Military Tuition Assistance

Benefit highlights:

You may want to contact your Education Center for eligibility requirements.

• Up to $250 per credit hour; fiscal year cap of $4,000
• Maximum 16 credit hours per fiscal year
• Soldiers are limited to:
  • 130 credit hours to complete one bachelor’s degree
  • 39 credit hours to complete one master’s degree
  • 21 credit hours to complete one academic certificate. Soldiers may now choose only one lifetime academic certificate - either undergraduate or graduate - not both. 
• Must be out of AIT for one full year before becoming eligible
• Officers who use this program may incur a service obligation

Application dates:

• Window open - 60 days before term start
• Last day to request - 7 days before term start (includes processing time). TA is NOT flexible. Soldier compliance with both documentation AND timing requirements is essential to receive approval/funding.

Steps to using TA:

• Create an account and create your educational goal on the ArmyIgnitED 2.0 website.
  • Soldiers with ArmyIgnitED system access questions should contact their Army Education Center/Office.
• Upload your EDP (required beginning Aug. 1):
  • Undergraduate students: You will submit your Degree Progress Report (DPR)
  • Leavenworth students: You will work with Sarah Weygand to get your EDP
  • Other graduate students: You will work with your advisor to get your EDP
• You will manually enter your courses in ArmyIgnitED
• Once TA is approved by Army, KU will go in and pull the authorization forms and post the funds to your Enroll & Pay account. You do not need to submit TA authorization forms to KU.

How to find/contact your Education Center in ArmyIgnitED 2.0:

• Log in to view your Ed Center's contact info (click "view details" in the upper right quadrant of ArmyIgnitED dashboard).
• You can also submit a message to your Ed Center by clicking the email icon on the top menu bar.

Benefit highlights:

More information is on the Air Force Virtual Education Center (AFVEC) portal or at your base Education Center.

• Up to $250 per credit hour; fiscal year cap of $3,750 beginning FY21
• Maximum of 18 credit hours per fiscal year
• Limited to 124 credit hours to complete one bachelor’s degree and 42 credit hours to complete one master’s degree

Application dates:

• Window open - 45 days before term start
• Last day to request - 7 days before term start

How to get a degree plan:

• Undergraduate students: You will submit your Degree Progress Report (DPR)
• Graduate students: You will work with your advisor to get your EDP

Degree program/courses:

• You will manually enter your courses in AFVEC
• Can't find your KU degree program in AFVEC? Please contact us and we will get it loaded into the system.

Benefit highlights:

More information is on the Navy College Program portal or at your base Education Center.

• Up to $250 per credit hour; fiscal year cap of $4,500
• Maximum of 18 credit hours per fiscal year
• Limited to 120 credit hours
• Must have a minimum of three years of time in service

Application Dates:

• Window open - 120 days before term start
• Last day to request - 14 days before term start

Applying (more details at Navy College):

• Inform your command.
• Complete required training.
• Receive Navy education counseling; establish an education plan.
• Submit education plan; review with Navy College counselor.
• Submit TA/NCPACE application in MyNavy Education.
• Generate TA/NCPACE voucher and send to stu.account@ku.edu.

Benefit highlights:

Visit the Marine Corps Tuition Assistance (TA) page for more information.

• Up to $250 per credit hour; fiscal year cap of $4,500
• Reservists are only eligible if they are on continuous active duty or have been ordered to 120+ days active duty
• First-time users must complete a TA Orientation Course prior to using TA
• More TA regulations and guidelines

Application dates:

• Window open - 60 days before term start
• Last day to request - 1 day before term start

Documents needed:

• Degree plan:
  • Undergraduate students: Submit your Degree Progress Report (DPR)
  • Leavenworth students: You will work with Sarah Weygand
  • Other graduate students: You will work with your advisor
• Itemized bill - Visit the Tuition and Fees page to grab a screenshot of your program costs (we've been told that this suffices. Contact us if it gets rejected and we can look into other options)

Benefit highlights:

More information is on the Coast Guard portal or with your Education Service Officer.

• Up to $250 per credit hour; fiscal year cap of $4,500.
• TA can now be used toward a second academic certificate or second undergraduate degree (this does not apply toward a second graduate degree, though you can use TA for a first graduate degree).

Application dates:

• Window opens 90 days before term start
• A complete TA application (degree plan uploaded, command approved) must be received by ETQC NO LESS than 14 days prior to the class start date, not including the date of submission to ETQC nor the class start date. There are no exceptions or waivers to this policy. 

Applying:

• Visit the ETQC page for steps
• After you have TA approved through your education center, print, sign, and forward the authorized/funded TA voucher to stu.account@ku.edu.

Students interested in using the Top Up Program should first contact their Education Service Officer.

