Tuition Assistance

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Apply for Your GI Benefits

Active duty, National Guard, Reserve, and Veterans may be eligible for tuition assistance and/or scholarships. TA pays up to $250.00 per credit hour until the fiscal year (FY)* cap is reached. Some National Guardsmen and Reservists may receive only 75% TA benefits or $187.50 per credit hour.

Each service has its own criteria for eligibility, obligated service, application process' and restrictions. This money is usually paid directly to the institution by the individual services.

Each branch of the military has its own criteria for the amount of TA a service member receives. Use the links below to find out more about your tuition assistance benefits.

Tuition Assistance Top-Up

The Code of Federal Regulations states active duty service members may not receive VA benefits for the same courses for which they receive Tuition Assistance (TA) from the military. To help cover potential out-of-pocket expenses of students using TA, the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) was amended to permit the VA to pay a Tuition Assistance Top-Up benefit.

The amount of the benefit can be equal to the difference between the total cost of a college course and the amount of TA that is paid by the military for the course. Top-Up is the only VA program that will pay a student on active duty and receiving TA for the same course(s).

These claims are handled differently from claims for MGIB without TA. For Top-Up claims, a student will not need to check in with the school official who certifies VA benefits. The VA does not need an enrollment certification on VA Form 22-1999. A student will not need to check for approval of the program for VA benefits. Approval is not an issue because Top-Up is payable for any course for which TA is payable under Department of Defense (DoD) criteria.

To be eligible for the Top-Up benefit, you must be approved for federal Tuition Assistance by a military department and be eligible for MGIB AD benefits. To be eligible you must be an GI Bill participant, still on active duty, and must have served at least two full years.

If you receive the Top-Up benefit, your regular GI Bill benefits will be reduced. The amount of entitlement charged for Top-Up payments is determined by dividing the amount of the payment by the claimant's full-time monthly rate. A copy of the Tuition Assistance Authorization form for the course that has been signed by an authorized military official will be required.

The amount of the benefit can be equal to the difference between the total cost of a college course and the amount of TA that is paid by the military for the course. Top-Up is the only VA program that will pay a student on active duty and receiving TA for the same course(s).

These claims are handled differently from claims for MGIB without TA. For Top-Up claims, a student will not need to check in with the school official who certifies VA benefits. The VA does not need an enrollment certification on VA Form 22-1999. A student will not need to check for approval of the program for VA benefits. Approval is not an issue because Top-Up is payable for any course for which TA is payable under Department of Defense (DoD) criteria.

To be eligible for the Top-Up benefit, you must be approved for federal Tuition Assistance by a military department and be eligible for MGIB AD benefits. To be eligible you must be an GI Bill participant, still on active duty, and must have served at least two full years.

If you receive the Top-Up benefit, your regular GI Bill benefits will be reduced. The amount of entitlement charged for Top-Up payments is determined by dividing the amount of the payment by the claimant's full-time monthly rate. A copy of the Tuition Assistance Authorization form for the course that has been signed by an authorized military official will be required.

The application and other evidence should be sent to one of the VA's four education processing offices in Atlanta, Buffalo N.Y., Muskogee, Okla., or St. Louis.

Contact the Office of Admissions today at 858-653-3000 x120 to get started!
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