Office of Student Financial Assistance

The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) provides up to $750 for the first year of undergraduate study and up to $1,300 for the second year of undergraduate study.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• You must be a Federal Pell Grant recipient for the same award year.
• You must be enrolled at least half-time in a degree program.
• You must be a first-year or second-year undergraduate student or a student in a certificate program of at least one year in a degree program at a two-year or four-year degree granting institution.
• You must have completed a rigorous secondary school program of study.
• If you are a first-year student — not have been enrolled in an ACG-eligible program while at or below age of compulsory school attendance; or
• If you are a second-year student — have at least a cumulative 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale as of the end of the first year of undergraduate study.

Note: See also the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant.

For a full list of details and information about the ACG, click here.

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is for undergraduates enrolled at least half-time on the census date with exceptional financial need. You can receive between $100 and $4,000 a year, depending on when you apply, your financial need, and available University funding.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• You must be enrolled at least half-time in an undergraduate degree program.
• You must demonstrate exceptional financial need.

For a full list of details and information about the FSEOG, click here.

The Islander Guarantee is a financial support program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi that guarantees payment for full tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate students from lower-income families. As long as the student remains eligible, the Islander Guarantee program will pay these costs for up to eight regular semesters.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be a United States citizen and a Texas resident.
• You must be a dependent or independent undergraduate from a family that has a household income of $30,000 or less.
• You must meet the University's admission requirements and gain admission.
• You must be Pell Grant eligible.
• You must complete a full-time course load of at least 15 hours a semester in fall and spring and maintain a cumulative 2.5 grade point average.

For a full list of details and information about the Islander Guarantee, click here.

The Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) Program assists States in providing student aid programs for eligible students pursuing their postsecondary education and who have substantial financial need. The student aid programs can be in the form of grants or community service work-study employment. These State programs carry a variety of names which do not necessarily include the words Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership as part of the program title. The state programs are operational in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Special Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (SLEAP) Program is an additional component of the LEAP Program. To participate in this program, a State must also participate in the LEAP Program. Additionally, the SLEAP Program must be administered by the same state educational agency that administers its LEAP Program. The SLEAP Program assists States in providing student aid programs for eligible students pursuing their postsecondary education and who have substantial financial need. The student aid programs can be in the form of supplemental grants, supplemental community service work-study employment, or merit and academic achievement or critical career scholarships.

For a full list of details and information about LEAP/SLEAP, click here.

Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or a professional degree. Pell Grants are considered a foundation of federal financial aid, to which aid from other federal and nonfederal sources might be added. The maximum amount can change each award year and depends on program funding. The amount you get, though, will depend not only on your financial need, but also on your costs to attend school, your status as a full-time or part-time student, and your plans to attend school for a full academic year or less.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• You must be enrolled at least half-time in an undergraduate degree program.
• You must demonstrate financial need.

For a full list of details and information about the Pell Grant, click here.

The National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant is available during the third and fourth years of undergraduate study (or fifth year of a five-year program) to at least half-time students who are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant and meet certain academic criteria. A National SMART Grant will provide up to $4,000 for each of the third and fourth years of undergraduate study.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• You must be Pell Grant-eligible during the same award year
• You must be enrolled at least half-time
• You must be in the third or fourth year of an undergraduate degree program (or fifth year of a five-year program)
• You must be pursuing a major in physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, engineering or a critical foreign language; or non-major single liberal arts programs
• You must have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale as of the end of the second award year and continue to maintain a 3.0 GPA that must be checked prior to the beginning of each payment period (e.g., semester).

Note: See also the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG).

For a full list of details and information about the SMART Grant, click here.

The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) Grant is offered to eligible students to help make up the difference between college costs and what a family can be expected to contribute through income, savings, loans, and student earnings.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must demonstrate exceptional financial need.
• You must be enrolled at least half-time in an undergraduate degree program.

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants of up to $4,000 per year to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.
• You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• You must be enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student.
• You must be enrolled in course work that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such course work. Such course work may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher).
• You must meet certain academic achievement requirements (generally, scoring above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test or maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25).
• You must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (see the link provided below for more information).

For a full list of details and information about the TEACH Grant, click here.

The Towards EXcellence, Access and Success (TEXAS) Grant was established to make sure that well-prepared high school graduates with financial need could go to college. The award amount (including state and institutional funds) is equal to your tuition and required fees.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be a Texas resident.
• You must not have been convicted of a felony or crime involving a controlled substance.
• You must demonstrate exceptional financial need.
• You must have an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) less than or equal to $4,000.
• You must register for the Selective Service or are exempt from this requirement.
• You must be a graduate of an accredited high school in Texas not earlier than the 1998-99 school year.
• You must complete the Recommended High School Program or Distinguished Achievement Program in high school.
• You must enroll within 16 months of graduation from a public or accredited private high school in Texas, AND
• You must have accumulated no more than 30 semester credit hours, excluding those earned for dual or concurrent courses or awarded for credit by examination (AP, IB or CLEP)., OR
• You must have earned an associate degree from a public technical, state or community college in Texas and and enroll no more than 12 months after receiving your associate's degree.

For a full list of details and information about the TEXAS Grant, click here.

The 80th Texas legislature created the Top 10 Percent Scholarship to encourage students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school class to attend a Texas public institution of higher education. Qualifying students who submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 1 and have financial need are entitled to receive a $2,000 scholarship if they enroll full-time. Students who submit their FAFSA after April 1 will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until available funds have been spent.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be a Texas resident.
• You must demonstrate financial need.
• You must complete a FAFSA and file by April 1.
• You must complete a Recommended or Distinguished Achievement HS curriculum.
• You must rank in the top 10 percent of your class.
• You must graduate from an accredited high school in Texas.
• You must enroll full-time.

• Complete 30 semester credit hours (SCH) in the previous year.
• Maintain cumulative 3.25 GPA.
• Complete at least 75% of hours attempted.

For a full list of details and information about the Top 10% Scholarship, click here.

The Texas Public Education Grant (TPEG) is designed to help students cover their tuition, fees, and textbook costs when these expenses exceed the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) reported on their Student Aid Report (SAR).

Eligibility Requirements

• You must demonstrate financial need.
• You must register for the Selective Service or are exempt from this requirement.
• You must be enrolled at least half-time as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student.

For a full list of details and information about the TPEG, click here.