Hazlewood
The Hazlewood Act, a benefit exclusively for Texas veterans, was named after Grady Hazlewood (1902-1989) who was a member of the Texas State Senate from 1941 to 1971, representing District 31 in the Panhandle. He was known as a shrewd and likable country lawyer adept at procuring passage of his bills. Senator Hazlewood worked for passage of legislation establishing the first program in any state that permitted tuition-free education at Texas colleges and universities for returning World War II veterans. Texas veterans have benefited from the Hazlewood Act ever since.
**TEXAS HAZLEWOOD ACT IS NOT RETROACTIVE TO PRIOR SEMESTERS**
All Hazlewood users must submit an initial application every semester unless otherwise notified. The application may be obtained here. You should also have your and the veteran's if a legacy recipient, Hazelwood hours printed from this
Use the information below to determine your path, download documents, and scan them as PDF documents as part of your MSSC online portal Certification Process
- At the time of entry into active duty of the U.S. Armed Forces:
- designated Texas as Home of Record
- or entered the service in Texas
- or was a Texas Resident
- Have received an honorable discharge or separation or a general discharge under honorable conditions as indicated on the Veteran's Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214)
- Served at least 181 days of active duty service(excluding training)
- Currently reside in Texas
- Have no federal Veteran's education benefits, or have no federal Veterans education benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only (such as Chapter 33 or 31; for term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of the Hazlewood benefits
- Not be in default on a student loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas
- Enroll in classes for which the college receives tax support (a course that does not depend solely on student tuition and fees to cover its cost), unless the college's governing board has ruled to let Veterans receive the benefit while taking non-funded courses
- Meet the GPA requirement of the institution's satisfactory academic progress policy in a degree or certificate program as determined by the institution's financial aid policy, and, as an undergraduate student, not be considered to have attempted an excessive amount of credit hours. /student-affairs/financialaid/eligibility/sap.html
To see what fees Hazlewood will cover and NOT cover, as well as other policies regarding Hazlewood please see Hazlewood Policies
Required Documents
- Be classified by the institution as a Texas resident
- Be the biological child, step-child, adopted child, or claimed as a dependent in the current or previous tax year
- Be 25 years old 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
- Meet the GPA requirement of the institution's satisfactory academic progress policy in a degree or certificate program as determined by the institution's financial aid policy and, as an undergraduate student, not be considered to have attempted an excessive amount of credit hours. /student-affairs/financialaid/eligibility/sap.html
- Legacy recipients will receive an exemption for the number of degree certified hours reported by the institution for that term or semester. Maximum degree certified hours awarded to the Legacy recipient will be dependent upon the degree or certificate program in which the student is enrolled for that term or semester and shall be consistent with the program length as defined within the school catalog as approved by the regional accreditation commission
To see what fees Hazlewood will cover and NOT cover, as well as other policies regarding Hazlewood please see Hazlewood Policies
Required Documents
- Be a spouse or child of a Veteran who, at the time of entry into the U.S. Armed Forces:
- be classified by the institution as a Texas resident
- designated Texas as Home of Record
- entered the service in Texas
- Be a spouse or child of a Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces or the Texas National Guard who died as a result of service-related injuries or illness, is missing in action, or became totally disabled (100%) as a result of a service-related injury or illness or is entitled to receive a compensation at the 100% rate due to individual unemployability (IU) due to a permanent service connected injury or illness
- Have no federal Veterans education benefits, or have no federal Veterans education benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only (such as Chapter 33 or 31; for term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits
- Be classified by the institution as a Texas resident
- Meet the GPA requirement of the institution's satisfactory academic progress policy in a degree or certificate program as determined by the institution's financial aid policy and, as an undergraduate student, not be considered to have attempted an excessive amount of credit hours. This requirement does not apply to the spouse or child of a MIA, KIA, or service connected deceased Veteran.
To see what fees Hazlewood will cover and NOT cover, as well as other policies regarding Hazlewood please see Hazlewood Policies