Hazlewood Act eligibility (Texas): veterans, kids and spouses

The Hazlewood Act is a Texas benefit: up to 150 credit hours of tuition exemption (including most fees) at Texas public colleges and universities. It doesn't cover books, supplies or living costs, and private schools don't qualify. Your college makes the final eligibility call.

Veteran eligibility

1. Texas at entry: lived in Texas when you entered active duty, entered service in Texas, or listed Texas as home of record (your DD214 shows this).
2. More than 180 days of active duty, not counting initial entry training (multiple DD214s can add up if Texas is on each).
3. Honorable or General (Under Honorable Conditions) discharge.
4. Live in Texas now.
5. No federal VA education benefit that covers full tuition for that term (Post-9/11 GI Bill, Ch. 31), or one that doesn't cover full tuition.
6. Not in default on a Texas state student loan.
7. Enrolled in a degree or certificate program, meeting the school's academic-progress (GPA) rules.

Common myth: being stationed in Texas, retiring there, owning property or a Texas license doesn't qualify you. It's about Texas at entry.

Legacy: give unused hours to a child

• Veteran must meet requirements 1–4 above and still live in Texas.
• Child: Texas resident per the school, biological/step/adopted or a tax dependent, and 25 or younger on the first day of the term (must stop at 26), plus the same loan/enrollment/GPA rules.
• Only one child uses hours at a time; 150 total across all of them.

Spouse and dependents with their own 150 hours

If the veteran is VA-rated 100% total and permanent, has an individual unemployability rating, or died from service-connected causes, MIA or KIA, each spouse/dependent may get their own 150 hours, with no age limit.

How to apply

1. Get accepted at a Texas public school.
2. Register in TVC's Hazlewood database.
3. Submit the application (school's form if it has one), DD214, and your VA Certificate of Eligibility if you served after 9/11. Check the school's deadline; a 60-day tuition deferment form exists if paperwork is late.

TVC Hazlewood help: [email protected], 877-898-3833. Have a GI Bill too? See GI Bill transfer rules.

Related: Top 10 most-missed veteran benefits · Leaving-the-service timeline · VA.gov sign-in help · All vet benefit guides