Description of Tuition and Fee Exemptions and Waivers

TUITION & FEES EXEMPTIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS

Students eligible for any of the following fee exemptions or adjustments must contact the office under which they are listed below PRIOR to payment of tuition and fees to complete and/or provide the required documentation. If an exemption is not listed below, please see the Business Office.

Senate Bill (SB) 1210 (83rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session) adds a Grade Point Average requirement for persons to receive continuation awards through the exemption programs. If a student is on Financial Aid suspension due to not maintaining the required GPA the student will not be eligible for the exemption. The Bill also establishes a limit to the number of attempted hours a student has taken. If a student is in excessive hours the student may not continue to receive the exemption. Some exemptions per SB 1210 are exempt for this requirement and are noted below on those exemptions.

EXEMPTIONS

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE OFFICE

• Adopted Students Formerly in Foster or Other Residential Care – Tuition and fees exemptions. Exempt from the SB 1210 requirement.  A student must submit the Texas Department of Family Protective Services Form 1810 to the Accounts Receivable Office.
• Texas Blind or Deaf – Tuition and fees exempted. Texas Residents with a vision-related disability are determined eligible by Vocational Rehabilitation Services Offices through the Texas Workforce Commission.  Texas Residents with a hearing disability are determined eligible by Texas Health and Human Services.  If eligible the approving agency will provide a certification that will be submitted to the Accounts Receivable Office.
• Children of Disabled or Deceased Firemen, Peace Officers, Game Wardens and Employees of Correctional Institution – exempted from tuition and mandatory fees for the first 120 undergraduate semester credit hours.  Employer and Student must submit documentation to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) that will be reviewed for eligibility.  If the student is eligible the THECB will email an official Eligibility Determination Letter to the student.
• Distance Fee Waiver – Registered in 100% online courses for which each course is assessed a Distance Education Fee and live more than 100 miles from the Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi campus. An application must be submitted by the deadline. The fee that will be waived is Health Services Fee. A student who is approved to receive the waiver will not have access the services provided by the fee waived. Exempt from the SB 1210 requirement.
• Highest Ranking High School Graduate – Tuition exempted for only two semesters of first regular session following high school graduation. Must be the highest ranking graduate of an accredited high school in the State of Texas.  The student must provide a copy of the document received indicating they are the highest ranking high school graduate to the Accounts Receivable Office.
• Peace Officers and Firefighters Disabled in the Line of Duty – Tuition and fees exempted for not more than 12 semesters or sessions.
• Peace Officers Enrolled in Criminal Justice Courses – Tuition for CRIJ courses only. Documentation must be received on or before the deadline, as required by law no application will be accepted after the deadline. The student must submit a Proof of Employment letter each term from their employer.  The letter must be on agency/organization’s official letterhead. It must include the student’s name, student ID number, and reference in the subject line: ‘Peace Officer Tuition Exemption’. The letter must clearly state the student’s active employment status. It must be signed by someone in the Human Resources Department of your organization.
• Students under Conservatorship of Department of Family and Protective Services – Tuition and fees exempted. Exempt from the SB 1210 requirement. A student must submit the Texas Department of Family Protective Services Form 1810 to the Accounts Receivable Office.
• Surviving Spouse and Minor Children of Certain Deceased Public Servants (Employees) – Tuition and Fees exempted, provide allowance for textbooks, on-campus housing and meal plan. Must be enrolled full-time as an undergraduate student, cannot have received a bachelor’s degree and cannot have attempted more than 200 semester credit hours.
• Senior Citizens (over 65), Auditing Classes – Tuition and Fees exempt for up to 6 semester credit hours per semester for audited courses, does not include course specific fees.

OFFICE OF STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

• Good Neighbor Scholarship – (for students from other nations of the American Hemisphere) – Tuition exempted.

COLLEGE OF NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES

• Children of Professional Nursing Program Faculty and Staff – Tuition only
• Clinical Preceptors and Their Children – Tuition only, not to exceed $500

 VETERANS OFFICE

• Hazelwood Veteran – All mandatory fees exempted except for student service fee and field trip fees (does not exempt optional fees such as parking fees).
• Hazelwood Spouse/Child (100% disabled) – All mandatory fees exempted except for student service fee and field trip fees (does not exempt optional fees such as parking fees).
• Hazelwood Child (Legacy Act) – All mandatory fees exempted except for student service fee and field trip fees (does not exempt optional fees such as parking fees).
• Children of U.S. Military who are Missing in Action or Prisoners of War – Tuition and fees exempted. 

WAIVERS 

A Waiver is the adjustment of Out-of-State Statutory Tuition rate to the Texas Resident Statutory Tuition Rate

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE OFFICE

• Economic Development and Diversification Waiver – Non-residents whose family relocated to Texas due to employment by a business or organization certified by the Texas Department of Commerce as Participating in the states program for Economic Development and diversification
• National Laboratory Waiver – A person, or the person's dependent, is entitled to pay resident statutory tuition rate when enrolled in an institution of The Texas A&M University System if the person is employed by a national laboratory with whom the board has entered into a management and operation agreement or academic affiliation agreement.
• Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan – A non-resident student who has the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan is entitled to pay resident rate.
• Registered Nurses Enrolled in Postgraduate Nursing Degree Programs – Non-residents who are registered nurses, are authorized to practice professional nursing in Texas, enroll in a program designed to lead to a master’s degree or other higher degree in nursing and intend to teach in a program in Texas designed to prepare students for licensure as registered nurses may be eligible to pay resident rate. 

OFFICE OF STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

• Mexican Citizens with Financial Need – Non-residents who are citizens of Mexico and demonstrate financial need. To apply a student will complete the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) that is located on the Financial Aid Office's website.

SCHOLARSHIP OFFICE

• Competitive Scholarship – This waiver is only available for recipients of University scholarships for $1000 or greater in competition open both to residents and to nonresident students. Due to a limited number of available waivers a scholarship waiver committee determines the recipients of this waiver. The student must meet all requirements of the scholarship prior to the waiver being posted to their account.

OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES

• Teaching or Research Assistant of Higher Education Institutions – To be entitled to pay resident statutory tuition, the employee must be employed on at least a one-half time basis in a position related to degree being pursued and enrolled full time.

HUMAN RESOURCES

• College Faculty and their Dependents – Must be employed at least half-time on a regular monthly salary basis.  The In-State Tuition Request Form (Certification of Employment) to apply for this waiver is located on the Human Resources website. This form must be complete every semester to certify that the faculty member still meets the requirement for the waiver.

VETERANS OFFICE

• Military: Assigned to Duty in Texas – Active-duty military non-residents and their dependents are entitled to pay resident statutory tuition rate while they are stationed in Texas.
• Veterans: Intent is to Make Texas Home– eligible to pay resident statutory tuition rate for one year and then must complete the Residency Questionnaire to change status to Texas Resident.