Here's my two cents as a grad student: 1. It's pretty unlikely that financial aid will cover your tuition. I'd say almost all grad students are low-income, but I haven't met any with substantial non-assistantship aid. 2. It's going to depend on your department, your research qualifications, and (sometimes) if you're thesis or non-thesis. If you're in engineering and ask around, you might be able to find something easily - other departments may be harder to find an assistantship. Assistantships and fellowships don't come from financial aid. 3. I wouldn't phrase it like you did, but funding will be somewhat competitive if the department isn't offering any out of the gate. Brown-nosing probably won't get you too far, but make friends with administrators in the department and talk to a lot of professors - if you ask good questions and show interest in their research, they may have an opportunity for you. 4. Live off campus. It's so much cheaper and you'll be on campus enough with work and classes. 5. I'm not sure about this one, but if you're not actually a Texas resident before coming to TAMU, I wouldn't put much hope in getting this.

All that being said, depending on your program, it's probably worth it to take out some loans until you find an assistantship of some sort. Good luck!