Tuition Assistance Fact Sheet
David L. Stone Education Center
http://www.lewos-mcchordarmy.mil/dhr/eso/
[email protected]
Program Overview: IAW AR621-5, Army Continuing Education System,
Dated 6 September 20009 (RAR)
1.) The Army will pay tuition costs and approved fees for Active Duty/Reserve/Guard
Soldiers up to 16 semester hours per fiscal year with a maximum tuition rate of $250 per
semester hour or $166 per quarter hour. Cap of 24 quarter hours.
2.) Tuition Assistance (TA) may be used at colleges, universities and trade schools which
are regionally or nationally accredited by agencies recognized by the US Department of
Education. http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/
3.) TA is authorized for one credential on each of the following levels ONLY in an upward
sequence one year after successfully completing AIT, OCS and BOLC.
a. Associate Baccalaureate Master’s
b. Tuition Assistance is available for up to 130 semester hours of undergraduate
credit or a Bachelor degree, whichever comes first.
c. Tuition Assistance may be used for a second, higher-level post bachelor’s degree
after completion of 10 years from the date you entered the Service (not the date
you completed your Bachelor’s degree). The requirement only applies if Army TA
was used to pay for any portion of your Bachelor’s degree and only honorable
periods of Service count towards the 10 years.
d. Tuition assistance is available for a Master’s degree or up to 39 semester hours
of graduate credit, whichever comes first. Includes any classes taken at the
undergraduate level that are part of a graduate degree.
e. One Certificate is allowed.
f. TA is not authorized for a credential already held.
g. Exceptions to these policies are:
1. Courses in the Army’s Strategic Foreign Language Program.
2. Courses leading to a state education credential to teach in the Nation’s
public schools. TA cannot be used for re-certification or to maintain a
teaching certificate.
4.) All TA is approved on a course-by-course basis when you enroll in a course through
Go ArmyEd at: www.GOArmyEd.com.
5.) NOTE: All schools receiving Tuition Assistance funding must sign the DoD MOU.
If the school has not signed the DoD MOU you will not be able to receive Tuition
Assistance at that school.
Eligibility:
1.) Soldier may apply for TA one year after successfully graduating from either
AIT, OCS, or BOLC.
2.) Soldier must not be flagged IAW AR 600-8-2 Suspension of Favorable Personnel
Actions.
3.) You must receive approval by an Army Education Counselor of your academic
preparedness, which may require one of the following:
• GT Score greater than or equal to 100, or
• Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) scores greater than or equal to 10.0 in Applied
Math & Reading or
• Prior College with a grade point average (GPA) greater than or equal to a 2.00.
PG 1
Tuition Assistance Fact Sheet
GoArmyEd New Account Set-up Steps:
1.) Attend GoArmyEd 101.
2.) Create a Base-Soldier account and then request TA access
3.) Complete the mandatory training (video or slides).
4.) Launch and authenticate your understanding of the TA SOU each quarter.
5.) Decide on your home college and educational goal/degree plan (if you are
undecided, complete the steps below and contact the JBLM Stone Education
Center Interest Inventory and/or advising assistance). You can only change
degree plans one time.
6.) Initiate and submit the GoArmyEd Common Application.
7.) Complete the Pre-enrollment Readiness Profile (PREP) for assessment of
online readiness if you plan to take online classes.
8.) To Complete Activation request submit Account Approval request on the TA
Wizard. Your request will be forwarded to an Ed Center Counselor for
activation.
Recoupment: You will repay TA if any of the following situations:
1.) Grade of “D” or lower for any undergraduate-level course.
2.) Grade of “C” or “D” or lower for any course taken while pursuing a graduate
degree.
3.) Final grade of “F”.
4.) Grade of Incomplete (I) if not successfully completed within 120 days of the
class end date.
5.) Drop/Withdrawal from a course for a personal reason after drop date.
NOTE: instructions to resolve recoupment holds are send via email to your AKO
email account, or the preferred email address selected in GAE, As soon as
instructions have been followed, the hold will be lifted from you GAE account).
6.) A Military Withdrawal waives financial responsibility but requires written
approval of the Unit Commander and Battalion Commander of 1st LTC in chain of
command to be submitted to eFile with 30 days of withdraw request.
NOTE: Military Withdrawal does not mean that school will issue a “W” grade;
schools may issue failing grades based on their policies and that grade will
appear on your official transcript).
7.) Acceptable reasons for Military Withdrawals are:
a. Unanticipated Military Duties
b. Illness
c. Unanticipated Hospitalization
d. Emergency Leave
e. Other unanticipated situations considered on a case-by-case basis
Non-traditional sources of College credit: (check with your college for transfer
acceptance policy.)
1.) JST – Joint Service Transcript is a transcript of a Soldier’s military education,
training and experience with college credit recommendations developed by the
American Council on Education (ACE).
2.) Credit by Exam (CLEP/DSST and Excelsior Exams) – Receive college credit by
demonstrating competence in undergraduate college courses by passing
nationally recognized exams’ credit may be applied for promotion points. See an
ACES Counselor for more information on fee testing and study materials.
PG 2
June 2014