SECTION 22.228. Eligible Students

(a) To qualify for an initial year grant, a person who graduates from high school must:

(1) be enrolled in a medical or dental unit or general academic teaching institution other than public state colleges;

(2) be a resident of Texas;

(3) meet financial need requirements established by the Board;

(4) have applied for any available financial aid assistance;

(5) meet applicable standards outlined in Subchapter A of this Chapter; and

(6) Except as provided under §22.231 of this title (relating to Hardship Provisions), to receive an initial year grant, an otherwise eligible person must enroll in a baccalaureate degree program at an eligible public institution on at least a three-quarter time basis as:

(A) an entering undergraduate student not later than the end of the 16th month after the calendar month in which the person graduated from high school; or

(B) an entering undergraduate student who entered military service not later than the first anniversary of the date of high school graduation and enrolled in an eligible public institution no later than 12 months after being released from active duty military service with an Honorable Discharge, General Discharge under Honorable Conditions, or Honorable Separation or Release from Active Duty, as documented by the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD214) issued by the Department of Defense;

(C) a continuing undergraduate student not later than the end of the 12th month after the calendar month in which the student received an associate degree; or

(D) a continuing undergraduate student who has:

(i) previously attended a public institution;

(ii) received an initial Texas Educational Opportunity Grant under Subchapter M of this Chapter for the 2014 fall semester or a subsequent semester;

(iii) completed at least 24 semester credit hours at any public institution(s) or private institution(s);

(iv) earned an overall grade point average of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on all course work previously attempted; and

(v) has never previously received a TEXAS Grant.

(b) Continuation Grants. To receive a continuation grant through the TEXAS Grant Program, a student must:

(1) have previously received an initial year grant through this program;

(2) show financial need in the semester(s) in which a TEXAS Grant is offered;

(3) be enrolled at least three-quarter time in the semester(s) in which a TEXAS Grant is offered unless granted a hardship waiver of this requirement under §22.231 of this title;

(4) be enrolled in a baccalaureate program at the eligible public institution;

(5) make satisfactory academic progress towards a baccalaureate degree at the eligible public institution, as defined in §22.229 of this title (relating to Satisfactory Academic Progress);

(6) meet applicable standards outlined in Subchapter A of this Chapter; and

(7) if a student's eligibility was based on the expectation that the student would complete a high school diploma or associate degree in time to meet the requirements for Program eligibility, and the student failed to do so, then, in order to resume eligibility, such a student must:

(A) receive an associate degree;

(B) meet all other qualifications for a TEXAS Grant;

(C) if required to do so by the institution through which the TEXAS Grant was made, repay the amount of the TEXAS Grant that was previously received; and

(D) enroll in a higher-level undergraduate degree program in an eligible public institution not later than the 12th month after the month the student received an associate degree.

Source Note: The provisions of this §22.228 adopted to be effective August 16, 2004, 29 TexReg 7988; amended to be effective November 28, 2005, 30 TexReg 7869; amended to be effective May 21, 2008, 33 TexReg 3952; amended to be effective March 2, 2009, 34 TexReg 1431; amended to be effective February 26, 2013, 38 TexReg 1161; amended to be effective February 26, 2014, 39 TexReg 1143; amended to be effective November 22, 2020, 45 TexReg 8340