(a) To be eligible initially for a grant under the grant program, a person must:
(1) be a resident of this state as determined by coordinating board rules;
(2) meet financial need requirements as defined by the coordinating board;
(3) be enrolled in an associate degree or certificate program at an eligible institution;
(4) be enrolled as an entering student for at least one-half of a full course load for an entering student in the associate degree or certificate program, as determined by the coordinating board;
(5) have applied for any available financial aid or assistance; and
(6) comply with any additional nonacademic requirement adopted by the coordinating board under this subchapter.
(b) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under this subchapter if the person has been convicted of a felony or an offense under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code (Texas Controlled Substances Act), or under the law of another jurisdiction involving a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, unless the person has met the other applicable eligibility requirements under this subchapter and has:
(1) received a certificate of discharge by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or a correctional facility or completed a period of probation ordered by a court and at least two years have elapsed from the date of the receipt or completion; or
(2) been pardoned, had the record of the offense expunged from the person's record, or otherwise been released from the resulting ineligibility to receive a grant under this subchapter.
(c) A person is not eligible to receive a grant under this subchapter if the person has been granted an associate or baccalaureate degree.
(d) A person may not receive a grant under this subchapter for more than 75 semester credit hours or the equivalent.
(e) A person may not receive a grant under this subchapter and a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M for the same semester or other term, regardless of whether the person is otherwise eligible for both grants during that semester or term. A person who but for this subsection would be awarded both a grant under this subchapter and a TEXAS grant for the same semester or other term is entitled to receive only the grant of the greater amount.
(f) A person's eligibility for a grant under this subchapter ends on the fourth anniversary of the initial award of a grant under this subchapter to the person and the person's enrollment in an eligible institution.