Program Purpose

 

To encourage persons employed as peace officers to take college courses designed to help them in their work.

 

Eligibility Requirements

• Are employed as a Peace Officer by the state of Texas or by a political subdivision of the State of Texas
  
  
• Are enrolled as an undergraduate in an undergraduate program, including certificate, associate
  and baccalaureate degrees leading to a law enforcement-related or criminal justice certificate or degree.

     At Collin College, the approved degree programs consist of the following:

                        AA, Criminal Justice                  
                       Certificate, Criminal Justice

• Enroll in classes for which the college receives tax support (i.e., a course that does not depend solely on student tuition and fees to cover its costs).
  
• Enroll in classes beginning Fall 2011 or later.
  
  
• To receive a continuation award, the student must meet the institution's financial aid satisfactory
  academic progress (SAP) requirements.  Specifically, students must maintain a financial aid GPA of at least a 2.0 to remain eligible. (Financial aid GPA includes grades for developmental courses.)
  
    In addition, students cannot be reported by the institution as being in excessive hours 
    according to Education Code 54.014. 
  

Note: SAP is run at the end of EACH semester.

Award Amount

Tuition and laboratory fees for courses offered as part of a law enforcement-related or criminal justice curriculum which pertain to the major requirements of the identified programs are eligible for reimbursement.

Courses not directly related to law enforcement or criminal justice are NOT eligible for reimbursement, even though they may be required for completion of the certificate or degree. (I.e. general education classes.)

No funds may be used to pay tuition for continuing education classes for which the college receives no state tax support.

Application Process

Each semester, provide the financial aid office proof of employment as a paid Peace Officer, and enroll in the courses of a law enforcement-related or criminal justice curriculum as noted above.  The letter must always have a current date, and cannot be just a copy of an older letter.
 
Important: Please realize that each subsequent semester, your exemption may be posted prior to SAP running for that semester. If, upon the SAP program running, you are NOT meeting the SAP requirements, the exemption will be removed from your account and you will be responsible for paying your tuition and fees out-of-pocket.

 

Additional Information

To read more about this program check out:

                        The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, or

                        Texas Education Code §54.208

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