Sec. 56.404.  INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT.  (a)  To be eligible initially for a grant under the grant program, a person must:
(1)  be a resident of this state as determined by coordinating board rules;
(2)  meet financial need requirements as defined by the coordinating board;
(3)  be enrolled in an associate degree or certificate program at an eligible institution;
(4)  be enrolled as an entering student for at least one-half of a full course load for an entering student in the associate degree or certificate program, as determined by the coordinating board;
(5)  have applied for any available financial aid or assistance; and
(6)  comply with any additional nonacademic requirement adopted by the coordinating board under this subchapter.
(b)  A person is not eligible to receive a grant under this subchapter if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, unless the person has met the other applicable eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has:
(1)  received a certificate of discharge by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or completed a period of probation ordered by a court and at least two years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
(2)  been pardoned, had the record of the offense expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under this subchapter.
(c)  A person is not eligible to receive a grant under this subchapter if the person has been granted an associate or baccalaureate degree.
(d)  A person may not receive a grant under this subchapter for more than 75 semester credit hours or the equivalent.
(e)  A person may not receive a grant under this subchapter and a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M for the same semester or other term, regardless of whether the person is otherwise eligible for both grants during that semester or term. A person who but for this subsection would be awarded both a grant under this subchapter and a TEXAS grant for the same semester or other term is entitled to receive only the grant of the greater amount.
(f)  A person's eligibility for a grant under this subchapter ends on the fourth anniversary of the initial award of a grant under this subchapter to the person and the person's enrollment in an eligible institution.
Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 624, Sec. 1, eff. June 11, 2001.  Renumbered from Education Code Sec. 56.354 by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1275, Sec. 2(35), eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by: 
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1181 (S.B. 1227), Sec. 41, eff. September 1, 2005.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1185 (H.B. 3577), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2011.