Eligibility and Enrollment
Maintaining Eligibility
To continue receiving financial aid, you must
- meet Satisfactory Academic Progress;
- be enrolled in and maintain the hour requirements set for each award;
- attend class;
- understand the impact of withdrawing or dropping classes.
Some financial aid awards have time frame and monetary limits to their eligibility. To learn more, visit Types of Aid and read the details listed under UTPB Information for each aid program. Also, refer to the requirement chart found below.
Enrollment and Attendance
Undergraduate
| Enrollment | Fall/Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Full time | 12 or more hours | 12 or more hours |
| Three-quarter time | 9–11 hours | 9–11 hours |
| Half time | 6–8 hours | 6–8 hours |
Graduate
| Enrollment | Fall/Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Full time | 9 or more hours | 9 or more hours |
| Three-quarter time | 6–8 hours | 6–8 hours |
| Half time | 5 hours | 5 hours |
Graduate Accelerated Program
| Enrollment | Fall/Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Full time | 6 or more hours | 6 or more hours |
| Three-quarter time | 4–5 hours | 4–5 hours |
| Half time | 3 hours | 3 hours |
Hour Requirements for Financial Aid
| Full Time | Three-quarter time | Half time | Varies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon Free program | Texas Grant | Federal Direct Loans | Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, exemptions, and waivers. Award amount is prorated based on credit hours and eligibility. |
| Merit and Graduate Studies scholarships | General scholarships are based on donor criteria. Recipients can find hour requirements in the student portal. | ||
| FSEOG Grant | Private scholarships are based on third-party criteria. | ||
| Athletic and activity scholarships are based on team or organization criteria. | |||
| Private loans are based on lender criteria. Browse lender eligibility information. |
Requirements and Maintaining Eligibility
Initial Requirements
Merit Scholarships: Varies per scholarship. Requirements can be found on the Freshman Merit Scholarship page or the Transfer Merit Scholarship page.
Falcon Free Program: Requirements can be found on the website.
Texas Grant: Varies by pathway. Requirements can be found on the Texas Higher Education website.
Continuing Requirements
Merit Scholarships: Students must maintain full-time status by the census date each semester. Awards are available for up to four years for freshmen and two years for transfer students.
Falcon Free Program: Students must maintain full-time status by the census date each semester. Awards are available for up to four years.
Texas Grant: Students must maintain three-quarter-time status by the census date each semester.
Renewal Requirements
Merit Scholarships:
- Successfully complete 24 credit hours (no F, W, I, or U grades)
- Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher
- Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress
Falcon Free Program:
- Continue to meet initial requirements each academic year
- Successfully complete 24 credit hours (no F, W, I, or U grades)
- Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
- Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress
Texas Grant:
Second year: Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress
Third and fourth year:
- Successfully complete 24 credit hours (no F, W, I, or U grades)
- Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher
- Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress