including fees for correspondence courses, but excluding deposit fees, student service fees, and any fees or charges for books, lodging, board, or clothing for up to 150 semester credit hours. Awards may not be used to pay tuition and relevant fees for continuing education classes unless one of the following applies: (1) the college receives state tax support for the classes, or (2) the governing board has specifically approved this benefit.
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Application Process
To use Hazlewood benefits or to transfer unused benefits to an eligible child, applicants must complete an application/release form. Please choose the appropriate application below:
- Veterans using the Exemption must complete the HE-V application form. If Veteran has used exemption at previous institution, the Veteran must submit a completed “Request for Record Of Credit Hours” Form from their previous institution.
- Eligible Children and Spouses Who Have Never Used the Exemption must complete both the HE-V and the HE-D application forms. If Children and Spouse have used exemption at previous institution, they must submit a completed “Request for Record Of Credit Hours” Form from their previous institution.
Provide proof (DD214) from the Department of Defense regarding their military service and nature of discharge. (the DD214 must be a “Member – 4 Copy” - A DD 214 Member – 4 copy can be requested from the National Archives eVetRecs Web site www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs).
Provide proof of eligibility or ineligibility for GI/Montgomery benefits (Chapter 31, 33/Post 911) by requesting an education benefits letter from the VA office in Muskogee, OK at (888)-442-4551 or www.gibill.va.gov.
Contact their college financial aid office regarding their status on prior student loans made or guaranteed by the State of Texas.
Children and Spouses must:
Provide proof of eligibility or ineligibility for GI/Montgomery benefits (Chapter 31, 33/Post 911) by requesting an education benefits letter from the VA office in Muskogee, OK at (888)-442-4551 or www.gibill.va.gov.
Provide proof from Dept. of Defense or from the VA regarding veteran parent's death or disability related to service.
Contact their college financial aid office regarding their status on prior student loans made or guaranteed by the State of Texas.
NEW!! Effective with tuition and fee charges for fall, 2011, all applicants (veterans, spouses and children) must complete and submit the appropriate application and documentation listed above to their college or university's financial aid office or veterans' education office no later than one year after the earlier of the date the school:
- provides written notice to the applicant of his/her eligibility, or
- receives written notice from the applicant that acknowledges the applicant's awareness of his/her eligibility for the exemption.
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Additional Information
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question: |
I no longer qualify for veteran’s benefits, how do I apply for the Hazlewood exemption? |
| Answer: |
Pick up and complete the Hazlewood packet available in the Office of Student Financial Aid or select the appropriate link above. |
| Question: |
Can a veteran receiving federal education benefits still qualify for Hazlewood? |
| Answer: |
If eligible. If a veteran’s federal education benefits are less than her/his exemption would be under the Hazlewood Act, he/she is allowed to receive an exemption for an amount equal to the difference in federal benefits and Hazlewood. For example, if a veteran who would have qualified for a $750 exemption through the Hazlewood Act received a $200 Pell Grant, that student could receive a Hazlewood exemption of $550. For more information you can go to the College for Texans Web site. |
| Question: |
Where do I get the documents required to prove eligibility? |
| Answer: |
The DD214 is issued to a veteran upon discharge from military duty; the Hazlewood Letter is obtained through the VA Regional Office; and the financial aid memo is obtained through the HSC Financial Aid Office. For children of Texas veterans, Form 1300 is obtained from the local or regional VA office. |
| Question: |
How long does it take to get approved for Hazlewood? |
| Answer: |
If the Hazlewood application is completed entirely and correctly, and if all documentation has been provided to support Hazlewood eligibility, a decision should be made prior to the payment deadline for the semester of interest. Failure to provide all necessary information or documentation, however, will delay the eligibility decision. |
| Question: |
What does Hazlewood cover, and what do I pay? |
| Answer: |
Basically, Hazlewood covers all tuition and certain fees. At the present time, it does not cover the Student Services Fee, Photo ID fee, etc. (Fees are subject to change without prior notice.) |
| Question: |
How many hours can I take each semester? |
| Answer: |
There is no limit to the number of hours per semester. |
| Question: |
How long can I use the exemption? |
| Answer: |
Up to a maximum of 150 credit hours earned, beginning Fall 1995. Credits earned prior to Fall 1995 do not apply to the 150 credit-hour limit. Remedial hours are counted against the 150-hour limit. |
| Question: |
Do I have to apply for the Hazlewood exemption each semester? |
| Answer: |
Yes, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board made the semestral submission of a complete, signed state-wide application mandatory for receipt of the Hazlewood tuition exemption effective February 2007. |
| Question: |
If I had the Hazlewood tuition exemption at another school, do I have to apply for it at UTHSCSA also? |
| Answer: |
Yes. Law requires all institutions to keep their own Hazlewood tuition exemption files. |
| Question: |
Is there a deadline to apply for the Hazlewood tuition exemption? |
| Answer: |
Apply no earlier than one month prior to first class day. The last day to accept Hazlewood Applications will be Census Date. |
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Resident Tuition for Veterans and dependents
- If you’re a service member who selected Texas as “Home of Record” upon entering the service, and officially changed your permanent residence to another state by submitting a form to the military, you’re considered a Texan for tuition-paying purposes.
- If you continue to be a Texas resident, you are eligible to pay the resident tuition rate at any public institution of higher education in Texas. This is true if you’re taking traditional classes while living in Texas, or stationed out of state or out of the country while taking classes via distance education.
- If you meet the conditions above, your spouse and dependent children are also Texas residents and eligible to pay the resident tuition rate at any public college or university in Texas—unless they have established or maintained a separate residence from you.
Documents you can use to prove Texas residence include:
- Papers from the military indicating Texas was your “Home of Record” at time of entry into service; and
- Leave and earnings statement showing Texas is still your permanent address with the military.