Paying for College

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It's a free form that students can complete before each year of college to apply for federal student aid, which includes grants, loans, and work-study. Colleges also use FAFSA data to determine students' eligibility for federal aid, and many states and colleges use it to award their own financial aid packages. 

 

To apply for federal student aid, students must complete the FAFSA on time and meet basic eligibility requirements, such as financial need. The federal deadline for submitting the FAFSA for the 2024–2025 school year is June 30, 2025, and for the 2023–2024 school year it was June 30, 2024. It's important to understand both the federal and state deadlines to avoid missing out on opportunities to qualify for aid. 

 

 

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Students who are classified by the institution as a Texas Resident who cannot apply for federal financial aid, using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), are encouraged to complete the TASFA. To see if you qualify for the FAFSA, please visit www.studentaid.gov. Visit your college/university’s website for specific information regarding TASFA before completing the application. Do not complete both the FAFSA and TASFA. 

 

 

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A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need, research experience or specific professional experience. Scholarship criteria usually reflect the values and goals of the donor of the award, and while scholarship recipients are not required to repay scholarships, the awards may require that the recipient continue to meet certain requirements during their period of support, such as maintaining a minimum grade point average or engaging in a certain activity (e.g., playing on a school sports team for athletic scholarship holders).