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National Guard & Reserve Tuition Assistance

Updated | Hannah Heine
national guard and reserve tuition assistance

National Guard Tuition Assistance and Reserve Tuition Assistance

If you are serving in the National Guard or Reserves, you might be wondering if there is a National Guard Tuition Assistance (TA) program or Reserve Tuition Assistance program available to you.

There are Tuition Assistance programs for all five branches of the military, each with its own service-specific criteria. There are also TA programs for the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and some Reserve branches.

Army National Guard Tuition Assistance

There is some confusion about Army tuition assistance programs. Guard and Reserve members are eligible for Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA),  which is administered by each branch of service. The Army Tuition Assistance program, including benefits for the Guard/Reserve, falls under the FTA “umnbrella” and is essentially part of that program.

The program has been updated in 2025 to include higher credit hour limits and dollar amounts. According to Army.mil:

In late 2024, the following policy updates were applied to the tuition assistance program:

  • Annual cap increased from $4,000 to $4,500
  • Semester hours increased from 16 to 18
  • Requires Soldiers who are first time users of TA to take ArmyIgnitED training prior to requesting TA
  • Requires Soldiers to use the decision support tool prior to requesting TA.
Eligibility
  • If you are serving in the Army National Guard you can receive FTA, Federal Tuition Assistance.
  • You can qualify for FTA if you are currently serving in the National Guard, and as of August 5th, 2018, have completed AIT. Previously, you needed to wait a year after AIT to qualify.
  • The college or university that you go to must be regionally or nationally accredited and a GoArmyEd participant.
  • You also may not use FTA to achieve a lower level or lateral level degree or diploma. The purpose is to help you move forward in your education.
  • FTA is for tuition only, not for fees or other expenses outside of the official degree plan.
  • You will need to contact your state’s education services office to find out if you are eligible for Federal Tuition Assistance.
  • If you are eligible for FTA, you would start your application process by creating a GoArmyEd You will need to have this submitted and approved through the GoArmyEd site prior to the course start date.
  • GoArmyEd will notify you whether your FTA is approved, if not they will advise you on what to do next.

Air National Guard

You can receive TA benefits through serving in the Air National Guard. Make sure to check out your state’s specific educational benefits to know what you qualify for. You can also work towards your associate’s degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Tuition Assistance for the Reserves

The branches that offer Reserves TA usually stay within these guidelines:

  • Up to 100% coverage for tuition, up to the current cap per semester hour. Up to $4,500 per fiscal year
  • Must be a reservist in good standing
  • Need to declare an educational goal by the 9th credit hour for the USAFR and by the 15th for the USAR
  • Must work towards an educational goal higher than what you already have.
  • Need to be able to complete your course under your current term of service or reenlist (for enlisted and warrant officers,) or have at least four years left of remaining service from the date of your course completion (for commissioned officers.)

The Navy Reserves and the Marine Corps Reserves do not have a tuition assistance program at this time. However, if you get called to active duty, you will fall under your active duty counterparts’ Federal Tuition Assistance program during your activation period.

Army Reserve Tuition Assistance

For those pursuing a bachelor’s degree, the Reserve Tuition Assistance program will pay 75% of tuition costs, up to $250 per semester hour, $166 per credit hour, with the $4,500 annual fiscal cap. To apply, you must submit your Tuition Assistance application online through GoArmyEd.

Air Force Reserve Tuition Assistance

For undergraduates, they offer TA at the DOD guidelines. For master’s degrees, funding is limited to 75% of those guidelines. If you are interested in an associate’s degree and going through the Community College of the Air Force, you will be exempt from the progressive education level requirement. You can apply for TA by going to the Air Force Reserve Portal website.

Coast Guard Reserve Tuition Assistance

To receive TA benefits through the Coast Guard, you must be an active duty Coast Guard member, a member of the Selected Reserve (SELREV) or a permanent civilian Coast Guard employee. According to the official site, the annual cap is  $4,500 and the Coast Guard will fund tuition costs “not to exceed $250.00 per semester hour, or $166.67 per quarter hour, or $16.67 per clock hour.”

 

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