Eligibility:

• Must be eligible for Federal TA, AND
• Must be eligible for MGIB-Active Duty (Chapter 30), or the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33)

Benefit:

• Top Up can pay up to the amount of difference between the amount of tuition assistance paid by TA and the in state cost of the course
• Up to 36 months of payments

Applying:

• Complete KU's VA Request to Use Benefits form and under "Anticipated Aid or Scholarships," check the relevant tuition assistance box. You only have to do this once a semester.
  • Ch. 30 users: If you don't have your original COE, submit a query through the Ask VA portal or call 888-442-4551 for a copy of your COE.
  • Ch. 33 users: If you don't have your original COE, you can obtain a Statement of Benefits (SOB) in lieu of a COE.
• In future semesters, you’ll complete a continued VA request for benefits form and won’t need to upload a COE again.

Effects on VA Benefits:

• Ch. 30 (Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty)
  • You will be charged one month of GI Bill for time you are paid a cumulative amount that would add to the full time monthly rate for Ch. 30  
  • For example, A full-time student is charged one month of VA benefits for every $2.210 (rate for 2023) of tuition that the VA pays (that TA didn’t cover)
  • If the VA pays half of the monthly rate, you will be charged half of a month of GI Bill, etc.
  • See current rates
• Ch. 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill)
  • You will be charged based upon the training time you are enrolled in, e.g. if you are enrolled half time you will be charged half of a month of the Post-9/11 GI Bill per month of classes.
  • If you are enrolled in full-time classes, you would be charged one full month of GI Bill for every month of classes.
  • Note: The VA is the “last payer” and the Top Up program is dependent upon your percentage of eligibility. For example, if tuition was $2,000 and TA paid $1,000 and you were only 50% eligible for Ch. 33, the Top Up will pay 50% of the remaining $1,000 of tuition, or $500.

Benefit highlights:

• Available for Army and Air National Guard members without a bachelor's degree.
• Assistance for one semester = three months added onto your current contract. Discuss with ESO.
• Must maintain 2.0 GPA and submit transcripts to your ESO at the end of each semester.
• Students must apply for Federal TA if eligible - speak with your unit Education Service Officer (ESO) for details or call the main ESO line at 785-646-0155.
• Speak with your ESO before also using Ch. 1606 GI Bill benefits to ensure maximizing all benefits based on your education goals.
• Funds up to 100%* of tuition and fees and required campus fees. Maximum dollar amount each semester is based on 15 credit hours of in-state tuition and required campus fees.
  • *2022-23 maximum payment we have seen is $5,538 (15 credits at $5046 + $492 campus fees.)
  • *Also dependent on state funding and number of students using this benefit.
  • *Funding is rounded down to the nearest dollar so some students may still see small amounts due even when it funds 100%.

Application dates:

• Window open - Early January for next academic year (priority date: May 1st)
• Last day to request 
  • Fall start - Aug. 31st
  • Spring start - Jan. 31st

How TA shows up on your KU account:

• TA normally pays after the KU tuition deadline. To help prevent any late fees, KU applies what's called a "third party sponsorship" onto your account for the full amount of your tuition because we don't yet know what the state will actually pay. There is a chance, especially if you are in 15 credits or more, that the state will not pay all of your bill. Once we know what the state will pay, we update your account. It's important that you check on your account a couple of months into the semester/before the end of the semester to see what state TA actually paid.
• If you're receiving additional financial aid, there is a possibility you may receive a refund and still owe money after state TA has paid.

Applying:

• A single application is good for fall and spring semesters within that school year. Must reapply each school year.
• Eligible students must have a FAFSA on file at your school.
• Online application – scroll down to "Kansas National Guard Assistance," complete the online application and submit.
• Note: You do not need to turn anything in to KU to use this benefit.

In general, state tuition assistance programs will only pay for classes taken at schools within their state or territory. However, please refer to the program details for the state or territory where you are a National Guard member for specific guidance on eligible schools.

Advanced Education Programs incorporate a variety of sub-programs through which military personnel can pursue fully funded masters or doctoral degrees. These sub-programs include:

1. Advanced Civil Schooling (ACS)
2. Expanded Graduate School Program (EGSP), which include:
   • Commanders Program and Menu of Incentives (MOI)
   • Graduate School for Active Duty Service Obligation (GrADSO)
3. Performance Based Graduate School Incentive Program (PB-GSIP)

The Advanced Education Program requires certain documentation from the university to complete the eligibility and acceptance packets. These documents include:

1. Letter of Acceptance. The letter of acceptance needs to list the specific program you are attending, contain the university letterhead, and signature block from the university admissions office. To obtain a letter of acceptance, apply to KU.
2. Application for Detail as Student at Civilian Educational Institution (DA 2125). This document outlines you proposed class schedule and timeline for degree completion. A signature from an Academic Advisor in your graduate program is required on the document to validate the schedule and timeline. You can obtain this once you have been admitted.
3. Tuition Agreement. This document lays out all the costs of the program by semester and needs to match your proposed class schedule. The agreement needs to include a registrar office letterhead and signature from a registrar official. Once you have your proposed class schedule from your advisor, contact the MASC for assistance.

If you have trouble obtaining any documentation or have any questions and don't know where to start, please fill out our contact form, selecting "active duty programs" for the topic and answer the subsequent questions.