Military and Veteran Services

Army Tuition Assistance

The following information was found in several sites containing cited material about the program, and official existing SIUE documents.  Their information and citations can be found at the end of the document. 

Program Information

• Tuition Assistance (TA) is a benefit of up to 100% of tuition expenses and certain fees (specifics listed below) being paid to active duty servicemembers of the Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, and Coast Guard, and select members of their subsequent reserves; the information above and below cover requirements and benefit information for both select reserve members and all active duty servicemembers. 
• NOTE: Each of the Armed Forces determine administration of TA, and each state may offer its National Guard servicemembers state funded education incentives based on state guidelines and eligibility; experiences with Tuition Assistance through the National Guard in another state may not apply or be available in Illinois.

Important Information

1. Courses must be offered by institutions that are registered in GoArmyEd, are accredited by accrediting agencies that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and are signatories to the current Department of Defense Memorandum of Understanding (DOD MOU).
2. TA is not authorized for courses leading to a degree at the same level or lower than one the soldier already possesses.
3. TA is available to complete a high school diploma or certificate programs.
4. TA is not authorized for programs of study beyond a master’s degree.
5. Officers who use TA incur a service obligation; active duty officers incur an Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO) of two years, and reserve component officers incur a Reserve Duty Service Obligation (RDSO) of four years.
   1. This is calculated from the date of completion of the last course for which TA was used.
6. All TA for active duty, USAR, and ARNG soldiers must be requested through GoArmyED.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Applicant falls under one of the following categories:
   1. Soldier on active duty (officers, warrant officers, enlisted)
   2. Army National Guard servicemember (specifics in “Army National Guard” document)
   3. Army Reserve Soldier on active duty (under U.S. Code Title 10 or Title 32)
   4. Army Reserve Soldier on drill status
   5. TPU Soldier
2. Must have successfully completed one year of service following graduation from Advanced Individual Training (AIT).
3. Must have 10 years of service to receive graduate level TA, if any portion of their undergraduate degree was paid through TA.

Covered Costs

1. Tuition charged by an institution, not to exceed:
   1. $250 per semester credit hour
   2. $166 per quarter credit hour
   3. $4,000 per fiscal year
   4. 16 semester hours per fiscal year
2. Current Army policy limits TA to:
   1. 130 semester hours of undergraduate credit or baccalaureate degree (whichever is obtained first).
   2. 39 semester hours of graduate credit or master’s degree (whichever is obtained first).
      i. This limit applies to all credits taken after completion of a baccalaureate degree.

Costs NOT Covered

1. Institution fee charges of any type are no longer funded by TA.

Timeline of Benefit Use

1. Tuition Assistance can only be used during a Soldier’s time of service.

Application Process

1. Enrollment requests must be submitted and approved through GoArmyEd prior to course start date.
   1. Any enrollments requested on or after this date will be approved as Soldier Funded.
2. TA is requested on a course-by-course basis; each course must be part of an approved degree program.
3. GoArmyEd will notify the applicant whether or not TA has been approved.
   1. If not approved, the applicant will be advised of the reason and next steps required by GoArmyEd.
4. All drops/withdrawals must take place through GoArmyEd.
   1. Those who do not successfully complete a course will repay the TA.
   2. Those unable to successfully complete a class due to military reasons must request a Withdrawal for Military Reasons through GoArmyEd and complete all required steps in order to ensure they will not be charged.
5. If the applicant wishes to take courses with an institution that does not participate in the electronic GoArmyEd class schedule, a TA Request Authorization form must be completed.
   1. The form will be routed to an Army Education Counselor for review and approval.
      i.  Applicants should allow extra time for this process.
      • If the request is approved, the applicant will be notified by email, must promptly print the form and provide it to the institution, and enroll directly with the institution.
6. Applicants must acknowledge and electronically sign the TA Statement of Understanding (TA SOU) each quarter they wish to utilize the benefit.

Campus Requirements/Steps

1. Request TA via your education unit prior to start of course(s).
2. Submit Tuition Assistance Authorization form to the Bursar’s Office (located in Rendleman Hall) prior to start of course.
3. Authorization amount will be entered on student account as memo amount.
4. Billing will be processed after four week class drop period.
5. Payment will appear on student account when paid by unit.

Resources Utilized in this Document

1. Military.com (largest military and veteran organization)
2. Official Army benefits website
3. GoArmyEd TA overview