Veterans

You may be able to pay for your children's college tuition with the Hazlewood exemption. The exemption waives tuition at state colleges and other state supported schools.
 
Below is information about the Act from the Texas Veteran Commission,http://www.tvc.state.tx.us/Hazlewood.html.
 
The Hazlewood Act provides qualified veterans, spouses, and children with an education benefit of up to 150 hours of tuition and fee exemptions at state supported colleges or universities. (Spouses only if the veteran is disabled or died.)
  • Effective with the fall 2009 term/semester, in order to be eligible to receive a Hazlewood Act Exemption, a veteran must:
  • Have been a Texas resident upon entry into the military, entered the service in the State of Texas, or declared Texas as his or her home of record;
  • Have a military discharge of honorable or general, under honorable conditions;
  • Served at least 181 days of active duty service (excluding training);
  • Not be in default on an education loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas and not in default on a federal loan if that default is the reason the student cannot use his or her federal veterans’ benefits. 
Additional information and requirements can be found in the following pamphlet: 
Hazlewood Act:  Frequently Asked Questions
 
Transferability of Benefits (Legacy Program)
  • Eligible veterans may assign unused hours of exemption eligibility to a child under certain conditions. To be eligible, the child must:
  • Be a Texas resident,
  • Be the biological child, stepchild, adopted child, or claimed as a dependent in the current or previous tax year,
  • Be 25 years or younger on the first day of the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed (unless granted an extension due to a qualifying illness or debilitating condition), and
  • Make satisfactory academic progress in a degree, certificate, or continuing education program as determined by the institution.
If a child to whom hours have been delegated fails to use all of the assigned hours, a veteran may re-assign the unused hours that are available to another dependent child.
 
Veterans' spouses are not eligible to receive a transfer of unused hours.
 
For a brochure listing other benefits available to veterans in Texas click here.