(a) In this section, “institution of higher education” and “private or independent institution of higher education” have the meanings assigned by § 61.003, Education Code.
(b) To be eligible for assistance for tuition and mandatory fees under this section, a person must:
(1) be a service member in good standing, as certified by the adjutant general, of the Texas military forces who is:
(A) an enlisted member;
(B) a warrant officer of a grade from Warrant Officer One through Chief Warrant Officer Three; or
(C) a commissioned officer of a grade from Second Lieutenant through Lieutenant Colonel; and
(2) meet any additional qualification established by the adjutant general to carry out the purposes of this section or to further the institutional needs of the Texas military forces.

(c) The adjutant general shall grant assistance for tuition and mandatory fees under this section to eligible service members, in an amount not to exceed the amount provided in the General Appropriations Act. The adjutant general may apportion the number of assistance awards among the components of the Texas military forces necessary to meet the recruitment and retention needs of those components. The number of assistance awards made to members of the Texas State Guard may not exceed 30 for any semester unless the adjutant general finds a compelling need for additional awards to members of the Texas State Guard.
(d) Assistance for tuition and mandatory fees may be awarded under this section for tuition and mandatory fees charged for any undergraduate or graduate course at an institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education, including a vocational or technical course.
(e) A service member may not receive assistance for tuition under this section for more than 12 semester credit hours in any semester.
(f) A service member may not receive assistance for tuition and mandatory fees under this section for more than 5 academic years or 10 semesters, whichever occurs first for the service member.
(g) Before each semester, the department must certify to the appropriate public and private institutions of higher education a list of the service members to whom the adjutant general has awarded assistance for tuition and mandatory fees under this section for that semester. The amount of assistance awarded by the adjutant general under this section may not exceed the amount of money available to fund the assistance awards.
(h) From money appropriated for purposes of this section, the department shall authorize the comptroller to reimburse an institution of higher education in an amount equal to the amount of the exemption from tuition and mandatory fees the institution grants to a person under § 54.345, Education Code.
(i) From money appropriated for purposes of this section, the department shall authorize the comptroller to make a grant to a service member attending a private or independent institution of higher education to whom the adjutant general has awarded assistance for tuition and mandatory fees for the semester under this section. The amount of a grant under this subsection is an amount equal to the average amount of reimbursement the department estimates will be paid per student for the same semester under Subsection (h).