Find Your Military School
 

  

Army Tuition Assistance

Tuition assistance will be used to provide financial assistance for voluntary off-duty education programs in support of a soldier's professional and personal self-development goals. Tuition assistance is related directly to retaining quality soldiers, enhancing their career progression, increasing the combat readiness of the Army, and returning soldiers to civilian careers.

 

Eligibility

Personnel eligible for TA:

  • Soldiers on active duty, including enlisted soldiers of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve on active duty pursuant to title 10 or title 32.
  • Active duty members of other Services who are supported by an AEC under provisions of an Interservice Support Agreement.
  • Members of the Selected Reserves based on availability of RC funds.

Personnel not eligible for TA:

  • Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) commissioned officers and RC warrant officers (10 USC 2007).
  • Soldiers of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve who are on active duty for training (ADT) or special duty (SD).
  • Commissioned officers and warrant officers attending school under provisions of AR 621-1 unless they are enrolled in the Training With Industry (TWI) program.
  • Soldiers flagged under provisions of AR 600-8-2, paragraph 1-12. This includes soldiers interned in domestic or foreign prisons.
  • Military personnel on terminal leave except when potential recoupment is within the control of the AEC; for example, course completion date is prior to final outprocessing date.

Soldiers assigned to Naval facilities will receive the benefits offered to sailors under an interservice support agreement between the Army and Navy, subject to the policy of the provider. However, they can not receive benefits under both the Navy and Army TA policies.

Service Commitment

Enlisted soldiers and warrant officers must have sufficient time remaining at their current duty station and in their term of service to complete the course before PCS/ETS unless involuntarily separated with an honorable discharge

Reserve Component commissioned officers must have at least 4 years of Selected Reserve service remaining from the date of completion of the course for which TA is provided (10 USC 2007). Reserve Component officers who fail to meet this requirement because they voluntarily separate or are discharged for misconduct before they complete their service obligation are required to reimburse the Army the amount of TA that represents the unserved portion of the 4-year obligation as agreed upon in signing the DA Form 2171.

Soldier Educational Goal

To obtain TA, all eligible soldiers must declare an educational goal in terms of a credential (a degree or certificate), certification (national or regional), or licensure and have an educational plan outlining the requirements of their educational goal. Soldiers have the option of pursuing disciplines related to their professional development or their personal goals. Goal changes are authorized only after consultation with an education counselor.

Rates and Restrictions

Army TA will be authorized on a course-by-course basis only for courses that are part of a soldier's educational goal. Tuition assistance may be used to defray tuition costs, instructional fees, and laboratory or shop fees up to the following limits established by law:

  • 100 percent for soldiers working toward a high school diploma or its equivalent.
  • 75 percent for courses leading to a postsecondary credential, certification, or licensure, not to exceed the established dollar limit per semester hour or equivalent.
  • The Department of the Army may restrict the maximum TA authorized per semester hour or per fiscal year and establish priorities and authorizations to meet budget constraints in the annual policy guidance. Requests for exception from standard Army TA policy must be addressed to TAPC-PDE.
  • Tuition assistance restrictions will apply to credit and non-credit bearing (voc-tech) classroom and alternative delivery courses whether taken separately or combined.

Approved Uses of TA

  • Off-duty classroom and alternative delivery courses (includes credit-by-examination) that support a soldier's educational goal.
  • One credential each at the diploma, certificate, associate, baccalaureate, or graduate level with no more than one license or certification in an area of specialization. Degrees may be earned via traditional and online programs such as online grad schools. Enlisted soldiers with a postsecondary credential may receive TA for courses required for licensure or certification in their MOS.
  • Off-duty courses leading to a state education credential (teaching, administration or supervision, and support services) as part of New Careers in Education (NCE) regardless of the degree level the soldier has attained.
  • Host-nation college credit language study OCONUS, regardless of educational goal or previous degrees completed.
  • Undergraduate prerequisite courses for enrolling in a baccalaureate's or master's degree program or for completing requirements for career advancement programs such as Officer's Candidate School, USMA, and the Army Medical Department Enlisted Commissioning Program. School officials for the master's degree and the commander for career advancement programs must provide written documentation that additional undergraduate work is necessary (not required for job performance) for the soldier's program of study.
  • College preparatory courses when the soldier is working toward an undergraduate degree.
  • DANTES independent study courses listed in DANTES Independent Study Catalog, DANTES External Degree Catalog, or National Home Study Council Schools Catalog
  • Independent study courses with an on-post institution if the course is unavailable through DANTES Independent Study Catalog and not being offered on-post. As with DANTES independent study courses, TA will be paid after successful completion of courses. However, prior approval must be obtained by the counselor or ESO using the college enrollment form and be recorded in the DA Form 669. Upon verification of tuition payment and evidence of successful course completion, the ESO will complete and verify DD Form 139 (Pay Adjustment Authorization), using local TA funds to reimburse the soldier.
  • Tuition assistance can be approved via DA Form 2171 for facilitated independent study courses with on-post institutions when courses are part of a soldier's degree plan. These courses include access to an instructor or facilitator and attendance at required class meetings.

High School Completion Programs

The Army high school completion program (HSCP) is an off-duty program that provides soldiers and adult family members the opportunity to earn a high school diploma or equivalency certificate. Tuition assistance (TA) is authorized for soldiers up to 100 percent of the cost of the courses leading to a high school diploma or the equivalent. The local Army Education Center can provide information on the availability of a resident HSCP on base, in the community or through the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support external degree program.

