The general Appropriation Act (House Bill No. 1, 74th Legislature) requires that inmates reimburse the costs of post secondary education programs as a condition of parole. The general guidelines include the following:

1. Costs incurred for a workforce or academic course that begins September 1, 1995 or later, will be reimbursable. Costs include tuition, fees, tests, and any other required charges assessed by the college or university. Books are not considered a reimbursable item. Books will remain the property of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Institutional Division or Trinity Valley Community College.
2. Offenders who have a voted parole action indicating a “Serve All” with a calculated date the same as their maximum expiration date must pay tuition for the course or qualify for financial aid. 
3. Inmates enrolling on or after September 1, 1995, may be required to complete an agreement to reimburse tuition and fees.
4. The amount to be reimbursed will be based upon the minimum cost of tuition and fees at the college or university at which the student is enrolled. Enrollment in courses beyond the minimum will be at the expense of the student and due at the time of enrollment. Students must meet minimum academic criteria as required for any student in order to be enrolled for any and all courses.
5. The college will charge the Texas Department of Criminal Justice- Institutional Division for inmate students who are enrolled on the official class certification date each semester or enrollment period. No prorated charges or reimbursements will be made.
6. Tuition for all TDCJ classes will be calculated at the rate of $36.00 per credit hour, minimum of $108.00.

 

Tuition and Fee Schedule

Number of Hours	Tuition	General Fees	Total
1	$108	$0	$108
2	$108	$0	$108
3	$108	$0	$108
4	$144	$0	$144
5	$180	$0	$180
6	$216	$0	$216
7	$252	$0	$252
8	$288	$0	$288
9	$324	$0	$324
10	$360	$0	$360
11	$396	$0	$396
12	$432	$0	$432
13	$468	$0	$468
14	$504	$0	$504
15	$540	$0	$540
16	$576	$0	$576
17	$612	$0	$612
18	$648	$0	$648

Academic classes will be charged tuition at the rate of $36.00 per hour with a minimum of $108. Academic courses that require labs will have an additional $35.00 lab fee. Welding requires a lab fee of $35.00 per cycle. 
 

*STATE REIMBURSABLE COSTS
All college expenses incurred, labeled as State Reimbursable Costs, will be repaid by the inmate upon release. State Reimbursable Costs are defined as follows: 

1. State Reimbursable Costs include tuition and fees for college credit associate and baccalaureate level courses required as a result of TSI testing. 
2. As a State Reimbursable Cost, the state will pay for only the cost of the inmate’s initial academic course each semester. Additional courses each semester will be at the expense of the student. 
3. State Reimbursable Costs include tuition and fees for college credit workforce and academic courses for each qualified inmate student. 
4. Financial aid eligibility and utilization will be between the student and the college or university. The outstanding amount not covered by financial aid will be the amount financed by TDCJ, which will be repaid by the student. The outstanding amount (State Reimbursable Cost) may not be more than the cost of one course. 
5. Since books are reused each semester, the inmates will not be required to reimburse book costs.
6. Upon release from TDCJ, those offenders who discharge their sentence should contact the office of Rehabilitation Programs Division, P.O. Box 99, Huntsville, TX 77340 to make arrangements for reimbursement of charges made to their post-secondary education reimbursement accounts for college tuition and testing (936-437-6299). 

In some instances, an inmate may not be required to reimburse certain state reimbursable costs. If an inmate is dropped from a course and the reason is deemed excused, he will not be liable for the reimbursement. 

*Students with Felony or INS detainer are not eligible for reimbursement and must pay all tuition costs from their trust fund account.