Army Tuition Assistance

• $250 per semester credit hour

• $166 per quarter credit hour

Each academic year, there is a $4,500 cap. For tuition above and beyond what's covered by TA, servicemembers who are eligible for either Chapter 30 or 33 of the GI Bill, may use the Tuition Top-Up program--a program that provides up to 36 months of additional funding.

To receive TA funds, courses must be registered in the GoArmyEd system and be accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency. Army members may complete a variety of education programs under TA including:

• Obtaining a high school diploma
• Licensing programs
• Certification programs
• Bachelor's degrees
• Master's degrees

Army Tuition Assistance does not cover degrees beyond the master's degree, or the first advance-level degree. Additionally, it does not pay for credentials at an equal or lower level than one that is currently held.

Army TA Program Eligibility Requirements

Army Tuition Assistance is available to all active duty and reserve soldiers, along with U.S. Code Title 10 or Title 32 activated Active Guard Reserve (AGR) soldiers and National Guardsmen. This list includes commissioned officers as well as enlisted and warrant officers, but it's important to note that commissioned and warrant officers may incur an additional service commitment if they use the Tuition Assistance Program.

Soldiers using Tuition Assistance in the Army must declare, by their ninth credit hour, an educational goal, such as a degree, certificate, diploma, license or a regionally/nationally-recognized certification. Courses may be taken either in a traditional classroom setting or through a distance learning program.

Army TA users must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) after 15 semester hours of classes in order to continue to receive funding through the Tuition Assistance Program. Also, servicemembers are personally responsible for ensuring that classes paid for by TA funding apply toward their stated educational goals.

Tuition Assistance: Army Benefit Rules and Application Procedures

Servicemembers can apply for the Tuition Assistance Program through GoArmyEd. The rules and application procedures include:

• Requesting TA, on a course-by-course basis, through the GoArmyEd site. Requests must be made prior to the course start date or the school's late registration period.
• The servicemember is notified whether or not the TA is approved. If the TA request is not approved, a reason will be given.
• Class drops and withdrawals must be registered through GoArmyEd.
• If an "F" grade is received, the servicemember is required to repay TA.
• For servicemembers who are unable to complete a course due to military duties, the withdrawl from the course must be done through GoArmyEd in order to avoid having to pay for the course.
• A TA request form must be used for schools not participating in the electronic GoArmyEd course schedule. Once approved, the servicemember then applies directly to the school with the apporved form.
• A new, signed TA Statement of Understanding (SOU) must be submitted each year. TA funding may not be authorized until an approved TA SOU is on record.

Tuition Assistance: Program Termination Rules

It is important to stress that a servicemember must have a documented degree plan by the completion of nine credit hours, and a 2.0 GPA by the completion of fifteen credit hours to maintain TA funding. For soldiers with 15 hours of credit, but less than a 2.0 GPA, another source of funding must be used until the GPA gets up to the 2.0 level.