The amount of tuition assistance the Marine Corps is offering its’ troops has changed, and not for the better.
As of Oct. 1, 2011, the following rules apply:
- There is a cap of $175 per semester hour for undergraduate courses. This is a drop from the previous $250 allotment per semester hour.
- Marines will be limited to five semester hours per year, $875 annually, which will be reimbursed by TA.
- Fees for labs, technology costs and distance learning are not to exceed $30, annually.
- TA cannot be used for application, registration or graduation fees
- Up to $875 of TA per year can be used to earn high school credits or a high school diploma, though authorization for this use will be granted depending on the availability of money.
- TA is not authorized for doctoral programs and professional schools.
- Marine Corps officers may not use TA for certificates and licenses that are not part of a larger degree program
- Enlisted Marines may use TA for one academic or vocational certificate from a regionally or nationally accredited institution, at the undergraduate level only.
The changes come after months of speculation that tuition assistance would be slashed as Congress looks for ways to lower costs. As more servicemembers take advantage of the military’s tuition assistance program, opponents claimed the program was reaching unsustainable levels. In 2010, the DOD spent $542 million on tuition assistance — $24 million more than 2009.
Before the Marine Corps’ changes, servicemembers had up to 100 percent of their tuition and fees covered, up to a $250 per credit limit. Any cost above the cap was paid by the GI Bill, scholarships or the student.
The Marine Corps’ new directive explains that though the military allows active duty members to use $3,500 in TA per year, an analysis of Marine Corps TA users show that members of that force only enroll in an average of four to five semester hours per year. Hence, the new annual limits.
The directive also says that the TA programs are meant to encourage and help young, new Marines pursue a degree while older Marines should rely on other programs, such as the GI Bill, to fund a wider range of programs and degrees as they prepare to transition out of the military.
In addition to the new monetary caps, Marines will be subject to the following rules to be eligible for TA:
- Marines must complete one year at their first permanent duty station before they are eligible to receive TA. Marines currently at their first duty station who are already receiving TA are exempt.
- Marines must have an education plan registered with the installation education service officer before they will be approved for TA.
- Marines must pass their most recent physical fitness test and combat fitness test to receive TA. This requirement can be waived for wounded warriors.
- As applicable, Marines must be recommended for promotion or advancement.
- Those who have received non-judicial or court-martial punishment in the previous 12 months are ineligible for TA.
- Marines must complete a Marine Corps Institute Course, either leadership (course ID 8112A) for corporals and sergeants, or personal financial management (course ID 3420F) for all Marines, to receive TA.
More details on these changes are available at all base education offices.
To read the Marine Corps’ release detailing the changes, please visit:
