Hazlewood Act Tuition Exemption — 150 Credit Hours
Waives tuition and most fees for up to 150 credit hours at any Texas public college or university. Unused hours can be given to your child.
Verified August 17, 2026
What this benefit is
The Hazlewood Act waives tuition and most fees for up to 150 credit hours at any Texas public college or university. At a four-year public university that is comfortably over $30,000 of tuition.
It does not cover living expenses, books, or supply fees.
Hours you do not use can be assigned to one of your children — see the Legacy record.
What it's worth: Up to 150 credit hours of tuition and most fees at a Texas public institution
- Value depends entirely on your institution and how many hours you use. 150 hours at a four-year public university is well over $30,000 in tuition alone.
- It does not cover living expenses, books, or supply fees.
Who is entitled to it
- A veteran who entered the service in Texas, declared Texas as their home of record, or would have qualified as a Texas resident at the time they entered,
- who served more than 180 days of active duty excluding training,
- who was honorably discharged,
- who is currently a Texas resident,
- and who has fewer than 150 Hazlewood hours used since Fall 1995.
Exceptions
The cap is a cumulative 150 credit hours counted from Fall 1995. Once those are used the exemption is finished — but any hours you did not use can still be assigned to a child. Tex. Educ. Code §54.341(g)
Hazlewood does not apply while you are entitled to federal education benefits worth as much as the exemption. This is a sequencing rule, not a permanent bar — use the federal benefit first, then claim Hazlewood when it is exhausted. Tex. Educ. Code §54.341(a-2)
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
The thing most people get wrong
The federal benefit rule is about order, not eligibility
Hazlewood does not apply while you are entitled to federal education benefits worth as much as the exemption. People read that as disqualification and walk away. It is a sequencing rule: use your GI Bill first, and when it is exhausted Hazlewood is still there — all 150 hours of it, because none were spent. Doing it the other way round burns Hazlewood hours you cannot recover while your federal entitlement sits unused. If you have both, the order is worth tens of thousands of dollars.
How to claim it
Deadline: Set by your institution, per term- 1Check your remaining hours on the Hazlewood database at hazlewood.tvc.texas.gov before you do anything else.
- 2Take your DD214 to your institution's veteran services office with form TVC-ED-1.
- 3If you have federal GI Bill entitlement left, ask them to sequence the two — using the federal benefit first preserves your Hazlewood hours.
- Form
- TVC-ED-1
- File with
- The veteran services office at your Texas public institution
- Documents you will need
- dd214 · hazlewood eligibility certificate · proof of tx residency
- Apply each term
- Continued enrolment is re-certified each term on form TVC-ED-2. Institutions apply their own internal deadlines, often well before the term starts.
Common mistakes that cost people this benefit
- Using Hazlewood while you still have GI Bill entitlement. Spend the federal benefit first.
- Assuming Texas residency is enough. The test is where you were when you enlisted, not where you live now.
- Not checking your hour balance before enrolling. The TVC database will tell you in a minute.
- Counting training time toward the 181 days. It does not count.
- Enrolling at a private institution and expecting coverage. Texas public institutions only.
This one unlocks
Questions people ask
- I have lived in Texas for 25 years but enlisted in another state. Do I qualify?
- Not as the veteran — the entry condition is about where you were when you entered service. Check whether your spouse or a parent qualifies, and look at the Legacy route from the other direction.
- How do I find out how many hours I have left?
- Check the TVC Hazlewood database at hazlewood.tvc.texas.gov. Hours are counted cumulatively from Fall 1995, and institutions report against that record.
- Does it cover a graduate degree?
- The hours are not restricted to undergraduate study, but institutions apply their own rules on which programmes and which fees are covered. Ask your veteran services office to confirm before you enrol.
- I used some hours years ago. Can I still give the rest to my child?
- Yes. Whatever you have not used can be assigned, up to the 150-hour total. See the Legacy record.
Sources
- authority · statuteTex. Educ. Code §54.341
- operating · published policyTexas Veterans Commission — Hazlewood Act
- operating · published policyTVC Hazlewood Act Policy and Procedure Manual (March 2025)
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.