Texas student and vocational grants: TEXAS Grant, TEOG, TEG and WIOA (2026-27)

Which Texas grant matches your type of college

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Source: THECB FY 2027 memo and guidelines ⁠¹⁠². Colleges may award less than the maximum, and THECB still encourages a TEXAS Grant target of $2,500 per semester ($7,500 a year) ⁠¹.

All three grants require Texas resident status as determined by the college. That generally means 12 months of living in Texas before the term, and lawful presence in the U.S. is also required ⁠¹. Other rules apply to all three. Men must file a Selective Service statement. Anyone more than 30 days behind on court-ordered child support is barred from state grants and loans ⁠¹. Financial need is your cost of attendance minus your Student Aid Index (SAI) ⁠¹.

TEXAS Grant in 2026-27: new guarantees for top-25% and TEOG-transfer students

The TEXAS Grant is limited to students in a bachelor’s program who have not earned a bachelor’s degree and who enroll at least three-quarter time. To get a first-year award you must qualify through one of four pathways ⁠¹:

• High school: enroll within 16 months of graduating from a Texas high school, with no more than 30 attempted college hours, not counting dual credit. Under House Bill 3041, homeschool graduates qualify starting in FY 2027.
• TEOG transfer: you received a first-year TEOG in fall 2014 or later and completed 24 or more hours with at least a 2.5 GPA.
• Associate degree: enroll within 12 months of earning an associate degree from a Texas public or nonprofit college.
• Military: enroll within 12 months of an honorable discharge, if you enlisted within 12 months of Texas high school graduation.

The biggest change this year comes from new rules adopted April 28, 2026 and effective May 13, 2026. Universities must now offer a TEXAS Grant to two groups of eligible first-year students. The first is students who graduated in the top 25% of their class in the last two years, have an SAI at or below $6,478, and filed a FAFSA or TASFA by June 1. The second is TEOG-pathway transfers with an SAI at or below $6,478 ⁠¹. Renewal students still have first claim on the money. After that come the two guaranteed groups, then students with the greatest need ⁠¹.

To renew after your second year, you need 24 completed hours in the most recent year and a 2.5 cumulative GPA. The grant ends after 150 attempted hours or 5 years (6 for longer degree plans). For students who entered through the associate-degree pathway, the limit is 3 or 4 years ⁠¹. A felony or controlled-substance conviction disqualifies you until two years after discharge or probation, or until a pardon or expunction ⁠¹.

TEOG for certificates and associate degrees at public two-year colleges

TEOG is the state grant most relevant to vocational students. It covers students enrolled at least half time in an associate degree or a certificate program, including Level 1 and Level 2 certificates and Occupational Skills Awards ⁠¹. Avocational and non-credit continuing education courses do not count ⁠¹. You must start TEOG within your first 45 attempted credit hours. It then lasts up to 4 years or 75 attempted hours, and the 75-hour limit on hours paid by TEOG has no hardship exception ⁠¹. To renew after your second year, you need a 75% completion rate and a 2.5 GPA ⁠¹.

Two-year colleges must offer TEOG to eligible first-year students who graduated in the top 25% of their class within the last two years and have an SAI at or below $6,478 ⁠¹. The January 15 state priority deadline does not apply to TEOG, but colleges still award it until the money runs out ⁠¹. If you plan to finish a bachelor’s degree, completing 24 hours with a 2.5 GPA on TEOG opens the TEXAS Grant transfer pathway described above ⁠¹.

TEG at private nonprofit colleges: the lowest of three caps

TEG pays undergraduate and graduate students attending at least three-quarter time at private nonprofit colleges such as Baylor, St. Mary’s or Texas Wesleyan ⁠¹. Your award is the lowest of three amounts ⁠¹:

1. Your financial need.
2. $4,270, or $6,405 if you are an undergraduate with an SAI of $3,697.50 or less (half of the $7,395 Pell maximum).
3. The tuition differential. This is your private tuition minus the average public tuition rate for comparable schools ($79 to $262 per undergraduate credit hour in 2026-27) times your credit hours.

Students on athletic scholarships cannot receive TEG. Undergraduates lose eligibility after 5 years, or 6 years for longer programs ⁠¹.

