Are you eligible for Tuition Assistance? Here's how to find out.

Are you eligible for Tuition Assistance? Here's how to find out.

Most of the conversation surrounding service members and veterans attending college centers around the Post-9/11 GI Bill®️; however, there is another option. Tuition Assistance is a Department of Defense program that supports active-duty service members taking classes in the military. Here's what you need to know to get started with tuition assistance, including eligibility, covered amounts and how to apply.

What is Tuition Assistance?

Tuition Assistance, or TA, is not a loan; it's a benefit the service member has earned, just like base pay or housing allowance. While serving on active duty or in the National Guard and Reserve, an additional educational benefit is available to the service member. Each service branch usually pays up to 100% of the tuition expenses of service members. 

The program provides financial assistance at a rate of up to $250 per semester hour (or $166 per quarter credit hour) and the maximum annual amount of $4,500. The program follows the military's fiscal year of October 1 through September 30. Both in-person and online courses are eligible for TA. The Post 9-11 GI Bill®️ can be used as part of the VA's Top Up Program when you exceed the maximum annual amount. You can also pay those expenses out of pocket.

Who is Eligible to Use it?

All military branches and the US Coast Guard offer TA to support its service members' personal and professional goals. All ranks and National Guard and Reservists are eligible, depending on their status. Visit Military.com for a chart that shows eligibility and maximum amounts separated by branch.

Enlisted service members must show they have enough time remaining on their contract to complete the course they have applied for. Officers must fulfill a service obligation that runs parallel to their current commitment.

What does Tuition Assistance Cover?

Tuition assistance covers course-specific fees such as lab or online fees if you can prove the costs are related to course enrollment. TA pays directly to the school, and vocational, technical and independent study are eligible for the program. Additionally covered is distance learning, and students can use it for their undergraduate or graduate degree programs.

TA doesn't cover everything needed for college classes, though. Not included are the cost of books and materials, flight training fees, and the cost of repeating a course or continuing education units. Here's another catch, if you leave the military before your course ends, you quit or fail the course, and you will have to reimburse the money paid out. If you withdraw for personal illness, military transfer or mission requirements, you will not be required to return the TA payments. 

How to Apply for Tuition Assistance

Applying for TA is relatively easy. Each branch has its own form and specific procedures; these links direct you to that information.

The application process may include an education plan or orientation and approval from your change of command and the education center before enrolling in a class. TA payments are paid only to students pursuing degree programs. And only at US schools accredited by the US Department of Education.

Ready to learn more about navigating the higher education system as a veteran? Start here.

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