What are Eligibility Requirements and Benefits of Air Force Tuition Assistance

The Air Force has made it easy and cost effective for airmen to work toward a college degree by offering several programs created to support their voluntary education goals, including 100 percent Tuition Assistance (TA) for courses taken during off-duty hours. Air Force TA, one of the most important quality of life programs provided and also one of the most cited reasons that its members enlist and re-list in this branch of the Armed Forces.  Also eligible for assistance are Active Guard and Reserve, Air National Guard, and Air Reserve airmen who have been activated under Titles 10 or 32 of federal law. Under the program, tuition and other mandatory fees are covered up to $250 per semester hour or $750 per three-hour course.  The maximum TA allowed per year is $4,500, but that could add up to six courses over two semesters which may be enough considering you also have a day job. Enlisted airmen are automatically enrolled in the Community College of the Air Force which is where their military training is applied toward an associate's degree.  Any time relevant training is completed, the credits are automatically updated.  Each base has an education office where additional information can be obtained.  (You can also take an online "tour" by accessing a link from the Air Force Portal.) While airmen are required to establish specific education goals, they no longer have to have their commander sign their TA Statement of Understanding (SOU).  However, they should make it a point to discuss their plans with their supervisor.  Applying is relatively simple, as it can be done electronically via the Air Force Virtual Education Center (AFVEC).  The online process has been described by Kendall McAree, the Air Force's education systems manager at the Pentagon, as the service's "one-stop shop" for educational needs.  The center puts tuition assistance help at an airman's fingertips worldwide, "whether they are at home or deployed somewhere." All of the courses taken must be offered by colleges accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.  If you receive an "incomplete," you have a much time as the school's policy allows you to clear the incomplete grade, or 12 months from the end of the term – whichever comes first.  If not cleared by the deadline, TA assistance will need to be recovered. TA is not approved for courses leading to a lateral or lower-level degree than you already have, and is also not authorized for educational programs higher than a master's degree.

The Air Force has made it easy and cost effective for airmen to work toward a college degree by offering several programs created to support their voluntary education goals, including 100 percent Tuition Assistance (TA) for courses taken during off-duty hours.

Air Force TA, one of the most important quality of life programs provided and also one of the most cited reasons that its members enlist and re-list in this branch of the Armed Forces.  Also eligible for assistance are Active Guard and Reserve, Air National Guard, and Air Reserve airmen who have been activated under Titles 10 or 32 of federal law.

Under the program, tuition and other mandatory fees are covered up to $250 per semester hour or $750 per three-hour course.  The maximum TA allowed per year is $4,500, but that could add up to six courses over two semesters which may be enough considering you also have a day job.

Enlisted airmen are automatically enrolled in the Community College of the Air Force which is where their military training is applied toward an associate's degree.  Any time relevant training is completed, the credits are automatically updated.  Each base has an education office where additional information can be obtained.  (You can also take an online "tour" by accessing a link from the Air Force Portal.)

While airmen are required to establish specific education goals, they no longer have to have their commander sign their TA Statement of Understanding (SOU).  However, they should make it a point to discuss their plans with their supervisor.  Applying is relatively simple, as it can be done electronically via the Air Force Virtual Education Center (AFVEC).  The online process has been described by Kendall McAree, the Air Force's education systems manager at the Pentagon, as the service's "one-stop shop" for educational needs.  The center puts tuition assistance help at an airman's fingertips worldwide, "whether they are at home or deployed somewhere."

All of the courses taken must be offered by colleges accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.  If you receive an "incomplete," you have a much time as the school's policy allows you to clear the incomplete grade, or 12 months from the end of the term – whichever comes first.  If not cleared by the deadline, TA assistance will need to be recovered.

TA is not approved for courses leading to a lateral or lower-level degree than you already have, and is also not authorized for educational programs higher than a master's degree.

*This article is based on publicly-accessible information and has not been reviewed or approved by any military branch.