Eligible firefighters enrolled in one or more Fire Protection Technology courses are exempt from paying tuition for courses within the AAS degree plan. Note that the exemption is only for tuition — students are responsible for paying any additional fees by the posted due date.

Who is eligible?

Any student who:

  • is employed as a firefighter by a political subdivision of Texas; or
  • is currently, and has been for at least one year, an active member of an organized volunteer fire department and who holds:
    • an Accredited Advanced level of certification, or an equivalent successor certification, under the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas volunteer certification program; or
    • Phase V (Firefighter II) certification, or an equivalent successor certification, under the Texas Commission on Fire Protection’s voluntary certification program

How to receive the exemption:

  1. Meet the eligibility requirements above
  2. Meet with the Fire Protection Technology department chair for advising, and declare Fire Protection Technology AAS as your major
  3. Submit unofficial transcripts to the department chair for approval of transfer credits for prior coursework and/or certifications
  4. Register for classes
  5. Students who qualify for the state tuition exemption should send an email (to the department chair and admin) with your Name, ACC ID number, course number(s) and title of course(s) registered for, the semester registered for, and a scanned copy of your employment verification letter. Please send the request to Nathan Zaleksi at nathan.zaleski@austincc.edu and Kristi Elliott at knorton@austincc.edu

The Fire Protection Technology Department will forward the required documentation to Student Accounting.

What classes are eligible for tuition exemption?

The only courses that can be approved for the exemption are courses that are included in the Fire Protection Technology AAS program map

What are the ongoing eligibility requirements?

To continue receiving the exemption, the state of Texas mandates that students must maintain a 2.0 GPA and not exceed 150% of the hours required for the degree. For example, the AAS degree program requires 60 semester hours for completion; students who exceed 90 semester hours of college credit cannot continue receiving the tuition exemption for the program courses.