The Good Neighbor Scholarship is a State of Texas programme designed to bring academically able students from across the Americas into Texas universities. At UTRGV it exempts the holder from tuition for 12 months, beginning with the autumn term, which makes it one of the most valuable awards open to students from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The country rule is the heart of it. You must be born in and currently resident in an independent nation of the Western Hemisphere other than Cuba and the United States, which gives 33 eligible countries from Canada and Mexico down to Argentina and Chile, including the Caribbean island states. Dependent territories such as Aruba, the Cayman Islands and French Guiana sit outside the programme.
There are several conditions attached beyond nationality. You need five years of residence in the Western Hemisphere, an intention to return home after graduating, no dual citizenship involving the United States, and a selective service registration statement on file with your institution. Your institution must recommend you, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board makes the final choice.
Applications open in February each year and UTRGV sends the details by email to students it considers qualified, so contact International Student Services at international@utrgv.edu early if you want to be in that pool. Tuition is the only cost covered, so budget separately for fees, housing and insurance.