If your heart’s desire is to attend a university or college in Texas, like Rice, University of Texas at Austin, or Texas A&M, you have likely also looked into the cost. According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, as of 2016, the average gap that students had in being able to pay for the cost of their education was in the range of $7,000 to almost $9,000. This figure is dependent upon whether you plan on attending a public or private institution of higher learning.
How can you cover that gap? The best way and the recommended way is to come up with as much scholarship and grant money as possible. The goal is to avoid crippling student debt.
FAFSA
Anyone who desires grants or scholarship funds for higher education needs to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. It is administered by the federal government. They will ask for your financial information and your family’s, if you are a dependent student. They will decide upon the figure you need to supplement your own resources. This is what you are eligible to receive in grants, scholarships and loans.
Texas State Grants
It is always best to begin with whatever grants your state offers. In the case of Texas, they are need-based. Sadly, they are first-come, first-serve, so you need to apply right on October 1, when you are first eligible. The FAFSA suffices for your application for the grants. If you are eligible, the maximum amount of the Toward Excellence, Access and Success Grant Program grant is currently $9,792 per year. The Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program is solely for students at community colleges and is currently at a maximum award per student of $5,876 yearly. There is also the Tuition Equalization Grant Program that is specifically for students who are attending private colleges and universities. The maximum amount for the TEG is dependent upon if you have an exceptional need or not.
Texas also has grants for teaching program candidates, students in the military, fifth-year accounting students and students who are maturing out of the foster care system. Here is a full list of the diverse scholarship and grant offerings in the state of Texas.
Federal Pell Grant
For undergraduates and teaching certificate candidates, there is a federal grant program for students who have “exceptional” need called the Pell Grant. The maximum award per student is $6,195 for the 2019 to 2020 school year. As in the state grants, your FAFSA serves as the only application you need. Your school will decide, based upon federal and state guidelines, which grant or scholarship you will receive.
Other Scholarship Sources
The following are three of the best websites that list a variety of scholarships:
U.S. News and World Report Scholarship Listings