What is it?
Financial aid is based on the premise that you, and in the case of dependent students, your parents are primarily responsible for providing for your educational expenses, and it is intended to supplement student and family contributions toward educational costs. Financial aid comes from many sources, including federal and state government, private organizations, and Texas Southern University’s institutional funds. These funds consist of grants, scholarships, federal work-study, subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, and parent loans.
Who is eligible?
Texas Southern uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine your financial need and eligibility for various programs.
Our general eligibility requirements are that you must
- demonstrate financial need (for most programs);
- be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
- have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau);
- be registered with Selective Service, if you’re a male (you must register between the ages of 18 and 25);
- be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program;
- be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan Program funds;
- maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school;
- sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) stating that you are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe money on a federal student grant and you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes; and
- show you’re qualified to obtain a college or career school education by
- having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate; or
- completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law (or—if state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a completion credential—completing a high school education in a homeschool setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law);
Your financial aid award is designed to meet as much of your financial need and eligibility as possible and is determined by your need level as determined by the FAFSA, and by the availability of funds. Texas Southern offers merit-based scholarships, as well as need and non-need based financial aid. For a complete list of federal eligibility requirements, visit the Federal Student Aid website.
