Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program
The Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program encourages you to complete a baccalaureate degree and become a member of one of these organizations:
- Texas Army National Guard
- Texas Air National Guard
- Texas State Guard
- United States Coast Guard
- United States Merchant Marine
- Become a commissioned officer in any branch of the armed services of the United States
Each year the governor and the lieutenant governor may each appoint two students, and each state senator and each state representative may appoint one student to receive an initial conditional scholarship award.
Program Specifics and Requirements
The amount of the award will be the lesser of:
- $15,000
- An amount not to exceed your cost of attendance minus the total amount you will earn for that academic year for being under contract with one of the branches of the armed services of the United States and any other financial assistance.
To be selected, you must meet two of these four academic criteria:
- Be on track to graduate or have graduated high school with the Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP), the distinguished level of achievement under the Foundation High School program, or the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program.
- Have a high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
- Have achieved a college readiness score on the SAT (1070) or ACT (23).
- Be ranked in the top one-third of the prospective high school graduating class.
The deadline for elected officials to submit nominations to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is typically the end of August.
To receive a scholarship, you must:
- Be registered with Selective Service or be exempt.
- Be enrolled and in good standing in a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program or another undergraduate officer commissioning program certified by UTEP.
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP).
- Enter into a written agreement with the THECB.
- Complete the application.
- Repay the scholarship if requirements are not met.
If you fail to meet the requirements to receive the scholarship or fail to complete the application process, you may forfeit the scholarship. The THECB will notify the legislative office of your change in eligibility and the legislator can submit an alternate student.
You may receive the scholarship for up to four years, or up to when you have earned a cumulative total of 150 credit hours, including transferred hours.
The THECB requires a scholarship recipient to sign a promissory note acknowledging the conditional nature of the scholarship and promising to repay the amount of the scholarship plus applicable interest, late charges, and any collection costs, including attorneys’ fees, if the recipient fails to meet certain conditions of the scholarship.
Recipients agree to:
- Complete four years of ROTC training or the equivalent of four years of ROTC training if the institution of higher education awards ROTC credit for prior service in any branch of the U.S. Armed Services or the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast Guard, or United States Merchant Marine, or another undergraduate officer commissioning program
- Graduate no later than six years after the date the student first enrolls in an institution of higher education after having received a high school diploma or a General Educational Diploma or its equivalent
- After graduation, enter into and provide the THECB with verification of one of the following:
- A four-year commitment to be a member of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast Guard, or United States Merchant Marine
- A contract to serve as a commissioned officer in any branch of the armed services of the United States
- Meet the physical examination requirements and all other prescreening requirements of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast Guard, or United States Merchant Marine, or the branch of the armed services with which the student enters into a contract
- Repay the scholarship according to the terms of the promissory note if the student fails to meet the requirements in the Conversion of a Scholarship to a Loan section
Conversion of a Scholarship to a Loan
A scholarship will become a loan if the recipient:
- Fails to maintain SAP
- Withdraws from the scholarship program, as indicated through withdrawal or removal from the institution or that institution’s ROTC program or other undergraduate officer commissioning program, without subsequent enrollment in another institution of higher education and that subsequent institution’s ROTC program or other undergraduate officer commissioning program
- Fails to fulfill one of the following:
- A four-year commitment to be a member of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast Guard, or United States Merchant Marine
- The minimum active service requirement included in a contract to serve as a commissioned officer in any branch of the armed services of the United States; honorable discharge is considered demonstration of fulfilling the minimum active service requirement
- Does not submit documentation of the contract or commitment to the THECB within twelve months of graduation with a baccalaureate degree; subsequently filing documentation will revert the loan back to a scholarship
If a scholarship is converted to a loan, the student:
- Cannot regain scholarship eligibility in a subsequent academic year
- Loses eligibility to receive any future scholarships through the program
Once the scholarship is converted to a loan, the repayment requirements include:
- The student will have a 6-month grace after the scholarship becomes a loan before repayment begins; however, interest begins to accrue on the date the scholarship is converted to a loan.
- The TASSP loan has a 15-year repayment period, and a required minimum monthly payment of $100 or an amount required to repay the loan within 15 years, whichever is greater.
- The TASSP interest rate will be the same rate charged for a College Access Loan at the time the funds were disbursed.
- If a past due payment amount is not received within 20 days of the scheduled due date, a past due penalty of 5 percent of the scheduled monthly payment or five dollars, whichever is less, will be charged.
Note: Students experiencing a medical disability, or any type of financial hardship can apply for postponed or reduced payments and cancellation (medical disability only) of their TASSP loan either verbally or by submitting a General Postponement Request to the THECB.
You must be appointed by a Texas Senator, Representative, the Lieutenant Governor, or the Governor. If you are interested and think you meet the program requirements, contact your Legislator for more information; you can find who your Legislator is at Who Represents Me.
If selected, you will receive a Notice of Selection email - you must submit this notice to our office via financialaid.utep.edu/upload, and we will certify your eligibility to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. That agency will email you instructions to complete the online application, it is very important that you look out for this email and complete the application promptly, or an alternate student will be selected.