Army Tuition Assistance

Eligibility

The following people are eligible for Army Tuition Assistance:

• All Soldiers (officers, warrant officers, enlisted) on active duty
• Army national Guard and Army Reserve on active duty
• Active duty members of other services who are supported by the Army under provisions of Inter-service Agreement
• Members of the Selected Reserve based on availability of Reserve Component funds

[Top]

Procedures

Army Regulation 621-5 establishes procedures for governing the use of tuition assistance (TA). To obtain tuition assistance, all eligible Soldiers must visit an education counselor to:

1. Declare an educational goal in terms of
• A credential (degree)
• Certification (national or regional)
• License (federal, state, local government)
2. Develop a plan outlining the requirements for their educational goal.
• Soldiers can pursue disciplines related to professional development or personal goals
• TA must be approved prior to enrolling in any course
3. Sign a Statement of Understanding for Army Tuition verifying that the Soldier understands his or her TA benefits and obligations.
4. Complete DA Form 2171, “Request for Tuition Assistance:”
• Obtain the unit commander’s or authorized representative’s signature on the DA Form 2171.
• Return the DA Form 2171 to the Education Center for the education services officer’s authorized signature before course enrollment.
• Take the DA Form 2171 to the appropriate credentialing program representative for course enrollment.
5. Costs and total yearly amount must be tracked by cost per semester hour (SH).
• To determine the SH cost for clock-hour courses, divide the number of classroom (clock) hours by 15. The result is the number of semester hours.
• Divide the total cost of the course by the number of semester hours. The result is the cost per SH.

To receive TA beyond nine semester hours, Soldiers must have an official Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Army Degree Student Agreement or documented degree plan.

[Top]