General Education Development (GED)

The Army Continuing Education System will also provide general education development (GED) testing at no cost to the soldier.

The GED tests give adults who didn?t finish high school the opportunity to earn a high school credential. Recognized throughout the United States by employers and educators, the GED diploma has increased education and employment opportunities for millions of adults since 1942. The tests cover five academic areas--writing (which includes an essay), social studies, science, literature and the arts, and mathematics. If the GED tests are not available through the installation/post Army Education Center, the tests are administered in all 50 states at identified GED test centers. The tests are also available in Spanish and French editions, and in Braille, large print and audiocassette formats.

Student Loan Repayment

Repayment of Student Loans was started by the Army as an enlistment enticement.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  • Entered active duty from 1 Dec 80 through 30 Sep 81 or after 30 Sep 82. (LRP was a test program in FY81 and became permanent 30 Sep 82.)
  • Be a non-prior service accession.
  • Enlist with a high school diploma.
  • Have an Armed Forces Qualification Test score of 50 or higher.
  • Enlist in a critical military occupational specialty (MOS). These MOS's change quarterly. Your local recruiter will have the current list.
  • Possess a loan that was made, insured or guaranteed under part B, D or E of the Higher Education Act of 1965 after 1 Oct 75 and prior to entering active duty.

Note: It is Army policy that no one be enlisted with a defaulted loan. Therefore, defaulted loans will not be repaid.

ENTITLEMENTS

  • Individuals enrolled in the LRP earn 33 1/3 percent or $1,500, whichever is greater, toward the remaining original unpaid principal on all qualifying loans for each successfully completed year of enlisted active duty. (Note: Officers and enlisted members becoming officers prior to completing initial enlistment are not eligible for LRP.)
  • LRP payments will only be authorized toward the remaining original unpaid principal balances as verified at the time the soldier enters active duty. Loans incurred after entering active duty will not be repaid. Interest that has been re-capitalized into principal will not be repaid.
  • Public Law precludes payments toward interest and the reimbursement of payments made. Military forbearances should be requested through the lending institution as soon as possible. (Note: Military deferments are only available for certain loans that were incurred prior to 1 Jul 93. The law authorizing military deferments was rescinded in 1993; therefore, loans incurred after 1 Jul 93 must have a military forbearance to keep the loan in good standing.)
  • Payments will be made directly to the lender.
  • Payments made under the LRP are subject to federal and state taxes. Payments are taxable in the year they are paid. Due to administrative procedures for authorizing payments, it is not always possible to authorize payments so that payments always occur one per year. It is common, particularly for those soldiers entering active duty between November and February, to get two payments in the same calendar year. In some cases, it is absolutely unavoidable; therefore, individuals need to be prepared for this possibility.

ENLISTMENT/ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES

  • The LRP is an enlistment incentive that must be included in the enlistment agreement. If an individual enlists with LRP, they will receive a DA Form 3286-66. This agreement must reflect LRP as an incentive.
  • Public Law precludes anyone from receiving benefits for both the LRP and MGIB for the same period of service; therefore, as a condition of accepting LRP, disenrollment from the MGIB must be accomplished within the first three working days of entering active duty. The guidance counselor at the Military Entrance and Processing Station (MEPS) will initiate the DD Form 2366 (Enrollment/Disenrollment Form for MGIB). Anyone failing to disenroll will forfeit all claims to the LRP.
  • Education Incentives Branch, PERSCOM, 2461 Eisenhower Ave., ATTN: TAPC-PDE-EI, Alexandria, VA 22331-0472 has responsibility for operating the LRP.
  • MEPS forwards documentation to EIB for all soldiers electing LRP as an incentive. EIB forwards application packets to potentially eligible LRP enrollees no later than the sixth month of active duty. In some cases, the proper documentation is not received from MEPS; therefore, EIB will request the necessary documentation from the soldier prior to issuing an application packet. Any LRP enrollee who has not received correspondence from EIB by the seventh month should contact our office.
  • Application packets contain basic information about LRP, instruction letters for lenders and a DD Form 2475, Annual Loan Verification Form (may be reproduced). Only those DD Forms 2475 issued by EIB are authorized for use.
  • DD Forms 2475 must be completed and forwarded to the lender for loan verification information. Payments will not commence until all loans are verified.
  • Lenders are instructed to complete Section III and forward the form to EIB. Upon receipt, loan information is entered into the LRP database. Payments will be authorized on an annual basis. (Please note that payments are only authorized by EIB. The Defense Finance and Accounting Services - Indianapolis Center may take 30-90 days to issue a check.)
  • Annual verification is not necessary. Once payments begin, they will be automated beginning on the anniversary of the service member's entrance into active duty.
  • It is important to ensure that all qualifying loan verification forms are returned to EIB. The soldier should remain personally involved until all forms are completed and returned to EIB. The loan repayment process will not commence until all loans are verified.

Qualifying Loans

  • Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
  • Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS)
  • Stafford Loans
  • Perkins Loans
  • William D. Ford Loans
  • Consolidated Loans (loans must be in soldier's name)

Non-Qualifying Loans

There are many loans that do not qualify. Individuals should ensure that loans are covered under Title IV, part B, D and E prior to signing the enlistment agreement. Listed below are several kinds of loans that are not covered under the law cited above:

  • Private loans
  • Equity loans
  • State funded loans
  • Institution loans
  • Consolidated loans in someone else's name