STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State University will receive about $3.3 million for the 2026-27 academic year through a new initiative from The Texas A&M System that will help universities cover the unreimbursed cost of serving Texas veterans under the Hazlewood Act.
The funding will help offset the tuition and mandatory fee revenue Tarleton State forgoes when eligible veterans receive Hazlewood benefits. This support will allow the university to direct additional resources toward instruction, student services and other priorities that benefit all students.
“Serving those who have served our country is both a privilege and a responsibility Tarleton State takes great pride in,” said Tarleton State President Dr. James Hurley. “We are grateful to The Texas A&M System for an investment that recognizes the sacrifice of Texas veterans and strengthens our shared commitment to providing an exceptional education for every Tarleton State student.”
The Hazlewood Act provides qualifying Texas veterans with up to 150 semester credit hours of tuition exemption, including most mandatory fees, at public colleges and universities. Eligible veterans may transfer unused hours to a qualifying child through the Hazlewood Legacy program. Benefits are also available to certain spouses and dependent children of veterans who are disabled, missing or killed as a result of military service.
Based on fiscal year 2025 data, state funding reimbursed about 67% of the cost of exemptions transferred to children through the Legacy program. Exemptions used directly by veterans are currently not reimbursed, leaving public universities to absorb those costs.
“Texas made a promise to the men and women who wore our nation’s uniform, and we intend to keep it,” said Robert L. Albritton, chairman of The Texas A&M System Board of Regents. “But keeping that promise should not weaken the universities that serve so many veterans and military families. This initiative gives those campuses meaningful relief while protecting the education of every student who walks through their doors.”
The board authorized up to $30 million annually for three years for the Hazlewood Veteran Initiative. Funding for the systemwide initiative will come from the Available University Fund. The $3.3 million allocation to Tarleton State applies only to the initiative’s first year. Allocations for the second and third years will be determined separately.
The initiative does not change Hazlewood eligibility or benefits. It provides institutional support so universities can continue serving eligible veterans without shifting the unreimbursed cost to other campus priorities.
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