Tuition Assistance: What It Is and How to Use It
An adjunct instructor reviews the course syllabus with students in October 2021. (Photo credit: Timothy Norris/US Marine Corps)
Attending school while on active duty can burden a service member's time and budget. Tuition Assistance is a Department of Defense program that supports service members who are taking classes while 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?
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 can pay up to 100% of the tuition expenses of service members. Tuition Assistance, or TA, is not a loan; it's a benefit the service member has earned, just like base pay or housing allowance.
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®️ is available to be used as part of the VA's Top Up Program when the maximum annual amount is exceeded.
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 are eligible, and National Guard and Reservists may be eligible. Visit Military.com for a chart that shows eligibility and maximum amounts separated by branch.
Enlisted service members must show they have enough time in service remaining to complete the course they have applied for, and officers must fulfill a service obligation that runs parallel to their current obligation.
What does TA Cover?
Tuition and course-specific fees – lab or online course fees – are included in what tuition assistance will cover. You may need to prove that the fees are related to the course enrollment. TA pays directly to the school, and vocational, technical and independent study are eligible for the program. Additionally, distance learning is included, and students can pursue undergraduate or graduate degree programs.
The list of what TA doesn't cover is a bit longer. Books and materials are not included, and neither are flight training fees, repeating a course or continuing education units. If you leave the military before your course ends or quit or fail the course, you will have to reimburse the money paid out. If you leave the course for personal illness, military transfer or mission requirements, you will not be required to reimburse TA.
How to Apply
Applying for TA is relatively easy. Each branch has its own form and specific procedures. You can get help with this at your installation education center or online.