Military and Veteran Services

Air Force Tuition Assistance

The following information was found in several sites containing cited material about the program, and official existing SIUE documents.  Their information and citations can be found at the end of the document. 

Program Information

• Tuition Assistance (TA) is a benefit of up to 100% of tuition expenses and certain fees (specifics listed below) being paid to active duty servicemembers of the Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, and Coast Guard, and select members of their subsequent reserves; the information above and below cover requirements and benefit information for both select reserve members and all active duty servicemembers. 
• NOTE: Each of the Armed Forces determine administration of TA, and each state may offer its National Guard servicemembers state funded education incentives based on state guidelines and eligibility; experiences with Tuition Assistance through the National Guard in another state may not apply or be available in Illinois.

Important Information

1. Effective January 5, 2015, students who must pay back any money to TA due to a failing grade must do so in a lump sum; students no longer have the monthly payroll deduction option.
2. TA is not authorized for post-master’s degree coursework or degrees.
3. TA is not authorized for courses leading to a lower level degree than one you already possess (e.g., Second Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree).
4. Requests for TA must be approved by the Airman’s supervisor prior to term start date.
   1. Requests not approved prior to this date are automatically marked as disapproved on midnight of the term start date.
   2. Due to this, applicants must sign up for TA 7 to 45 days prior to course start date to allow for the request to be processed before cutoff.
   3. For more information on this process, contact your base education office.
5. After TA application completion, Airmen may drop/change courses without penalty, so long as they notify both the base education center and their institution.
   1. This still applies to changes in courses after the drop/add period, but they are then liable for tuition cost, unless they qualify for a waiver of TA reimbursement.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Must have a high school diploma or equivalent.
2. Applicant falls under one of the following categories:
   1. Serving active duty in United States Air Force.
   2. Serving active duty in United States Air National Guard.
   3. Air Force Reservist.
   4. Air National Guard Reservist.
3. Must provide an educational goal.
4. NOTE: Although not required, it is encouraged to seek counsel with your supervising officer prior to completion of the TA application in order to ensure you meet all the necessary requirements and have their support.  In addition, a positive review from your supervisor benefits your application, though it is not required.

Covered Costs

1. 100% tuition and required fees (charged by educational institutions for course enrollments) not to exceed:
   1. $250 per semester credit hour
   2. $166 per quarter credit hour
   3. $16.67 per clock hour
   4. $3,750 per fiscal year

Specification of Covered Costs

1. Tuition
2. Enrollment fees
3. Lab fees
4. Computer fees

Costs NOT Covered

1. Fees other than tuition and other up-front expenses required for course enrollment.

Timeline of Benefit Use

1. Tuition Assistance can only be used during an Airman’s time of service.

Application Process

1. Airmen can apply for TA using the Air Force Virtual Education Center.
   1. This must be done through the Air Force portal.
   2. For more information about the application, please consult the six steps in application completion. 

Reasons for Inability to Apply

1. Missing grades over 60 days from course end date.
2. Expired suspense dates.
3. Missing personal data in the education record, including:
   1. Phone
   2. Date of separation
   3. Date of birth
   4. Unit
   5. Office symbol
   6. Mailing address
   7. Email address
   8. Base
   9. Education level
4. Requesting TA for courses that start 30 or more days into the future.
5. Requesting TA for courses that have already begun.
6. Requesting TA for lower level courses that are less than highest education level awarded.
7. No degree plan in records.

Campus Requirements/Steps

1. Request TA via your education unit prior to start of course(s).
2. Submit Tuition Assistance Authorization form to the Bursar’s Office (located in Rendleman Hall) prior to start of course.
3. Authorization amount will be entered on student account as memo amount.
4. Billing will be processed after four week class drop period.
5. Payment will appear on student account when paid by unit.

CCAF Exception

1. TA will be provided for a Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) degree, regardless of current education level.
2. TA will be provided for a civilian college associate degree, even if you have a CCAF associate degree, provided you do not posses a civilian associate degree or higher.

Resources Utilized in this Document

1. Military.com (largest military and veteran organization)
2. Eligibility information (through MilitaryAuthority.com, a military benefits compilation site)
3. Overview of the program (through Mountwest Community and Technical College)