Military Financial Assistance
Transfer your military experience into college credit.
NAU works with the American Council on Education (ACE) so you can assure yourself the quickest path to a degree and full credit for your military education. ACE assesses the educational value of your military training and experience, including military schools, correspondence courses, and occupations to determine the amount of and level of academic credit each should be awarded. Depending on your program, through ACE you can get academic credit for much of the training you have received, including basic training.
Tuition Assistance (TA)
Armed Forces Tuition Assistance (TA) is a benefit paid to eligible members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Congress has given each service the ability to pay up to 100% for the tuition expenses of its members.
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.
Additionally active duty members may elect to use the MGIB "top-up" in addition to their service provided TA to cover high cost courses.
TA is not a loan; it should be viewed as money you have earned just like your base pay.
Top-Up is a program that allows GI Bill participants' to use the GI Bill to supplement the tuition and fees not covered by tuition assistance. The amount of the benefit can be equal to the difference between the total cost of a college course and the amount of Tuition Assistance that is paid by the military for the course.
GI Bill
The term GI Bill refers to any Department of Veterans Affairs education benefit earned by members of Active Duty, Selected Reserve and National Guard Armed Forces and their families. The benefit is designed to help servicemembers and eligible veterans cover the costs associated with getting an education or training. The GI Bill has several programs and each is administrated differently -- depending on a person's eligibility and duty status.
Veterans Education Benefits
Veterans and/or dependents of veterans who are disabled or deceased may qualify for educational financial assistance through the Veterans Administration. Since the regulations regarding eligibility are quite extensive and many times need interpretation, contact your local veterans service office.
For details regarding all military education benefits, visit www.military.com/education
SMSgt Chuck B.
While starting life after the Air Force, it was very apparent that a college degree is a must to be competitive in the job market. Back to school I went and haven’t looked back since. My NAU degree helped me land a brand-new job as a training manager for the Air Force. Not only did I get my dream job, I landed a $20K raise to go with it. This position would not have been possible without my degree from NAU.
02/10/2011
SMSgt Chuck B.
Information Technology Graduate