What is a Hazlewood Exemption?

The purpose of the Hazlewood Exemption (Hazlewood Act) is to provide an education benefit to honorably discharged or separated Texas veterans OR to eligible dependent children and spouses of Texas veterans.

81st Texas Legislative Changes (effective 6/19/2009):


Senate Bill 93 authorized new provisions which remove certain residency restrictions, extend eligibility to spouses, and permit eligible veterans to assign their unused hours to their child. These new provisions are known as the “Hazlewood Legacy Act”.

Senate Bill 297 authorized a new exemption from the payment of tuition (fees not included) for a child, or stepchild, of a member of the Armed Forces who is deployed to active duty in a combat zone outside the United States.

If you have questions regarding the Hazlewood Exemption please contact: 

Cindy Clay

Enrollment Specialist III
Special Populations
254.659.7606
cclay@hillcollege.edu

Hazlewood Eligibility

  • Upon entry into Armed Forces you were:
    • A Texas resident
    • Designated Texas as Home of Record, or
    • Entered the service in Texas
  • Served at least 181 days of active military duty
  • Honorable discharge or separation OR a general discharge under honorable conditions
  • No federal veteran’s education benefits, or have federal veterans education benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only; such as Chapter 33, for term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits (Pell and SEOG Grants are not relevant)
  • Not in default on a student loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas

Eligible veterans may assign unused hours of exemption eligibility to a child under certain conditions. To be eligible, the child must:

  • Be a Texas resident,
  • Be the biological child, stepchild, adopted child, or claimed as a dependent in the current or previous tax year,
  • Be 25 years or younger on the first day of the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed (unless granted an extension due to a qualifying illness or debilitating condition), and
  • Make satisfactory academic progress in a degree or certificate program as determined by the institution in accordance with their financial aid policy.

If a child to whom hours have been delegated fails to use all of the assigned hours, a veteran may re-assign the unused hours that are available to another dependent child.

NEW!  Effective Fall 2011 with tuition and fee charges, a veteran's spouse or a child's guardian, conservator, custodian, or other legally designated caretaker may re-assign unused hours to an eligible child (through Legacy) on behalf of the veteran if the veteran died prior to requesting the transfer of hours.

Veterans' spouses are not eligible to receive a transfer of unused hours.

Hazlewood is monitored and coordinated through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Texas Veterans Administration.

Application Process

  • Download the Hazlewood Application from the Texas Veterans Commisson website.  Complete the application and submit to Hill College.  DO NOT send the application to the Texas Veterans Commission.  
  • As part of the application process, you must register on TVC's Hazlewood Act Database.  This database allows the account holder to review the number of hours previously used and what is remaining.  Please proved a printout of this information and return to the Office of Student Information Services. Hazlewood Database

Award Amounts

Eligible veterans, their children and spouses may receive an exemption from the payment of all tuition, dues, fees, and other required charges, including fees for correspondence courses, but excluding deposit fees, student service fees, and any fees or charges for books, lodging, board, or clothing for up to 150 semester credit hours. Awards may not be used to pay tuition and relevant fees for continuing education classes.


Hill College maintains an open admissions policy ensuring that all persons benefit from postsecondary education and have an opportunity to enroll. The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, age or military status in admission decisions.