Paying for College in Texas

Hey friends, I'm planning to stay in my home state of Texas for college. I was wondering which grants most Texas students use to help cover tuition costs. Any local insider tips are greatly appreciated!

Hello there! Many students in Texas utilize a variety of state-sponsored scholarships and grants to help offset the cost of their college tuition. Here are a few notable ones:

1. Texas Grant: The Toward EXcellence, Access, and Success (TEXAS) Grant is one of the most popular grants for in-state students. This grant is need-based, and you must be a Texas resident planning to attend a public university or community college to qualify.

2. Top 10% Scholarship: If you're in the top 10% of your graduating high school class, you might qualify for the Top 10% Scholarship program. This program is unique to Texas and aims to encourage students at the top of their class to attend in-state public colleges and universities.

3. TEOG: The Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program (TEOG) provides financial aid to students at Texas public two-year colleges who have demonstrated financial need.

4. College Access Loan (CAL) Program: If you still have unmet need after considering grants and federal aid, Texas offers its own low-interest loan program. It's not a grant per se but could be an important piece in your financial assistance puzzle.

In addition to these, remember to tackle some institution-specific scholarships offered at your chosen university. Texas has a lot of major public universities (like UT Austin, Texas A&M, etc.) and they often offer merit-based and need-based scholarships to their students.

Finally, FAFSA is pivotal in accessing some of the aid above, especially need-based ones. So, ensure you fill it out each year and keep an eye on the relevant deadlines.

As you can see, Texas provides a plethora of opportunities for in-state students to make college more affordable. I hope this helps you in your research and applications. Good luck!