Financial Aid
Students should contact the Aggie One Stop for questions or general information about scholarships and financial aid. International students may not be eligible for federal aid, but you may be eligible to receive state and/or university aid.
- International Student Scholarships
- International Student Financial Aid
- International students seeking aid for Summer 2026 should complete the International Student Financial Aid Application (ISFAA).
- International students seeking aid for Fall 2026 or future terms should complete the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA).
- Scholarships Outside of Texas A&M
Assistantships / Fellowships
In addition to submitting the applications mentioned above, students may be eligible to receive funding directly from their school or academic department. Students who are interested in assistantships or fellowships should start by contacting their academic advisor.
On-Campus Work
Students looking for on-campus employment should start at the Jobs for Aggies website. Contact the Career Center if you need help with resumes, interviews, or job searching. Remember to follow the rules for working on-campus for your immigration status. More information about steps to work on-campus can be found here.
Financial Hardship
Please keep ISSS informed about your financial situation. We would like to know whether you are successful in securing funding or support from any of the resources mentioned below. If your financial situation worsens or does not improve after you’ve attempted to utilize the resources below, please let us know.
- Pocket Pantries are maintained around campus to aid anyone experiencing food insecurity. We maintain a pocket pantry in the ISSS lobby (Pavilion 110).
- The 12th Can is an on-campus food pantry that provides food assistance for all students, faculty, and staff.
- Brazos Valley Food Bank also provides food and programming for individuals in Bryan/College Station and the rest of Brazos Valley.
- Consult with Student Business Services about setting up a payment installment plan so you have more flexibility in the timeline for paying your tuition and fee bill.
- To learn about opportunities for financial assistance outside of employment, such as a Short-Term Loan or an Emergency Tuition and Fee Loan, consult with Scholarships and Financial Aid.
- Consult with ISSS during our Virtual Drop-In Advising if you are concerned about maintaining full-time enrollment and/or maintaining your immigration status. We can discuss your immigration options. Visit Connect with ISSS to learn more about ISSS virtual drop-in advising.
You should really think about your situation to see if it’s realistically possible for you to continue your studies at TAMU for now.
- What is the cause of your financial hardship?
- How much do you need to cover your expenses?
- What is the deadline to pay for those expenses by?
- Have you reached out to family and friends for assistance?
- If the expenses are owed to Texas A&M, have you set up a payment installment plan with Student Business Services?
- Consider how Texas A&M University is or will be helping you address your financial needs during the most recent academic year, including tuition waivers, full or partial scholarships, housing, stipends, loans, or other forms of support.
- When do you plan to graduate or complete your program?
- Have you informed your academic department about your financial hardship?
- Have you considered taking a leave of absence from your academic program?
You should first try to find work on-campus or work allowed within your standard F-1 or J-1 benefits. Then, if you’ve exhausted all other options and still need additional financial help, you may be able to apply for certain immigration benefits depending on your situation.
- If any, what kind of on-campus employment do you have?
- How many hours per week?
- What are your employment start and tentative end dates?
- If you already have on-campus employment, do you want to increase on-campus employment during major semesters:
- Do you want to go above twenty hours with current on-campus employment?
- Do you want to get a second on-campus employment?
- If eligible, do you want to reduce course load (below 9 hours for graduate students or 12 hours for undergraduate students)
- Undergraduate student must have 6 hours and graduate students must have 3 hours.
- If eligible, do you want to apply for off-campus employment?
- If eligible, do you want to apply for TPS status with TPS EAD?
- If eligible, do you plan to do CPT? If yes, when?
- Loss of financial aid or on-campus employment (through no fault of your own);
- Substantial fluctuations in currency value or exchange rate;
- Inordinate increases in tuition or living costs;
- Unexpected changes in the financial condition of your source of support;
- Medical bills; and
- Other substantial and unexpected expenses.
To be eligible, students must:
- have been F-1 for at least one year,
- are in good academic standing,
- can demonstrate the need for employment due to a severe economic hardship beyond their control,
- and that the hardship arose after obtaining their F-1 status
The student will be required to provide a written statement to ISSS describing the hardship and should, if possible, provide supporting documentation. Examples include a letter from home telling of a change in family circumstances or proof of a currency devaluation in the student's country. Students will also need to explain why other employment options are unavailable or insufficient and show that the additional employment authorization will not impact their ability to maintain full-time enrollment.
If approved by ISSS, the student will need to submit an I-765 application to USCIS and pay the USCIS fee. Authorization is granted on a one-year basis and must be reapplied for each year. If a student needs uninterrupted work authorization, they are advised to reapply in advance – at least 90 days, but no more than six months. If employment is authorized, USCIS will issue an EAD card to the student.
For questions regarding this process or to begin applying for Severe Economic Hardship Work Authorization, please contact ISSS.
- It allows a student to work more than 20 hours per week in on-campus employment during major semesters and/or to work off-campus.
- It allows a student to enroll less than full-time while continuing to maintain F-1 status during major semesters.
If your country is eligible for both Temporary Protected Status and SSR, you are strongly encouraged to discuss your options with an experienced immigration attorney before applying for either benefit. If you are not sure where to start, please reach out to us.
