SAN ANTONIO — Texas A&M University-San Antonio will receive about $1.9 million for the 2026-27 academic year through a new initiative from The Texas A&M University 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 A&M-San Antonio does not receive 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.
“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 A&M System’s 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.”
“We are grateful to the Texas A&M University System and the Board of Regents for their continued commitment to the men and women who have served our country,” said President Salvador Hector Ochoa. “This funding helps ensure that veterans and their families can access a high-quality education while allowing us to further strengthen the programs and services that contribute to their success.”
A&M-San Antonio provides educational opportunities and support for veterans, active-duty service members and military-connected families. For Fall 2026, military-affiliated students account for 16% of undergraduates and 19% of graduate students. For the 2025-26 academic year, 531 students used Hazlewood for a total of $3,043,878.
“The Hazlewood Veteran Initiative represents a meaningful investment in the institutions that proudly serve Texas veterans and their families,” said Katesha Goodson, director of A&M-San Antonio’s Office of Military Affairs. “At our University, military-connected students are an important part of our campus community, and we remain committed to ensuring they have the resources, support, and opportunities necessary to successfully transition from military service to higher education and beyond.”
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 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, meaning public universities must absorb those costs.
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 $1.9 million allocation to A&M-San Antonio applies only to the initiative’s first year. Allocations for the second and third years will be determined separately in those years.
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.