Texas Administrative Code › Title 19 - EDUCATION › Part 1 - TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD › Chapter 22 - STUDENT FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS › Subchapter A - GENERAL PROVISIONS › Section 22.1 - Definitions

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in Chapter 22,
					 shall have the following meanings, unless otherwise defined in a particular
					 subchapter:
(1) Academic Year--The
				  combination of semesters defined by a public or private institution of higher
				  education to fulfill the federal "academic year" requirement as defined by
				  34 CFR
				  668.3.
(2) Attempted Semester Credit Hours--Every
				  course in every semester for which a student has been registered as of the
				  official Census Date, including but not limited to, repeated courses and
				  courses the student drops and from which the student withdraws. For transfer
				  students, transfer hours and hours for optional internship and cooperative
				  education courses are included if they are accepted by the receiving
				  institution towards the student's current program of study.
(3) Awarded--Offered to a student.
(4) Board--The governing body of the agency
				  known as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
(5) Categorical Aid--Gift aid that the
				  institution does not award to the student, but that the student brings to the
				  school from a non-governmental third party.
(6) Commissioner--Commissioner of Higher
				  Education.
(7) Coordinating
				  Board--The agency known as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and
				  its staff.
(8) Cost of
				  Attendance/Total Cost of Attendance--An institution's estimate of the expenses
				  incurred by a typical financial aid recipient in attending a particular
				  institution of higher education. It includes direct educational costs (tuition
				  and fees) as well as indirect costs (room and board, books and supplies,
				  transportation, personal expenses, and other allowable costs for financial aid
				  purposes).
(9) Credit--College
				  credit earned through the successful completion of a college career and
				  technical education or academic course that fulfills specific requirements
				  necessary to obtain an industry-recognized credential, certificate, associate
				  degree, or other academic degree.
(10) Degree or certificate program of four
				  years or less--A baccalaureate degree, associate degree, or certificate program
				  other than a program determined by the Board to require four years or more to
				  complete.
(11) Degree or
				  certificate program of more than four years--A baccalaureate degree or
				  certificate program determined by the Board to require more than four years to
				  complete.
(12) Encumber--Program
				  funds that have been officially requested by an institution through procedures
				  developed by the Coordinating Board.
(13) Equivalent of a semester credit hour-- A
				  unit of measurement for a continuing education course, determined as a ratio of
				  one continuing education unit to 10 contact hours of instruction, which may be
				  expressed as a decimal. 1.6 continuing education units of instruction equals
				  one semester credit hour of instruction. In a continuing education course, not
				  fewer than 16 contact hours are equivalent to one semester credit
				  hour.
(14) Expected Family
				  Contribution (EFC)--A measure utilized to calculate a student's financial need
				  as regulated and defined by the methodology used for federal student financial
				  aid.
(15) Financial Need--The Cost
				  of Attendance at a particular public or private institution of higher education
				  less the Expected Family Contribution. The Cost of Attendance and Expected
				  Family Contribution are to be determined in accordance with Board
				  guidelines.
(16) Full-Time--For
				  undergraduate students, enrollment or expected enrollment for the equivalent of
				  twelve or more semester credit hours per semester. For graduate students,
				  enrollment or expected enrollment for the normal full-time course load of the
				  student's program of study as defined by the institution.
(17) Gift Aid--Grants, scholarships,
				  exemptions, waivers, and other financial aid provided to a student without a
				  requirement to repay the funding or earn the funding through work.
(18) Graduate student--A student who has been
				  awarded a baccalaureate degree and is enrolled in coursework leading to a
				  graduate or professional degree.
(19) Half-Time--For undergraduates,
				  enrollment or expected enrollment for the equivalent of at least six but fewer
				  than nine semester credit hours per regular semester. For graduate students,
				  enrollment or expected enrollment for the equivalent of 50 percent of the
				  normal full-time course load of the student's program of study as defined by
				  the institution.
(20) Period of
				  enrollment--The semester or semesters within the current state fiscal year
				  (September 1 - August 31) for which the student was enrolled in an approved
				  institution and met all eligibility requirements for an award through this
				  program.
(21) Program Officer--The
				  individual named by each participating institution's chief executive officer to
				  serve as agent for the Board. The Program Officer has primary responsibility
				  for all ministerial acts required by the program, including the determination
				  of student eligibility, selection of recipients, maintenance of all records,
				  and preparation and submission of reports reflecting program transactions.
				  Unless otherwise indicated by the institution's chief executive officer, the
				  director of student financial aid shall serve as Program Officer.
(22) Residency Core Questions--A set of
				  questions developed by the Coordinating Board to be used to determine a
				  student's eligibility for classification as a resident of Texas, available for
				  downloading from the Coordinating Board's website, and incorporated into the
				  ApplyTexas application for admission.
(23) Resident of Texas--A resident of the
				  State of Texas as determined in accordance with Chapter 21, Subchapter B of
				  this title (relating to Determination of Resident Status). Nonresident students
				  who are eligible to pay resident tuition rates are not residents of
				  Texas.
(24) Semester--A payment
				  period, as defined by 34 CFR
				  668.4(a) or
				  34 CFR
				  668.4(b)(1).
(25) Semester Credit Hour--A unit of measure
				  of instruction, represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by
				  evidence of student achievement, that reasonably approximates one hour of
				  classroom instruction or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours
				  out of class student work for each week over a 15-week period in a semester
				  system or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time. An
				  institution is responsible for determining the appropriate number of semester
				  credit hours awarded for its programs in accordance with Federal definitions,
				  requirements of the institution's accreditor, and commonly accepted practices
				  in higher education.
(26)
				  Three-Quarter-Time--For undergraduate students, enrollment or expected
				  enrollment for the equivalent of at least nine but fewer than 12 semester
				  credit hours per semester. For graduate students, enrollment or expected
				  enrollment for the equivalent of 75 percent of the normal full-time course load
				  of the student's program of study as defined by the institution.
(27) Timely Distribution of Funds--Activities
				  completed by institutions of higher education related to the receipt and
				  distribution of state financial aid funding from the Board and subsequent
				  distribution to recipients or return to the Board.
(28) Undergraduate student--An individual who
				  has not yet received a baccalaureate degree.