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Army Tuition Assistance: What You Need to Know

Updated | Michelle Nati
army tuition assistance

Want to use the Army Tuition Assistance program? Each military service branch has its own service-specific criteria for Tuition Assistance (TA) funds.  Here’s a breakdown of the Army’s tuition assistance program.

Who Qualifies for the Army Tuition Assistance Program

Qualifying active duty, Guard, and Reserve members may apply for Army Tuition Assistance. In general, an enlisted service member must have enough time in service to complete the course.

After completing TA-funded courses as an officer, there is an additional service obligation “that runs parallel with – not in addition to – any existing service obligation” according to the DoD. Note: Commissioned Officers are currently precluded from using the Credentialing Assistance (CA) program but remain eligible for Tuition Assistance (TA).

Army TA Service Obligation

There will be a service obligation if you are an officer. For active-duty officers, it is 2 years; for reserve officers, it is 4. The date is calculated from the completion date of the last course for which Tuition Assistance was used.

What Can You Use Army Tuition Assistance for?

  • TA provides financial assistance for voluntary off-duty education programs, which include both classroom and online options.
  • You must use Tuition Assistance for a certificate program, an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a master’s degree. TA is not authorized for programs beyond a master’s degree.
  • You may only use TA to work on one degree or certificate at a time.
  • You may not use TA for courses working toward a degree lower than the one you already have. If you already have your Bachelor’s degree, you can’t use TA to get a certificate. There are special programs that you can do this with if you have the approval of an Army Education Counselor.
  • You are authorized one academic certificate (undergraduate or graduate) in a lifetime, with a cap of 21 semester hours.

How To Apply For Army Tuition Assistance

Use ArmyIgnitED to get started. Before your first TA request can be approved, you must complete the mandatory “ArmyIgnitED 101” training and the “Career Path Decide” assessment.

How Much Does Tuition Assistance Cover?

The Army will pay 100% of tuition costs up to the DOD semester hour cap of $250, to $167 per credit hour). You are authorized up to 18 semester hours per fiscal year.  School fees are no longer eligible for Tuition Assistance.

There is an annual cap of $4,500 for the fiscal year. This $4,500 cap applies to both Tuition Assistance and Credentialing Assistance (CA). CA is now capped at $2,000 per year and limited to one credential per year (a maximum of three in 10 years).

RELATED: Schools Fully Covered By Tuition Assistance

What are the Limits on Army Tuition Assistance?

You are limited to 130 semester hours of undergraduate credit or a baccalaureate degree, whichever comes first. You are also limited to 39 semester hours of graduate or master’s degree credit.

The 39-semester-hour limit applies to all credits taken after completing a baccalaureate degree. To maintain eligibility, you must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 for undergraduate courses (after 15 semester hours) or 3.0 for graduate courses (after 6 semester hours).

Two-Tier Army Tuition Assistance Eligibility

  • Tier one is for those who have not gotten a Bachelor’s degree and seek an undergraduate certificate or diploma, an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree.
  • Those with a bachelor’s degree earned without using TA can use TA for a Master’s degree. It also includes those who have a Bachelor’s degree (earned without TA) and want to pursue a Master’s.
  • Enlisted soldiers must have graduated from AIT, warrant officers must have graduated from WOBC, and officers must have graduated from BOLC.

Tier two is for those who previously used Tuition Assistance for any part of their undergraduate degree, have already earned their bachelor’s degree, and want to pursue a graduate or master’s degree. Enlisted soldiers will need to have completed ALC; warrant officers will need to have graduated from WOAC; and officers will need to have graduated from CCC or an equivalent.

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What to Know About Tuition Assistance?

  • You must request Tuition Assistance on a course-by-course basis at least 7 days before the class start date (and no more than 60 days out).
  • Each course must be a part of an approved degree program, and you must have an Evaluated Degree Plan (EDP) uploaded to the ArmyIgnitED portal.
  • Once you submit your request through ArmyIgnitED, the system will provide a real-time status update. If your request meets all Quality Assurance guidelines (no holds on your EDP, under credit limits, and approved), it is often auto-approved. Otherwise, it will be routed to an Army Education Counselor for review.
  • If your request is not approved, ArmyIgnitED will display a specific “Hold” or message in your dashboard explaining why.
  • If you wish to take a class with a school that does not participate in the electronic ArmyIgnitED class schedule, you must use the “Add Course Manually” feature within the portal. You will need to enter the exact course details from your school’s catalog, which will then be sent to an Army Education Counselor for review and approval.

If Tuition Assistance sounds like a good way to pay for some or all of your college classes, make plans to sign up on ArmyIgnitED.

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About the author

Michelle Nati is a contributing writer to CollegeRecon who has written about higher education and finance for Granita Media/Big Edition site Work and Money. She's also written law content for Leaf Group's Legal Beagle site and is a ghostwriter of non-fiction books. She lives in Los Angeles and spends her spare time combing flea markets for vintage photos and decor and playing with her dogs, Jellybean and Jukebox.

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