Texas Armed Services Scholarship (TASSP)

The Texas Armed Services Scholarship (TASSP), funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, was created to assist promising Texas students who are dedicated to both education and service. It encourages young leaders to participate in the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard, the Texas State Guard, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Merchant Marine, or to become commissioned officers in any branch of the armed services of the United States. Each year, the governor and the lieutenant governor may each appoint two students, while each state senator and state representative may appoint one student to receive a conditional TASSP award.

Scholarship award amounts will be determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in mid-September of each academic year. The amount of this scholarship may not exceed the difference between the cost of attendance and other forms of student assistance for which the student may be eligible.

For more information, please visit hhloans.com.

Eligibility for Nomination (meet two of the following four criteria)

Be on track to graduate high school in a Distinguished Achievement Program or International Baccalaureate program
Maintain a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
Be ranked in the top third of high school graduating class
Achieve an SAT score of 1070 or ACT score of 23

Eligibility for Award

To receive a scholarship, an appointed student must:
Be registered with Selective Service or be exempt
Be enrolled and in good standing in a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program or another undergraduate officer commissioning program as certified by the institution
Maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) as indicated by the financial aid office at the recipient’s institution of higher education
Enter into a written agreement with the THECB
Complete school-initiated TASSP application by October 15
Repay the scholarship if requirements are not met

If a student fails to meet the requirements to initially receive a scholarship or fails to complete the application process by October 15, the student forfeits the scholarship. The THECB will notify the legislative office of their nominee’s change in eligibility so that the legislator can submit an alternate student.

Conditions of Scholarship

The Coordinating Board requires a scholarship recipient to sign a promissory note acknowledging the conditional nature of the scholarship and promising to repay the amount of the scholarship plus applicable interest, late charges, and any collection costs, including attorneys’ fees, if the recipient fails to meet certain conditions of the scholarship.

Recipients agree to:

Either:
- Complete, or provide documentation of prior completion of, one year of ROTC training or the equivalent for each year that the student receives a scholarship. This includes if the institution of higher education awards ROTC credit for prior service in any branch of the U.S. Armed Services or the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast Guard, or United States Merchant Marine, or another officer commissioning program; or
- Provide documentation of acceptance into the officer commissioning program for the Texas State Guard, as defined by the Texas Government Code, Title 4, Section 437.001.
Graduate no later than six years after the date the student first enrolls in an institution of higher education after having received a high school diploma, a GED diploma, or its equivalent.
After graduation, enter into and provide the Coordinating Board with verification of one of the following:
- A four-year commitment to be a member of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast Guard, or United States Merchant Marine.
- A contract to serve as a commissioned officer in any branch of the armed services of the United States.
Meet the physical examination requirements and all other prescreening requirements of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast Guard, or United States Merchant Marine, or the branch of the armed services with which the student enters into a contract.
Maintain SAP as indicated by the financial aid office at the recipient’s institution of higher education.

If a recipient fails to meet the conditions of the scholarship, they cannot regain scholarship eligibility.

Loan Repayment Requirements

Once the scholarship is converted to a loan, the repayment requirements include:

The student will have a 6-month grace after the scholarship becomes a loan before repayment begins; however, interest begins to accrue on the date the scholarship is converted to a loan.
The TASSP loan has a 15-year repayment period and a required minimum monthly payment of $100 or an amount required to repay the loan within 15 years, whichever is greater.
The TASSP interest rate will be the same rate charged for a College Access Loan at the time the funds were disbursed.

Note: Students experiencing a medical disability or any type of financial hardship can apply for postponed or reduced payments and cancellation (medical disability only) of their TASSP loan either verbally or by submitting a General Postponement Request to the Coordinating Board.

Initial Application

You must be appointed by a state representative or state senator or by the Governor or Lieutenant Governor. The nomination letter from the nominator needs to be sent to Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) directly.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
ATTN: Loan Services
PO BOX 12788
Austin, TX 78711

Once the THECB receives the nomination they will send the student a confirmation of the nomination. Please send this confirmation from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to financialaid@odessa.edu. Estimated awards will be offered via the Financial Aid Portal in late summer of each year. Final award amounts may differ from the estimate and will be adjusted each year in mid-September after the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has released the annual award amount. Please monitor your Financial Aid Portal to accept the award and for steps to complete the application process via hhloans.com.

Renewal Application

You must complete a new application each year to receive TASSP. This process begins with an offer in the Financial Aid Portal and includes completing an application each year via hhloans.com. Renewal awards will be offered via the Financial Aid Portal in late summer of each year. Final award amounts may differ from the estimate and will be adjusted each year in mid-September after the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has released the annual award amount. Please monitor your Financial Aid Portal to accept the award and for steps to complete the application process.

Payment of TASSP Funds

Please note that funds from TASSP will not pay until the semester has already begun. This is due to the fact that the final award amount is not set by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board until mid-September and Odessa College must verify that TASSP recipients are enrolled in courses and in an ROTC program. Typically, the earliest funds will arrive to be disbursed to the student is in the beginning of October. Please plan your budget and bill payments accordingly.

Changing Graduation Date

If you need to update your graduation date, you should contact the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board directly - (800) 242-3062 (outside Austin) or (512) 427-6340 (inside Austin).

Graduating TASSP Students

Graduating TASSP students need to complete the Annual Certification/ Notice of Fulfillment form and provide the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) with a copy of your Military orders upon graduation. Each of the following years (for four years) this Annual Certification form needs to be completed and sent to THECB to show continuing eligibility.