Getting OOS tuition waiver later

Colleges and Universities A-Z Texas A&M University
1

Hi guys.

I recently got $1000 of scholarship. I was super happy until I found out the requirement for OOS tuition waiver was increased to $4000 this year… I’m an international student, who can’t afford 4 years of full OOS tuition.

However, I’m very keen on attending TAMU, and I’m still thinking through my options. So, I was wondering how hard it is to earn $4000 of scholarship during my course of study to qualify for the waiver?

2

Good morning! Can you give us any more information about the scholarship you received? Was it from a department? And when did you receive it? To qualify for the waiver, you must meet the $4000 requirement before you enroll. We are also out of state, so I completely understand the worry.

3

Hi again! I just thought I’d ask you to clarify your question. Are you asking if it’s possible to get $4000 next year that could be used for the waiver your sophomore year? I asked this a long time ago, and from what people said, getting that much as a current student is very difficult. We considered paying the OOS cost the first year and trying for the waiver once we got to TAMU, but that is so far out of our budget, and we decided it would be too much of a risk to take. So, we’re just hoping and waiting to hear something from the engineering department. Good luck to you!!

4

@rvhappynow Is it possible to get residency after you start school? People did that when I was in school but I’m sure things have changed.

5

@gogogogobruins I could be wrong, but from what I understand, he’d need to live off campus and work full time. But, I do appreciate the brainstorming!! Y’all are all so great on this forum!!

6

I knew a guy in college who was taking full load + and working 40+ hours a week! It would be hard but possible… ah… living off campus. My in-laws live 5 minutes from campus so we can use their address as a “permanent address.” I wonder if y’all can too…

7

I know if I were a lawmaker in Texas, I’d want to ensure I had laws in place to prevent OOS students from trying to “game the system” to get in state tuition rates. Personally, we are taking the approach that if we don’t get the waiver, TAMU isn’t meant to be.

8

Same here, @ColoFatherOf3 But holding out hope until there’s none to hold onto!

9

http://registrar.tamu.edu/Catalogs,-Policies-Procedures/State-Policies/Residency/Establishing-Residency#0-ResidencyThroughHighSchoolGraduationinTexas

10

@rvhappynow I got the Opportunity Award one with $1000 in the first year. I got it a few weeks back. It appeared on the Financial Aid Portal of TAMU.

Yeah you got my question right. I’m considering paying the full amount for the first year. Then study my ass off to get a $4000 scholarship. Aw, it’s really sad to hear so. Is there any rough estimation of something like what percentile do you need to be to get around $4000? Or what kind of activities do you need to engage in?

11

@gogogogobruins Wow 40+ hours a week. + Studying and socialising and activities. I’ll be miss out all the good things about college if I do that… I don’t think it’s worth it.

12

How sure are y’all about establishing residency? I’ve made that comment a few times referring to the residency requirements, but it looks like you must be an independent to establish residency:

For a dependent it looks like your parents or legal guardian must follow the rules above…

13

Yes, that’s the case. You can become an independent and establish residency. Maybe worth it to get in state tuition :slight_smile:

14

@DucTahn I sure do wish I could answer your questions, but we are fairly new in this as well, and I definitely don’t want to steer you in the wrong direction. Perhaps some seasoned Aggies can weigh in on what it takes to receive scholarships as a currently enrolled student. :slight_smile: