State Exemptions

Legally blind or deaf students may be exempt from paying tuition and all fees. Application must be made through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) - blind, or Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) - deaf. The student must provide a letter of verification from either TWC or HHS to Financial Aid Office to have the exemption applied to their accounts. 

Students seeking this exemption must provide a copy of their driver's license at the Financial Aid Office in the Scharbauer Student Center.

55+ Degree Seeking (Tuition Reduction Program)

• Student must be degree-seeking and have a degree plan on file
• Pays tuition for up to six hours ONLY, per semester
• Transcripts must be on file at Midland College from all colleges previously attended
• Be a Texas resident, nonresidents or foreign students
• Enrolled in classes that are not already filled with students who are paying full price for the courses. If the class is too small to accommodate both regular students and senior citizens, regular students must be given priority.

65+

• Pays tuition only for up to 6 hours
• Texas Resident, nonresidents or foreign students
• Enrolled in classes that are not already filled with students who are paying full price for the courses. If the class is too small to accommodate both regular students and senior citizens, regular students must be given priority.

Students employed as fire fighters are exempt from the tuition and laboratory fees for courses offered as part of a fire science curriculum. Letter of employment from local municipality should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office to have the exemption applied. 

Students employed as peace officers are exempt from the tuition and laboratory fees for eligible law enforcement-related or criminal justice courses. Proof of employment as a peace officer from the municipality should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office to have the exemption applied. 

• Be permanently disabled due to an injury suffered during the performance of a duty as either:
  • A peace officer of Texas or of a political subdivision of Texas; OR
  • A firefighter employed by Texas or by a political subdivision of Texas;
• Be unable to continue employment as a peace officer or firefighter because of the disability;
• Have filed a selective service statement of registration status and proof of status with their institution (not applicable if attending a public community college).

• Meet all program eligibility requirements;
• Meet the institution’s financial aid SAP GPA requirement;
• Not have attempted an excessive number of semester credit hours as an undergraduate student (see Texas Education Code, Section 54.014).

The highest ranking graduate from any accredited Texas high school is eligible for exemption from tuition for the first two long semesters following graduation. Students should provide a copy of their final high school transcript and certification letter from the Texas Education Agency to the Financial Aid Office to have the exemption applied to their accounts.

The Exemption will cover all tuition & fee charges. Once a student has been determined eligible for the Foster Care or Adopted Exemption and has FORM 1810 from DFPS on file with Midland College, the benefit continues indefinitely. There are no durational limitations in statute referencing how many semesters or years a student may receive this exemption. 

Eligible Students

• Are not required to be Texas residents when awarded, as long as they meet the DFPS program requirements.
• Are not required to demonstrate financial need.
• Must be registered with Selective Service, or be exempt.
• Must meet the enrollment eligibility requirements before the age of 25. However, students are not required to receive the exemption before the age of 25.
• Adopted students who were the subject of an adoption assistance agreement may enroll at an institution at any age.
• Can continue receiving the exemption even if they are not meeting the institution's GPA requirement, as long as they are meeting institutional registration requirements.
• Can continue receiving the exemption even if they are enrolled in excessive hours.
• Who meet the enrollment eligibility requirements can receive the exemption while attempting any program of study offered at an eligible institution (undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degree).

The purpose of this program is to encourage nurses to serve as Clinical Nurse Preceptors by providing a partial exemption from tuition to them and/or their children.

Eligibility Requirements (for clinical preceptors)

• Resident of Texas
• Registered Nurse
• Serve, on an average, at least one day per week under a written preceptor agreement with an undergraduate professional nursing program as a clinical preceptor for students enrolled in the program for:

1. The time period the program conducts clinical during the semester or other academic term for which the exemption is sought; or

2. The time period the program conducts clinical during a semester or other academic term that ended less than one year prior to the beginning of the semester or term in which the exemption is to be used.

• Award Amount: Up to $500, or actual tuition charges, whichever is less.

Eligibility Requirements (for children of clinical preceptors)

• Resident of Texas
• Have not been granted a baccalaureate degree
• Child of a Clinical Preceptor who serve, on an average, at least one day per week under a written preceptor agreement with an undergraduate professional nursing program as a clinical preceptor for students enrolled in the program for:

1. The time period the program conducts clinical during the semester or other academic term for which the exemption is sought; or

2. The time period the program conducts clinical during a semester or other academic term that ended less than one year prior to the beginning of the semester or term in which the exemption is to be used.

• Award Amount: Up to $500 or actual tuition charges, whichever is less, for up to 10 semesters, or until student receives his/her bachelor's degree. Summer terms of less than 9 weeks count as one-half (1/2) a regular semester.

In order to apply for this exemption, the student must complete a Preceptor Exemption application and submit it to the Financial Aid Office. The Nursing Department through which the Preceptor has (or had) a written preceptor agreement must be provided.

Exempts tuition, fees, book and/or room & board charges to spouse and children• of individuals in specific public servant positions who were killed in the line of duty after Sept. 1, 2000. (See list of specific public service positions at http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/apps/financialaid/tofa2.cfm?ID=548

Eligible students must:

• Be an eligible surviving spouse or surviving minor child of specific public servants.
  * While there is no age limit to apply, children must have been younger than eighteen years of age at the date of death
• Be enrolled full time as an undergraduate
• Must be registered with Selective Service, or be exempt
• Meet institutional financial aid GPA requirements
• Not have attempted excessive number of semester credit hours 
• Not have attempted more than 200 credit hours while receiving the exemption
• Not have received a bachelor's degree 

According to Texas Education Code, Section 54.064, "A non-resident student (including a Citizen, Permanent Resident of the U.S., a person who is eligible to be a Permanent Resident of the U.S., and an eligible nonimmigrant) who receives a competitive scholarship of at least $1,000 (or a combination of competitive scholarships totaling at least $1,000) for the academic year or summer for which the student is enrolled may be allowed to pay resident tuition without regard to the length of time the student has resided in Texas. The student must compete with other students, including Texas residents; for the scholarship and the scholarship must be awarded by a scholarship committee officially recognized by the administration and be approved by The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under criteria developed by the board. However, the total number of persons receiving a waiver of nonresident tuition in any given semester under this provision shall not exceed 5 percent of the students enrolled in that same semester in the prior year at that institution." The waiver can be found in the Midland College Financial Aid Office.