| (a) Funding. Funds awarded through this program may not exceed the amount of appropriations, grants and other funds that are available for this use. (b) Award Amounts. (1) The amount of a Texas Educational Opportunity Grant award may not be reduced by any gift aid for which the person receiving the grant is eligible, unless the total amount of a person's grant plus any gift aid received exceeds the student's financial need. (2) The Board shall determine and announce the maximum amount of a Texas Educational Opportunity Grant award prior to the start of each fiscal year. The calculation of the maximum amount will be based on the mandates contained in Texas Education Code, §56.407. However, no student's award shall be greater than the amount of the student's financial need. To ensure the program has sufficient funds to make awards to all eligible returning recipients, institutions may not decrease award amounts per student in order to provide grants to a larger number of applicants. If an otherwise eligible student, due to hardship, enrolls for less than a half-time course load, his or her award is to be prorated. The amount he or she can be awarded is equal to the semester's maximum award for the relevant type of institution, divided by twelve hours and multiplied by the actual number of hours for which the student is enrolled. (3) An approved institution may not charge a person receiving a Texas Educational Opportunity Grant through that institution, an amount of tuition and required fees in excess of the amount of the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant award received by the person. Nor may it deny admission to or enrollment in the institution based on a person's eligibility to receive or actual receipt of a Texas Educational Opportunity Grant award. If an institution's tuition and fee charges exceed the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant award amount, it may address the shortfall in one of two ways: (A) It may use other available sources of financial aid, other than a loan or work-study funds to cover any difference in the amount of a Texas Educational Opportunity Grant award and the student's actual amount of tuition and required fees at the institution; or (B) it may waive the excess charges for the student. However, if a waiver is used, the institution may not report the recipient's tuition and fees in a way that would increase the general revenue appropriations to the institution. (c) Uses. A person receiving a Texas Educational Opportunity Grant award may only use the money to pay any usual and customary cost of attendance at an institution of higher education incurred by the student. (d) Over Awards. If, at a time after an award has been offered by the institution and accepted by the student, the student receives assistance that was not taken into account in the student's estimate of financial need, so that the resulting sum of assistance exceeds the student's financial need, the institution is not required to adjust the award under this program unless the sum of the excess resources is greater than $300. (e) Prorated Awards. If a student's need is insufficient to allow him or her to receive a full award in a given term or semester, or if the student's balance of eligible hours is less than the number of hours he or she is taking in a given term or semester, the student's award amount for that term or semester should be prorated. Beginning no later than Fiscal Year 2012, prorated amounts shall be calculated using the following schedule: (1) If enrolled for 12 or more hours - 100% of the maximum award; (2) If enrolled for 9-11 hours - 75% of the maximum award; (3) If enrolled for 6-8 hours - 50% of the maximum award; and (4) If enrolled for fewer than 6 hours - 25% of the maximum award. |
| Source Note: The provisions of this §22.260 adopted to be effective November 28, 2005, 30 TexReg 7871; amended to be effective May 21, 2008, 33 TexReg 3954; amended to be effective May 26, 2010, 35 TexReg 4161 |
