Application for College Admission
Independent colleges and universities represented on this site offer either online application or downloadable application forms, or both. Follow the link to the college of your choice and click on Admissions or Prospective Students.

Application deadlines are very important. Your chances of admission are greater the earlier you submit your application and your completed financial aid forms.

Federal Student Aid
Your chosen college will require that you complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The information in your FAFSA will determine your eligibility for various student aid programs, and will be used by the financial aid office of your chosen college to build your financial aid package. You should begin this process early in January of the year you plan to apply for fall admission, since federal student aid funds are in great demand. The United States Department of Education provides a site, www.fafsa.ed.gov, with comprehensive information and online filing for the FAFSA.

Types of Student Financial Aid

Institutional Aid
Institutional Aid is provided by the college or university, from its operating budget, to help undergraduates pay tuition. For many private colleges, institutional aid may provide a large percentage of a student’s financial aid package.

Federal Work-Study
The Federal Work-Study Program provides jobs, usually on campus, hourly, and at minimum wage, for students with financial need. The number of hours you may work as well as your wages will be determined by your need level and your chosen school’s level of funding.

Federal Loans and Grants
Information on low-interest federal student loans, parent loans, and federal grants may be obtained at www.studentaid.ed.gov

Scholarships
Scholarships are gifts. Corporations, foundations, and individuals support scholarship programs such as those administered by the Texas Independent College Foundation. They do this because they believe that supporting a student’s dream for a good future serves society as a whole. Scholarships are established to meet a variety of specific needs, such as tuition support for specific areas of study, or support for students from a particular geographic region, or to assist first-generation or low-income students, or to encourage academic achievement. Whatever the reason, the benefactors who make scholarships possible are investing in the future of Texas.

To determine if you are eligible for scholarships provided through the school or through the Texas Independent College Foundation, contact the financial aid office at your chosen college or university.

Tuition Equalization Grant
The Texas State Legislature established the Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG) to enable students to attend private colleges and universities. It costs almost three times as much for the State to supplement a student’s tuition at a state school than it does to provide equalization grant funding to students of private colleges and universities in Texas.

• Recipients must be Texas residents, enrolled at least half-time at an institution with higher tuition than state colleges, and must not be receiving athletic scholarships.

• For additional information on the TEG and other education policy issues, visit the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas website at www.icut.org. The site provides statistical information regarding the independent colleges and universities of Texas as well as web tools for parents and students considering a Texas private college.