TASFA for Texas residents who cannot file the FAFSA

The Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) is for students who are classified as Texas residents but cannot complete the FAFSA. It counts for TEXAS Grant, TEOG, TEG and Texas College Work-Study, but not for federal aid ⁠¹⁠³. Do not file both forms ⁠¹. THECB now runs TASFA online. The 2027-28 TASFA opened October 1, 2026, and colleges receive completed TASFAs through daily files ⁠³⁠⁴. The last day to file the 2026-27 TASFA is June 30, 2027 ⁠³. Have your W-2s and tax transcripts ready, plus your parents’ or spouse’s if they apply to you ⁠³. Note that residency now requires lawful presence. If your college cannot classify you as a resident, the TASFA cannot make you eligible for state grants ⁠¹.

Pell and Workforce Pell at Texas colleges in 2026-27

The federal Pell Grant is the base layer under every Texas grant. For July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 it ranges from $740 to $7,395 ⁠⁶. A new rule applies from the 2026-27 award year: you lose Pell eligibility if non-federal grants and scholarships equal or exceed your cost of attendance ⁠⁸.

Workforce Pell has paid for short programs since July 1, 2026. A program qualifies if it runs 8 to 14 weeks with 150 to 599 clock hours, has completion and job placement rates of at least 70%, is certified by the governor, and is approved by the U.S. Department of Education ⁠⁷. Unlike regular Pell, people who already have a bachelor’s degree can receive it. Direct Loans and federal work-study are not available for these programs, but WIOA funding can be combined with Workforce Pell ⁠⁷. In Texas, THECB reviews programs before the governor certifies them ⁠⁵. As of October 2026, its page lists these federally approved programs ⁠⁵:

The THECB institutional application window is currently closed, so more programs depend on future rounds ⁠⁵.

Workforce Solutions offices and WIOA Individual Training Accounts

Adults and dislocated workers who want training paid for apply through a Texas Workforce Solutions office run by one of the Texas Workforce Commission’s 28 local workforce development boards ⁠¹⁰⁠¹². You get WIOA training money through an Individual Training Account (ITA). An ITA pays only for a program on the statewide Eligible Training Provider List (or an out-of-state program the board approves), and the money goes straight to the training provider ⁠¹⁰. Each board can cap how much an ITA pays and how long the training lasts. No WIOA training money is available until the board approves and issues the ITA ⁠¹⁰. Federal rules let boards limit WIOA training funds to people who cannot get other grant aid, such as Pell, or who need more than it covers. Funds can also run out partway through a program year ⁠¹¹. Ask your board for its current ITA cap and list of targeted occupations, because these differ around the state.

Nursing and FORWARD money for high-demand fields

The Nursing Students Scholarship pays students with financial need who are enrolled at least half time in a professional or vocational nursing program ⁠¹. The per-semester maximum is the TEXAS Grant or TEOG amount for your school type, or $3,203 at private institutions, and it can be combined with TEXAS Grant or TEOG ⁠¹. The FORWARD Loan is a repayable loan, not a grant. It is for programs in nursing and patient care, teaching, technology, transportation and logistics, and energy that you can finish within two years. It carries a fixed 4.30% rate, and payments are based on income over up to 10 years ⁠⁹.

Filing for 2027-28 in Texas, step by step

1. Pick the right form

   If you are eligible for federal aid, file the 2027-28 FAFSA. If you are a Texas resident who cannot file it, use the online TASFA, which opened October 1, 2026 ⁠³. Never file both ⁠¹.

2. Beat January 15, 2027

   Public universities must use January 15 as the state priority deadline. Filing by then does not guarantee a grant, but late filers rank behind similar students ⁠¹. If you are a top-25% graduate, file by June 1, 2027 at the latest to keep the TEXAS Grant guarantee ⁠¹.

3. Finish your residency file

   Answer the Core Residency Questions in ApplyTexas or on your college’s form, and sign the Selective Service statement if required ⁠¹.

4. Answer the college’s verification requests

   The aid office confirms your SAI, enrollment level (three-quarter time for TEXAS Grant and TEG, half time for TEOG) and, for TEXAS Grant and TEOG, the conviction statement before it pays any money ⁠¹.

5. Read the award letter

   The state grant appears with Pell. At public colleges, TEXAS Grant and TEOG recipients must have any tuition and required fees the grant does not cover paid from other non-loan aid ⁠¹.

6. For short-term training, visit Workforce Solutions

   Bring proof of identity, income and work history, choose a program on the Eligible Training Provider List, and ask whether it is also approved for Workforce Pell ⁠⁵⁠¹⁰.

7. Appeal or reapply

   If you lose a grant for academic progress, ask about the college’s written hardship policy. Otherwise you can regain TEXAS Grant or TEOG by completing one semester without the grant while meeting all the requirements ⁠¹.