To encourage persons employed as peace officers to take college courses to help them in their careers, the state of Texas offers assistance with tuition and laboratory fees for courses offered as part of law enforcement-related or criminal justice curriculum.

The institution may not provide exemptions through Peace Officer Exemption program to more than 20% of the maximum enrollment for that class. We try our best to find courses with exemptions available and courses you need if the exemption for the selected class is at capacity. Essentially, if there are 40 seats in a class, there are 8 exemptions available for that course. 

Covered Charges

The exemption covers tuition and lab fees only; require university fees are not waived. You will receive a bill for other fees charged by the university, non-payment of these fees will result in you being dropped from the course. View a full list of the university’s fees. The exemption does not apply to courses that make up the general education core curriculum require for all colleges. Only classes with a CRIJ prefix are available for the tuition exemption. 

Eligibility Criteria

• Be employed as a Peace Officer by the State of Texas or by a political subdivision of Texas.
• Provide the Criminal Justice department proof of employment as a currently paid Peace Officer (require each semester in which the exemption will be used). An email from your supervisor’s official email account will fulfill this requirement.
• Have a Criminal Justice degree plan on file in the registrar’s office.
• Enrollment must be secured with proper payment to avoid cancellation for non-payment. Any over payment will be refunded.
• Complete and submit the application prior to the specified deadline.
• Submit a new application every semester you wish to receive the exemption. If you do not apply, the exemption will not be processed.
  • 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.)

The date you submit your application will be used to determine the eligibility of courses. Only undergraduate courses pertaining to the major requirement of criminal justice degree are eligible for the tuition and laboratory fee exemption. Not all tuition and fees may be covered by the exemption. Students are responsible for any additional tuition and fees that may not be covered.

Application Process

Once admitted to Tarleton State University, please complete the following steps:

• Enroll in the courses of a law enforcement or criminal justice curriculum,
• Complete and submit the Peace Officer Tuition Exemption Form* and
• Provide the college registrar proof of employment as a paid employee of an approved.

* Deadline to apply is one week prior to the start of class. For more information, please visit: College for All Texans. Please keep in mind that this form is a request for exemption only, and does not guarantee any financial assistance.

For additional information, review section 54.3531 of the Education Code. 

Deadlines

One week prior to the start of class. For more information, please visit: College for All Texans.

Please keep in mind that this form is a request for exemption only, and does not guarantee any financial assistance.