Hazlewood Act

Hazlewood

The Hazlewood Act is a State of Texas benefit that provides qualified Veterans, spouses, and dependent children with an education benefit of up to 150 hours of tuition exemption, including most fee charges, at public institutions of higher education in Texas. The service member must have entered military service in Texas, designated Texas as their home of record, or been a Texas resident at the time of entry. It must be reflected on your DD-214. The Hazlewood Act will NOT cover the Student Service Fee, Living Expenses, Books, Supplies, Parking or any miscellaneous fees.

Important: If the student is in default on their student loans, they are not able to use Hazlewood until they are out of default. If this applies to you, please contact the U.S. Department of Education at (800) 621-3115.

Hazlewood - Veteran

A Veteran must:

At the time of entry into active duty the U.S. Armed Forces, designated Texas as Home of Record; or entered the service in Texas; or was a Texas resident, which will be shown on the Veterans DD-214.
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);
Not be in default on a student loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas.

If you have completed your registration for your classes, click here to apply as the Veteran. In the link provided, please fill out the forms then attach the required supporting documents.

Hazlewood - Legacy

Eligible Veterans may assign unused hours of exemption eligibility to a child under certain conditions

To qualify, a child (legacy recipient) must:

Be classified by the institution as a Texas resident.
Be the biological child, stepchild, 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); and

If you have completed your registration for your classes, click here to apply as the Legacy Child. In the link provided, please fill out the forms then attach the required supporting documents.

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. *If a child to whom hours have been delegated fails to use all the assigned hours, a Veteran may re-assign the unused hours that are available to another child. Only one child will use Hazlewood Legacy benefits at a time.

Hazlewood - Disability (Spouse or Child)

Spouses and dependent children of eligible Veterans who became totally disabled for purposes of employability as a result of a service-related injury or illness are entitled to each receive their own 150 credit hours of exemption. Two children can use Hazlewood Disability benefits at the same time.

To qualify, the spouse or child must:

Be the spouse or child of a Veteran who meets the Hazlewood Act eligibility requirements and has a VA disability rating of 100% total and permanent service-connected disability.
Be classified by the institution as a Texas resident for the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed.
The spouse or child is not required to enroll in a minimum course load.
Meet all other applicable Hazlewood Act eligibility requirements, including the Veteran’s qualifying Texas service connection and applicable federal education benefit restrictions.

If you have completed your registration for your classes, click here to apply as a spouse or dependent child for Disability. In the link provided, please fill out the forms then attach the required supporting documents.

Hazlewood - Deceased Veteran, KIA or MIA (Spouse or Child)

To qualify, the spouse or child must:

Be the spouse or child of an eligible service member who was killed in action, died while in service, or is classified as missing in action (MIA). The service member must have entered military service in Texas, designated Texas as their home of record, or been a Texas resident at the time of entry.
Be classified by the institution as a Texas resident for the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed.
Meet the applicable Hazlewood Act requirements, including federal education benefit restrictions and other institutional eligibility requirements.

If you have completed your registration for your classes, click here to apply as a spouse or dependent child of a Deceased Veteran. In the link provided, please fill out the forms then attach the required supporting documents.

Required Dependency Forms

Biological Child: The child's Birth Certificate with the Veterans name listed as one of the parents.
Step Child: The child’s birth certificate listing the biological parent AND the marriage certificate confirming that the biological parent is legally married to the Veteran.
Adopted Child: The child's adoption paperwork.
Tax Dependent: IRS Tax form showing the guardian claimed the child as a dependent.
Spouse: A Marriage Certificate showing they are married to the Veteran.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Requirements

Hazlewood recipients are required to meet the GPA and excessive hour requirement of their institution's satisfactory academic progress policy in a degree or certificate program as determined by the institution's financial aid policy. Sec. 54.2001 of the Texas Education code states that any veteran or veteran’s dependent that fails to meet their institutions (Texas Southern University) Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements after one full academic year (Fall and Spring semesters), will placed on probation for the upcoming academic year. While on probation, the veteran and/or veteran’s dependent will be eligible for Hazlewood benefits. However, if failure to meet academic standards continues while on probation, the veteran and/or veteran’s dependent will be required to submit a Hazlewood Appeal if they wish to apply for Hazlewood benefits going forward. The Hazelwood Appeal will be required and must be APPROVED each year benefits are applied for until Satisfactory Academic Progress has been reestablished. The standards are as follows:

Satisfactory Academic Progress
Total Undergraduate Hours	Qualitative	Quantitative	Length
Undergraduate	2.0	67%	180
Post-Baccalaureate	2.0	67%	180
Graduate – beyond Bachelor’s	3.0	67%	63
Law – beyond Bachelor’s	2.0	67%	135
Doctoral	3.0	67%	108