Many employers nowadays require applicants to have at least a bachelor’s degree. Fortunately, there are many places in the Lone Star State to obtain one. While tuition and fees at most Texas universities are lower than the national average, you can expect to pay a few thousand dollars for your education.
Even though your investment is likely to pay dividends, budgeting for college can be challenging. To gauge whether you qualify for government-backed grants, loans and work-study funds, you must complete the Free Application for Student Aid. Still, you may have heard some criminal convictions trigger a suspension of federal financial assistance.
The Good News
The good news for your college budget is convictions for driving under the influence do not typically render a person ineligible for federal financial aid. If your DWI also involves drugs, though, you may have to contend with a suspension of your financial aid package.
The Bad News
Even though a basic DWI conviction is not likely to jeopardize your government-backed financial aid, you may lose other funds. Private scholarship programs and student groups often require aid recipients to abide by a code of conduct. If a DWI conviction violates a relevant code, you may lose your private- or university-backed financial aid.
Following a DWI arrest or conviction, you may have some valid concerns about your future. Whether you stand to lose your financial aid, though, probably depends on the organization that issues it. Nevertheless, mounting an aggressive defense to DWI charges may be the most effective way to minimize the educational consequences of your arrest.