Citizens of certain countries are made eligible for SSR through Federal Register notices. You must have been lawfully present in the U.S. for the time period specified in the Federal Register notice to be eligible for SSR.
Please make sure you check USCIS's website for the most up to date information. As of January 22, 2026, SSR is currently available for the following countries ONLY:
In order to be eligible for SSR you must:
- Be in good academic standing.
- Be meeting your minimum course requirements for duration of authorized employment.
- Be maintaining status.
- Need the employment to alleviate severe economic hardship caused by emergent circumstances.
The application process for SSR requires a new Form I-20 issued by ISSS, so if you are interested in applying, you should email our Scholars & Interns (J-1) team with your full name and UIN with the following information:
- Explain that you want to apply for Special Student Relief (SSR)
- Specify if you currently have any authorization for on- or off-campus employment.
- Specify if you want to increase your on-campus employment hours, if you want to work off-campus, and/or if you want to reduce your course enrollment requirements.
- If you want to apply for authorization to work off-campus, you must apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) for severe economic hardship work authorization from USCIS after receiving the new Form I-20 from ISSS
- Indicate the specific dates and academic terms during which you want the benefits above.
- Specify your anticipated graduation date.
- Provide a detailed explanation about your financial situation to explain how you are impacted by the crisis in your country and why you need the SSR authorization. Clarify how you are currently funding your educational and living expenses. If applicable, specify any TAMU funding you already receive.
You should continue to follow all rules of your F-1 status until you receive authorization from ISSS and/or USCIS to work additional hours on campus, to work off-campus, and/or to reduce your course load.
Note: You are not eligible to apply for SSR once you have graduated from your academic program.
F-1 Special Student Relief Fact Sheet
Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) is not an immigration status. At the president's discretion, they are eligible to authorize deferred enforced departure for non-immigrants from specific countries through a DED Directive. Each presidential directive includes the criteria for an individual to be covered by DED and certain exceptions for individuals who are not covered. Individuals who qualify for deferred enforced departure are eligible to remain in the United States at least through the date provided in the presidential directive. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may additionally grant employment or travel authorization for individuals covered under DED.
As of January 22, 2026, DED is currently available for the following countries/groups ONLY:Working in the United States Under DED
If DHS provides employment authorization as a benefit of DED for your country, then you may request an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) by filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.DHS may provide automatic extensions of expiring DED beneficiaries to allow for time to issue EADs with new validity dates. They may also publish a Federal Register notice announcing automatic extensions to inform you that your employment authorization has been extended and for how long.
If an extension is announced, and you are otherwise still eligible for DED, you may use your DED-related EAD with a lapsed Card Expires Date and a copy of the Federal Register notice as evidence for continued eligibility for employment to employers or government agencies.
If you are currently in F or J status and are a beneficiary of DED, please be advised that work authorization under DED may not provide additional benefit beyond what is permitted by your status. Engaging in work using authorization external to your F or J status may constitute unauthorized work under that status, even if it is authorized as a benefit of separate legal designations. If you have additional questions regarding this, or if you are in a status other than F-1 or J-1 and want specific information regarding how your status might intersect with DED, we would recommend speaking with an immigration attorney.
If you are an employee with questions or concerns about the automatic EAD extension, you may contact the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section Worker Hotline at 800-255-7688.
Travel Outside the United States Under DED
If DHS provides travel authorization as a benefit of your DED, you must file for advance parole if you wish to travel. Advance parole gives you permission to leave the United States and return during a specified period. To request advance parole, you must file Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records.If you leave the United States without first receiving advance parole, you may no longer be eligible for DED and may not be permitted to reenter the United States.
If you are currently in active F-1 or J-1 status and are intending to travel, please review the information regarding traveling outside the United States.
If you have more specific questions regarding deferred enforced departure, or believe that you might qualify, please seek assistance from an experienced immigration attorney. ISSS advisors do not have the expertise or credentials to assist.
See Also
Flywire International Payments
Flywire is an easy-to-use payment solution that provides international payers with a streamlined payment experience and saves institutions and their payers time and money. Learn more about Flywire from the Texas A&M IT Department and sending payments to or from a specific country.
Note: Flywire recently implemented an International Payment Plan for international students who wish to break up their payments while continuing to pay in their local currency. Details about this can be found in the Howdy Platform to make the payment. See the process flow graphic from Flywire.
Paying Your Tuition
Student Business Services (SBS) is the office that handles payments and refunds. Some webpages you can refer to for help and guidance through the process of paying your tuition are:
Additionally, some international students may be considered "residents for tuition purposes" and be charged at the in-state tuition rate. This is not the same as being considered a resident for immigration or taxes. Click here to learn more about Residency for In-State Tuition.
Refunds
You must set up direct deposit to get any refunds from SBS. An international bank account cannot be used to receive refunds from SBS. You must provide a U.S. bank account. Click here for instructions on how to set up direct deposit.You may see a hold on your Howdy Dashboard for "Need Direct Deposit for Refund". This is just a reminder that you need to set up the direct deposit; It does not block you from registering for courses.