Scholarships that are decided outside of the financial aid & scholarships building are released as they are decided - there isn’t a ‘date’ that all of them roll out. If ‘affording’ TAMU means your FAFSA number for EFC is lower than OOS tuition, you have a better chance (it is considered for many merit based scholarships - you do not have to have need to get the scholarship, but it is part of the evaluation). Some merit scholarships require a FAFSA be filed to be eligible, even if it is not an eliminating factor, so filing enters your student into the maximum amount of scholarship opportunities. Most scholarships are awarded between Jan- Mar, but like another poster, mine got an additional scholarship in the summer twice. Continuing scholarships are generally awarded in April and scholarships are renewed in the summers that have GPA requirements for eligibility.
You can ( and should) apply for outside scholarships, both of mine had those awarded to them all four years.
The dollar amounts of scholarships here are relatively low compared to other colleges, the NMF package was $3000 per year to give an idea – OOS waiver eligible at that time. Vast majority of scholarships were $1000-1500, a select few were higher. It wasn’t unusual to get a few scholarships or none at all. Why? There are two types of scholarships here - general fund ones (my term, not theirs) that are determined by a committee with a more ‘standard’ set of criteria and individual sponsored scholarships (tons of them) that the donor determines the criteria - almost anything goes - that is the main reason no one can really determine your chances. When you do get a scholarship, they don’t tell you why you got picked. Thus the mystery continues…
Do you have to accept your offer for scholarships to be offered? No. Is your acceptance binding? No. However the new housing system does start the clock running for your housing priority upon your offer of admission. Do you get a better offer if you wait - my experience is no. There is some recruiting done on the major level, they will contact you if they feel they need to persuade you. The door then opens for you to ask for scholarships if you’re contacted. My youngest got additional scholarships even after accepting. It is a very large, popular school so the waiting game doesn’t really work here.
Notification of scholarships are primarily done online in the Financial Aid portal. It will show up there for you to approve or decline (by clicking it). The name of the scholarship and amount will be shown. We have been also notified in the past by phone (for a large scholarship, only once), by mail and ONLY online - it just showed up. There is a summary letter that does go out - I believe in April- that comes from Financial Aid with your entire offer and finances listed (COA, EFC, scholarships, financial aid offer - loans, grants,scholarships) in the past it arrived in the mail as a hard copy but is also online. Your loan offers will also show up on the portal.
Hope that helps!