Transcript State Policies Excess Credit Hours and Tuition Rebate

State Policies:
Excess Credit Hours and Tuition
Rebate
Office of the Registrar
Matthew Johnson and Krystal Schnettler
Excess Credit Hours
• Excess semester credit hours attempted by a resident student are
not funded by the State of Texas.
• State law defines excess semester credit hours as those hours which
accrue after the student “exceeds by at least 30 hours the number
of semester credit hours required for the completion of the degree
program in which the student is enrolled.”
• This includes courses attempted at other Texas public institutions.
• As permitted by State law, Texas A&M will recover the lost State
revenue by charging higher tuition to students exceeding the
semester credit hour limit.
• The difference between paying tuition at the resident rate and the
higher non-funded student rate could amount to several thousand
dollars each semester after a student exceeds the State imposed
hours limit.
Who is affected?
• Students enrolling the first time in college
being in fall 1999, are subject to ECH
• Students enrolling the first time in college
between fall 1999 and summer 2006 have a
45 credit hour limit above their degree
requirement
• Students enrolling the first time in college
after summer 2006 have a 30 hour limit above
their degree requirement
When are students affected?
• Students will go into excess after they
complete the semester in which their total
attempted hours places them over their credit
hour limit
• Notifications from the State are sent during
the Fall, Spring, and Summer for the upcoming
semesters.
What are ATTEMPTED hours?
•
Q-drops*
•
FYGEs
•
Withdrawn hours*
•
Non-transferrable coursework
•
S/U courses
•
Repeated courses
*If dropped after the census date
•
Attempted hours include ALL hours
except the following:
– Hours earned by the student before
receiving a baccalaureate degree that
has been previously awarded.
– Hours earned through credit by exam or
other procedure by which the credit is
earned without registering for a course.
– Credit for remedial education courses,
technical courses, workforce education
courses or other courses that would not
generate academic credit that could be
applied to a degree at TAMU.
– Hours earned by the student before
graduating from high school and used
to satisfy high school graduation
requirements.
– Hours not eligible for formula funding.
– Credits earned at private or out-of-state
institutions.
Excess Credit Hours
• Notification from the THECB
– Approaching (within 30 hours)
– Exceeded (exceeded based on most recent
semester)
– Continues to Exceed
Required
Hours
+30
Hours
Excess
Credit
Hour
120
<150
>150
The Process
• Notification from THECB • Students can email
excesscredithours@tamu
.edu
from
their
Official
• Update student
TAMU email address to
residency status to
request a review of their
adjust tuition
hours
• Email student notifying
of current
standing/status
• University Student Fiscal
Appeal process
Additions to degrees
• Minors
– Students who have declared a minor, are allotted
an extra 18 credit hours to their credit hour limit.
***If a student adds a minor in an attempt to
avoid ECH and then drops the minor prior to
graduation, they will be reassessed the penalty.
– Degrees that require minors such as University
Studies and Communication are not allotted extra
hours for required minors
Additions to degrees
• Double Majors
– Students wishing to pursue a double major are allotted an
additional 18 hours.
• Double Degrees
– For students that earn two degrees simultaneously, they
are allowed 30 extra hours in addition to the already
guaranteed 30 additional hours. So, if an ENGL degree
requires 120 hours, and the student is pursuing a HRDV
degree simultaneously, they would have the state's
guaranteed 30 hours added to the 120 hour minimum, and
then another 30 hours for the double degree, which would
make their excess credit hour cap 180 hours.
Tuition Rebate
What is the Tuition Rebate?
• The $1,000.00 tuition rebate is a state
mandated incentive for undergraduate
students who attempt no more than three
hours in excess of the minimum number of
hours required to complete the degree in the
catalog under which they will graduate.
Students must apply PRIOR to
commencement during their last term. Several
conditions apply and students must meet all
specified criteria.
Requirements
• All must be met in order to qualify
– Must have enrolled for the first time in an institution of higher
education in the fall of 1997 or later.
– Must be requested for work related to a first baccalaureate
degree from a Texas public institution.
– Must have been a Texas resident and entitled to pay resident
tuition at all times.
– If enrolled for the first time in fall 2005 or later, the student
must graduate within 4 calendar years for a 4-year degree or
within 5 calendar years for a 5- year degree if the degree is
determined by the THECB to require more than 4 years to
complete.
– The student must have attempted no more than 3 hours in
excess of the minimum number of hours required to complete
the degree under the catalog in which they graduated.
What are ATTEMPTED hours?
• Credit earned by exam in excess of 9 hours
• Courses dropped after the census date (i.e. Q-drops,
Ws, NGs)
• For credit developmental courses
• First year grade exclusions
• Repeated courses
• Optional internship and cooperative education courses
• All transfer credits from any public institution within
Texas except collegiate coursework attempted prior to
the student’s high school graduation date.
What should advisors know?
• Students MUST apply for the
rebate during their last semester
and no later than 5pm the first
day of commencement.
• THECB does not allocate extra
hours for a student to pursue a
minor, double major, double
degree, certificate, etc.
• After degrees are conferred, the
Registrar’s Office processes the
applications and notifies SBS of
eligible students. Students are
notified of approval or denial
approximately 6-8 weeks after
graduation.
• Once students are approved, SBS
releases the funds. However,
state law dictates certain loans be
repaid with TR funds:
– *Loans owed to the University
– *Loans guaranteed by the State of
Texas
• Ineligible students can appeal the
decision by submitting an appeal
through the University Student
Fiscal Appeals Panel
(http://sbs.tamu.edu/accountsbilling/student-information/appealprocess/)
Questions?