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Financial aid available for students displaced by Hurricane Harvey

Posted at 10:15 AM, Apr 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-24 19:50:30-04

 

Texas A&M students who withdrew from school in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey may be eligible for a new line of financial assistance thanks to a grant from the State of Qatar.

According to a release from Texas A&M today, a $1 million grant from the Qatar Harvey fund will now help to support those aspiring scholars with a revamped safety net and money to help cover their tuition, fees, books, living expenses and even emergency expenses at Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

The money comes from a $30 million fund established in 2017 to support the long-term recovery of southeast Texas.

“Qatar and Texas have many long-standing ties, including a Texas A&M campus in Qatar that has awarded some 900 engineering degrees over more than a dozen years,” said His Excellency Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar’s Ambassador to the U.S. “When we saw the devastation from Hurricane Harvey, we created the Qatar Harvey Fund to help our friends in Texas recover from the storm. We are proud to once again partner with the Rebuild Texas Fund to support Texas students impacted by Hurricane Harvey.”

Texas A&M says the grant will give deserving students a second chance at their college dreams.

“The Texas A&M University System is very thankful for this grant,” Chancellor Sharp said. “This money will help rebuild the future for hundreds of deserving Texans whose dreams of obtaining a degree were rained on by Harvey.”

To be eligible for assistance, a student must be:

  • Either a current student impacted by Hurricane Harvey and enrolled in one of the five included A&M System universities;
  • Or, be a student who withdrew from one of these universities as a result of Hurricane Harvey and has not yet reenrolled;
  • Or, be a student who was admitted to one of these universities beginning in the Fall of 2017 but did not attend because of Harvey. Students must also have had a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for undergraduate and 3.0 for graduate and doctoral students, if currently enrolled.

Texas A7M says applicants must also be able to demonstrate, with data or anecdotally, the effect of Harvey on their financial situation. The grant money would be available for the Fall 2019 semester.

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