The Dallas County Community College District administers the following grant programs:

Federal Pell Grant (PELL)

This grant is designed to help undergraduate, pre-baccalaureate students continue their education. The purpose of this program is to provide eligible students with a “foundation” of financial aid to assist with the cost of attending college. All students applying for financial assistance through a Dallas County Community College must apply for a Federal Pell Grant first, through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The U.S. Department of Education uses the data reported on the FAFSA in a formula established by Congress to determine a student’s financial need for the Pell Grant. Students who are in default or overpayments with any federal financial aid program are not eligible to receive a Pell Grant until the default/overpayment is resolved. Pell Grant recipients within the Dallas County Community College District must be enrolled in at least one credit hour and must comply with the satisfactory academic progress (SAP) policy for federal aid.

Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG or AC Grant)

Academic Competitiveness Grants are awarded to students who recently graduated from high school with the Texas Recommended or Distinguished Curriculum (or in some cases, an equivalent) and who are enrolled in an associate degree program of study. Other eligibility requirements include full-time enrollment, maintaining a 3.0 cumulative GPA and also receiving a Pell grant.


Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

This grant is awarded to students with exceptional financial need. SEOG funds are limited, and priority for the award is given to students who receive a Federal Pell Grant with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of zero. Eligibility for SEOG is determined with the data reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students who are in default or overpayments with any federal financial aid program are not eligible to receive a Pell Grant until the default/overpayment is resolved. SEOG recipients within the Dallas County Community College District must be enrolled in at least one credit hour and must have a Pell Grant award.

Texas Public Education Grants (TPEG)

These grants have limited funding and are awarded to eligible students who:

TEXAS Grant (TxGrant)
 
The purpose of this program is to provide a grant of money to enable well-prepared, eligible students to attend public and private nonprofit institutions of higher education in Texas. The priority in making awards is to provide continued funding to recipients already enrolled in the program who are in college and are making progress toward their degrees. For the past several years, state funding has not been adequate to make new awards to all entering freshmen who are otherwise eligible for the grant. Eligibility does not guarantee that a grant will be awarded.

Federal TEACH (Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education) Conditional Grant Program

The Federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH Grant) Program provides up to $4,000 per year to students who are completing or who plan to complete coursework that is required to begin a career in teaching, and who agree to teach full-time for at least four years:

The four years of teaching must be completed within eight years after you complete or otherwise cease to be enrolled in the program for which you received a TEACH Grant. This teaching requirement is known as your TEACH Grant service obligation.

The TEACH Grant is a conditional grant. Unlike other gift aid grants, if you accepts a TEACH Grant but do not complete the four-year teaching requirement, the grant converts to an unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan that must be repaid with interest that accrues back to the first day that the grant was paid to you.

To apply for a TEACH Grant, please print out the TEACH Grant Request Form (PDF - 21KB) and follow the instructions on the second page of the form.


JET Scholarships (Jobs and Education for Texans)

JET Scholarships are available for students seeking professional registration, certification or licensure in high-demand occupations, where a certificate or an associate degree is a basic prerequisite for such registration, certification or licensure. These scholarships may only be used for tuition, fees and state exam or certification fees.

Students who are awarded JET Career and Technical Scholarship Fund scholarships must be:

To apply, you must complete the JET application/release form (PDF - 35KB) and self-certify that you are not receiving aid from other JET-funded programs. You will also need to submit the Prequalification Checklist for JET Scholarship (PDF - 35KB) to your college’s Financial Aid Office.


Educational Aide Exemption

To address its growing need for more qualified teachers, the state of Texas created a program that covers tuition and some fees for educational aides who enroll in college to become certified Texas teachers. The exemption may only be used at public colleges or universities in Texas.

To apply for an Education Aide Exemption, you must:

For more information, visit the College for All Texans Web site.

For additional information about these or other grants, contact your college’s Financial Aid Office.