Dr. Robert M. Gates Texas Armed Services Scholarship

The Dr. Robert M. Gates Texas Armed Services Scholarship (TASSP), funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, was created to assist promising Texas students who are dedicated to both education and service. It encourages young leaders to participate in the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard, the Texas State Guard, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Merchant Marine, or to become commissioned officers in any branch of the armed services of the United States. Each year, the governor and the lieutenant governor may each appoint two students, while each state senator and state representative may appoint one student to receive a conditional TASSP award. The award has been renamed to honor the contributions of Dr. Robert M. Gates to Texas A&M University, the State of Texas, and the United States of America.

Scholarship award amounts will be determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in mid-September of each academic year. The amount of this scholarship may not exceed the difference between the cost of attendance and other forms of student assistance for which the student may be eligible.

For more information, please visit hhloans.com. For questions about your scholarship, please contact us at tassp@tamu.edu.

TASSP Timeline

Dr. Robert M. Gates Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program (TASSP) Timeline
STEP 1	New TASSP Recipients YOUR ACTION REQUIRED: Student submits Notification of Selection from the Coordinating Board to tassp@tamu.edu.	STEP 1	Continuing Texas A&M Students YOUR ACTION REQUIRED: Scholarships & Financial Aid reviews student’s eligibility for renewal of TASSP over summer.

Completed by The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)		ALL students complete the following steps
Step 2	Scholarships & Financial Aid posts TASSP notification in portal for eligible students and notifies students via TAMU email.	Step 3	YOUR ACTION REQUIRED: Student logs in to Financial Aid Portal to let the Scholarships & Financial Aid know that they want to use TASSP.
Step 4	When THECB releases finalized annual TASSP amount, Scholarships & Financial Aid offers finalized amount to students and notifies students via TAMU email.	Step 5	YOUR ACTION REQUIRED: Student logs in to Financial Aid Portal to accept finalized TASSP offer.
Step 6	Scholarships & Financial Aid notifies THECB of students that have accepted TASSP. Please allow 2-3 business days for your application to be available on hhloans.com after you have accepted TASSP in the portal.	Step 7	YOUR ACTION REQUIRED: Student goes online to hhloans.com to complete the application, self-certification, and promissory note. This is done once a year.
Step 8	THECB receives student’s completed documents and mails a disclosure statement to the address provided on the student’s application. The disclosure statement instructs student to accept the loan terms by logging into hhloans.com for the second time.	Step 9	YOUR ACTION REQUIRED: Student logs in to hhloans.com accept loan terms.
Step 10	Scholarships & Financial Aid receives first semesters TASSP funds 10 business days after the student accepts the loan terms and disburses funds to the student’s bill.
Step 11	The next semester THECB will send the second disbursement and eligibility will be checked again before being disbursed by Scholarships & Financial Aid.
*NOTE: The entire process will take at least three weeks from start to finish. Student must meet all eligibility requirements at time of certification and disbursement.

Eligibility for Nomination (meet two of the following four criteria)

Eligibility for Award

To receive a scholarship, an appointed student must:
Be registered with Selective Service or be exempt
Be enrolled and in good standing in a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program or another undergraduate officer commissioning program as certified by the institution
Maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) as indicated by the financial aid office at the recipient’s institution of higher education
Enter into a written agreement with the THECB
Complete school-initiated TASSP application by October 15
Repay the scholarship if requirements are not met

If a student fails to meet the requirements to initially receive a scholarship or fails to complete the application process by October 15, the student forfeits the scholarship. The THECB will notify the legislative office of their nominee’s change in eligibility so that the legislator can submit an alternate student.

Initial Application

You must be appointed by a state representative or state senator or by the Governor or Lieutenant Governor. The nomination letter from the nominator needs to be sent to Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) directly.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
ATTN: Loan Services
PO BOX 12788
Austin, TX 78711

Once the THECB receives the nomination they will send the student a confirmation of the nomination. Please send this confirmation from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to tassp@tamu.edu. Estimated awards will be offered via the Financial Aid Portal in late summer of each year. Final award amounts may differ from the estimate and will be adjusted each year in mid-September after the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has released the annual award amount. Please monitor your Financial Aid Portal to accept the award and for steps to complete the application process via hhloans.com.

Renewal Application

You must complete a new application each year to receive TASSP. This process begins with an offer in the Financial Aid Portal and includes completing an application each year via hhloans.com. Renewal awards will be offered via the Financial Aid Portal in late summer of each year. Final award amounts may differ from the estimate and will be adjusted each year in mid-September after the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has released the annual award amount. Please monitor your Financial Aid Portal to accept the award and for steps to complete the application process.

Payment of TASSP funds

Please note that funds from TASSP will not pay until the semester has already begun. This is due to the fact that the final award amount is not set by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board until mid-September and Texas A&M must verify that TASSP recipients are enrolled in courses and in an ROTC program. Typically, the earliest funds will arrive to be disbursed to the student is in the beginning of October. Please plan your budget and bill payments accordingly.

Changing Graduation Date

Graduating TASSP Students

Hardships or Other Proper Causes

If you do not meet renewal requirements due to extenuating circumstances, you may submit an appeal for us to review your eligibility. The request must be submitted in writing to tassp@tamu.edu and must explain the reason for the request.

Reasons that may be considered include:

A severe illness or other condition that affected academic performance.
Your academic performance being affected by your responsibility for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person.
Other circumstances that may have impacted your ability to meet renewal requirements.

The TASSP Program Coordinator will respond to your request through your Texas A&M email account. Other supporting documentation may be requested. Submitting an appeal does not guarantee any adjustments can or will be made.

For more information, please visit the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board website.

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