Texas Firefighter
Tuition Waiver
Background
Firefighters employed or volunteer with a political subdivision of the State of Texas qualify for a tuition waiver for all courses as outlined by Texas Education Code 54.353. This tuition waiver applies to any firefighter who meets the program requirements for a volunteer firefighter or works for a fire department, public safety agency, or other emergency response organizations and does so within a political subdivision in the state of Texas. To read this legislation, please visit the link below:
Information about the state tuition waiver program.
Eligibility
To qualify for the Texas Firefighter Tuition Waiver, a Firefighter must meet the following criteria:
- Be employed as a paid firefighter by a political subdivision of the State of Texas; OR
- Be an active member of an organized volunteer department for at least one year; AND
- Meet credentialing requirements.
- Be an active member of an organized volunteer department for at least one year; AND
- Apply for admission and be accepted to West Texas A&M University.
- Enroll in the Emergency Management Administration program (BAAS).
- Achieve satisfactory academic progress and maintain a GPA of at least 2.0.
Additional Information
- The Texas Firefighter Tuition Waiver covers all tuition associated with courses in the EMA program. The list of covered courses can be found here.
- The waiver does not cover student fees, required textbooks, or tuition for courses outside of the EMA program.
Application Process
- Submit the West Texas A&M University Firefighter Tuition Waiver form after successful admission to the university and course registration.
- Completed waivers should be sent to ema@wtamu.edu
- Waivers received before formal admission to the university or registration will not be processed.
- Waivers must be completed on departmental or agency letterhead.
- The Emergency Management Administration program director will verify eligibility and forward the waiver to the Registrar’s Office for processing.
- The Registrar and the Business Office will apply the waiver to the appropriate student account.
Additional Information
- Students must submit a new waiver form each semester.
- All required student information on the tuition waiver form must be provided. Forms without a signature and/or valid BuffID will not be processed.
- Once processed by the EMA program director, students should contact the Business Office for all questions regarding waivers/benefits. Faculty do not have access to student accounts.