Texas's state financial aid deadline is January 15 -- the state priority deadline for the FAFSA or the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA). Texas public universities must publicize and use it for state aid, including the TEXAS Grant. Texas's other two main grants -- the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant (TEOG) at community and technical colleges and the Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG) at private colleges -- aren't bound to that date, so those colleges set their own priority deadlines. All three are awarded by colleges from your FAFSA or TASFA. For students starting at a public university in fall 2027, the date is January 15, 2027.
The figures below are from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's (THECB) Fiscal Year 2027 State Financial Aid Guidelines, covering the 2026-27 award year. 2027-28 amounts will be set later.
The January 15 priority deadline
THECB sets one priority deadline for state aid applications, and Texas public universities (general academic teaching institutions) must publicize and use January 15. THECB's guidelines list the deadline as applying to the TEXAS Grant but not to TEOG, TEG, or the Texas First Scholarship -- community colleges and private colleges set their own priority dates. Per THECB, the deadline "does not guarantee funding for students who apply by the applicable date, nor does it restrict students who apply after that date" -- it's how colleges rank similar students when money is limited. In practice, filing by January 15 puts you at the front of the line for grants that run out.
- FAFSA: for students eligible for federal aid. File the 2027-28 FAFSA for fall 2027.
- TASFA: for students who qualify as Texas residents but can't file the FAFSA. Texas says to file one or the other, not both.
The TEXAS Grant, TEOG, and TEG are need-based: financial need is your cost of attendance minus your Student Aid Index (SAI). The Texas First Scholarship is the exception -- it's based on graduating high school early.
Texas's state grants at a glance (2026-27)
| Grant | Where | Who | 2026-27 maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEXAS Grant | Public universities and health-related institutions | Texas residents with need, at least 3/4-time, in a bachelor's program | $5,399 per semester (target $2,500) |
| TEOG | Public community colleges, state colleges, technical institutes | Texas residents with need, at least half-time, in an associate or certificate program | $2,134 per semester at community colleges |
| Tuition Equalization Grant | Private nonprofit Texas colleges | Texas residents with need, at least 3/4-time | $4,270 a year ($6,405 with exceptional need) |
| Texas First Scholarship | Any Texas college | Students who graduate high school early with a Texas First Diploma | Up to $10,798 |
New for 2026-27: priority for top-25% graduates
THECB's FY2027 guidelines add a rule that matters for high school seniors. Beginning in 2026-27, public universities must offer a TEXAS Grant to any eligible first-year student who:
- graduated in the top 25% of their high school class within the two preceding years,
- has an SAI at or below the Priority SAI ($6,478 for 2026-27), and
- submitted the FAFSA or TASFA by June 1 before the award year.
Similar priority applies to TEOG at community colleges. It's one more reason class rank matters in Texas -- alongside automatic admission.
Rules that apply to all of them
- Texas residency under state rules, and a Selective Service statement (registered or exempt).
- No more than 30 days delinquent on child support, if you owe it.
- Satisfactory academic progress: after the second year, most programs require a 2.5 GPA and a minimum pace of completed hours.
What this means for you
- File by January 15 if you're headed to a public university -- and if you're in the top 25% of your class, by June 1 at the latest to lock in the required TEXAS Grant offer. Going to a community college or private college? Get that college's own priority date, and file early anyway.
- Pick the grant that matches your college type: TEXAS Grant at public universities, TEOG at community colleges, TEG at private colleges.
- Under $100,000 in family income? Many Texas public universities cover tuition outright -- see free tuition at Texas public universities.
- Check your SAI on your FAFSA Submission Summary against the $6,478 Priority SAI.
- For how state deadlines work generally, see why your state's aid deadline isn't the FAFSA's.