Financial Aid
FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
All students accepted for admission into a Department of Education approved degree-seeking programs at UT Health San Antonio are eligible to apply for federal financial assistance if they meet the eligibility requirements as determined by the Department of Education. To apply for all forms of federal or state financial aid, a student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on an annual basis. Students wishing to apply for institutional scholarships must also complete an online scholarship application through My Student Center (after submission of the FAFSA for the award year). Texas residents that cannot complete a FAFSA, due to an ineligible citizenship status, may complete the TASFA application for consideration of scholarships and/or other state assistance.
The Veteran Services and Financial Aid (VSFA) web site is maintained and updated as needed to provide students with the most current information available and students are strongly encouraged to use it as their first source of information concerning VSFA policy and procedures. Required forms are posted on the site for each award year here.
UT Health San Antonio may require additional information to complete the application based on an evaluation of FAFSA data. Students are encouraged to take seriously all correspondence requests for information from VSFA, as all documents are required by federal regulation to process your application. Students should only send documents requested by VSFA, and once all documents are received and processed, the application is considered complete and is ready for an offer of financial assistance. Offers for financial assistance are not made until late spring\early summer for semesters beginning in the subsequent fall term, and may span the entire award year (fall, spring and summer) as determined by the student’s expected graduation term.
UT Health San Antonio offers financial assistance to students who are ready for packaging. Favorable aid such as grants/scholarships or work study funds are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, using the date your FAFSA was electronically signed. Exceptions to this policy may occur when external factors impact the receipt of FAFSA data (such as the Department of Education's late release of information in the 2024-2025 academic year for example). Students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible each award year and complete all required steps.
Students who accept Federal Direct Loans will be required to complete an entrance counseling session and/or the Master Promissory Note prior to receiving a disbursement from this program. Disbursement of financial assistance occurs for students on or around 10 days prior to the first class day if it falls on a business day. Emergency loans will NOT be given in advance of a scheduled disbursement date as this is considered an advance of federal funds and is barred by regulation. Students that receive Federal Direct Loans will be required to complete an online exit counseling session when they leave the university. Students that fail to complete it within 30 days of the initial notice will be emailed a link to the electronic Exit Counseling Guide (a copy can be found here).
SELECTIVE SERVICE REQUIREMENT
Students subject to selective service registration will be required to provide a self-certification statement confirming they are registered, or exempt from registration, in order to establish eligibility to receive state financial assistance such as grants, scholarships, College Access Loans (CAL), and/or exemptions and waivers.
SELF-CERTIFICATION OF NON-DELINQUENCY OF CHILD SUPPORT OBLIGATIONS
Students wishing to receive assistance from state-funded programs must provide a self-certification statement confirming they are not behind (delinquent) on any child support obligations they may have in order to establish eligibility to receive state financial assistance such as grants, scholarships, College Access Loans (CAL), and/or exemptions and waivers. The statement must be provided even if the student is not obligated to pay child support.
COMPETITIVE SCHOLARSHIPS
UT Health San Antonio offers competitive scholarships (CS) on a school-by-school basis as funds allow. All matriculating students are eligible to apply for competitive scholarships by submitting the online scholarship application, and each school will develop specific guidelines and criteria for awarding their scholarships. The CS recipient must be recommended by the Loan and Scholarship Committee of each school and applicants should contact the appropriate school within UT Health San Antonio for information about deadlines. Upon notification from the school, VSFA will post the deadlines here.
Non-resident students who are awarded a competitive scholarship of at least $1,000 for the academic year are entitled to pay the tuition and fees required of Texas residents for the duration of the scholarship or a period not to exceed one academic year. The total number of students at UT Health San Antonio paying resident tuition under the competitive scholarship criteria must not exceed five percent of the total number of enrolled students at UT Health San Antonio during the prior fall semester. Students must re-apply each academic year and complete the steps above--funds are not automatically renewable.
AIR FORCE RESERVE OFFICERS TRAINING CORPS PROGRAM
By agreement with UT Health San Antonio, a student may obtain a commission as an officer in the U.S. Air Force upon completion of a baccalaureate or master’s degree at UT Health San Antonio and completion of the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Scholarships are available on a competitive basis from UTSA, and these scholarships provide tuition and fee assistance, a book allotment, and monthly subsistence allowance. UTSA program coordinators will notify the Bursar's office when a scholarship has been awarded and the amount received will be factored into the students aid package here at UT Health San Antonio.
In addition to courses, students are required to attend a weekly leadership laboratory and physical training. For more information contact Air Force ROTC at UTSA at 210-458-4624 or e-mail at afrotc@utsa.edu.
FEDERAL or STATE COLLEGE WORK-STUDY EMPLOYMENT
UT Health San Antonio has limited amounts of College Work-Study funds to offer each award year. Beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year, initial funds are offered to students who indicate they are interested in participating in the program on their VSFA AY 2024-25 Worksheet and have financial need. Students that are not initially offered an award can request to be placed on the wait list and will be offered funds as they become available. Candidates for state work study funds must also be classified as Texas residents. Students must apply for work study positions and will earn these funds by working no more than 20 hours per week. Students can find potential employers by reviewing open positions on the VSFA website.
COST OF ATTENDANCE BUDGET
The Cost of Attendance (COA) budget for the award year is determined by the Veteran Services & Financial Aid office and is based on the estimated costs a student will incur for each semester. Included in the COA budget are estimates for actual tuition and fee costs, a book allowance provided by the school's program director, and living allowances that include housing and food, health insurance, transportation, and personal/miscellaneous expenses. The allowances for direct tuition and fees are based on the semester credit hours as published in the academic curriculum's of each program. Students that enroll in more, or less, credit hours per term will have their COA budget adjusted before disbursement of financial assistance, which may result in an increase or decrease of financial assistance to reflect the change in actual direct costs the student is incurring. Living allowances are adjusted each award year based on the recommended percentage provided by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Students required to purchase a laptop for entry into their program of choice will receive an allowance for the bundle with the least cost. Students purchasing more expensive bundles will need to follow the budget adjustment process to request an increase to their COA. Students not required to purchase a laptop from UT Health San Antonio, who wish to include the one-time cost of a computer/tablet can submit an adjustment request form along with proof of purchase by the student here. See information online for the components of the various Cost of Attendance budgets at UT Health San Antonio. Students are encouraged to reach out to the Veteran Services & Financial Aid office to discuss their budget and how to manage their resources during the award year.