Department of Defense Instruction 1322.25 of March 15, 2011, Incorporating Change 1, December 6, 2012, Voluntary Education Programs
SECNAV Instruction 1560.4A of 01 Dec 2005, "Department of the Navy Voluntary Education (VOLED) Program"
OPNAVINST 1560.9A of 4 Mar 08, "Voluntary Education (VOLED) for Navy Sailors"
NETCINST 1560.3 of January 20, 2011, "Navy Voluntary Education Programs"
NAVADMIN 305/12, 02 OCT 12, "Tuition Assistance Policy Change"
NAVADMIN 029/12, 25 JAN 12, "Establishment of New Policy for Tuition Assistance (TA)"
NAVADMIN 245/10, 22 JUL 10, "Change to FY11 Tuition Assistance Policy Implementing Quarterly Allocation
NAVADMIN 105/10, 23 MAR 10, "Changes to Education Priorities and Management of Off-duty Voluntary Education for Tuition Assistance {TA} and Navy College Program for Afloat College Education {NCPACE}"
NAVADMIN 042/08, 12 FEB 08, "Changes to Education Priorities and Management of Off-duty Voluntary Education (VOLED for TA and NCPACE Programs"
NAVADMIN 301/07, 09 NOV 07, "Education Points for E4-E6 Final Multiple Score (FMS) and Emphasis on Education for E7-E9 Selection Board Precepts"
NAVADMIN 161/07, 25 JUN 07, "Education Priorities and Management of Off-Duty Voluntary Education"
NAVADMIN 166/06, 09 JUN 06, "Tuition Assistance and Waiver Policy"
Contact your Navy College Office for issues pertaining to:
TA Eligibility
CLEP/DSST Testing Requirement
TA Counseling
TA Application Requests
TA Application Procedures
TA Authorization Vouchers
Course Changes
Course Completion Responsibilities
Reimbursement Responsibilities
If you have any problems contacting your
Navy College Office, contact the Virtual Education Center at
VEC@navy.mil or call 1-877-838-1659
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Contact the NETPDTC Tuition Assistance Accounting Department for issues pertaining to:
Grades
Reimbursements
Requests for Waiver of Reimbursement for Involuntary W Grade
Notification to Extend Course Dates
School Invoicing
TA Student Grades and Money Issues FAQS (TA Accounting Newsletter)
The TA Accounting Department can be contacted at:
Email: sfly_ta.navy@navy.mil (Navy) sfly_ta.marine@navy.mil (Marines)
CGI-PF-Tuition_Assistance@uscg.mil (Coast Guard)
Fax: DSN 922-1149 / 1032 / 1079 or Commercial 850-452-1149 / 1032 / 1079
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Contact the Saufley Field Detachment in Pensacola for issues pertaining to:
Any Tuition Assistance Waiver Request
Waiver Submission Procedures
The Saufley Field Detachment can be contacted at:
Email: ta.waiver.voled@navy.mil
Voice Mail: 850-452-1001 (option #3), extension 2232
Mailing Address:
COMMANDING OFFICER
CPPD DET SAUFLEY FIELD (N2)
6490 SAUFLEY FIELD ROAD
PENSACOLA FL 32509-5204
ATTN: TA WAIVER OFFICE
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Tuition Assistance (TA) is the Navy's educational financial assistance program. It provides active duty personnel
funding for tuition costs for courses taken in an off-duty status at a college, university or vocational/technical institution, whose regional
or national accreditation is recognized by the Department of Education. A list of approved accrediting agencies may be found at
http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg6.html#NationallyRecognized for a list of national accrediting agencies; or on this same
web page click on "Regional Institutional Accrediting Agencies" to see list of regional accrediting agencies. Navy TA pays for both classroom and
independent study/distance learning courses, regardless of course length. Courses must be offered in Semester Hours, or Quarter Hours.
The credit earned must show on the institution's transcript.
All Navy Tuition Assistance pays up-front the tuition and fees charged by educational institutions for course enrollments.
Navy TA pays 100% of tuition costs for courses applicable to the completion of a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.
For other education levels, there is a fiscal year credit limit of 16 Semester Hours, or 24 Quarter Hours per individual.
(Waiver requests cannot exceed the FY $4500 DoD program limit.)
- Payment for tuition and fees will not exceed the following caps:
$250.00 per semester hour
$166.67 per quarter hour
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NAVADMIN 166/06 and
NAVADMIN 161/07 (amended by NAVADMIN 042/08) have directed additional
management controls until further notice. Please review these NAVADMINs before applying for Tuition Assistance funding.
TA is available to both Naval Officer and Enlisted active duty personnel and Naval Reservists on continuous active duty.
It is also available to enlisted Naval Reservists ordered to active duty 120 days and to Naval Reservist Officers ordered to active duty for 2 years
or more. To qualify, service members must:
- be on active duty for the whole length of the course.
- attend an institution accredited by a regional, national, or professional accrediting agency recognized by the Department of Education.
- receive counseling from a Navy College Office
- (Optional) .. determine if a CLEP/DSST exam could take the place of the course to be funded (either ask your school or your Navy College
Office). If a CLEP/DSST exam credit could apply, consult with your Navy College Office for instructions on taking the practice test and
scheduling an appointment for the test.
- provide all grades from previously funded TA courses and reimburse all W and F grades. (Withdrawals for involuntary reasons may be
granted with command verification.)
- Agree, if an officer, to remain on active duty for at least two years upon completion of courses funded by TA. This obligation runs
concurrently with remaining obligated service time. Those who fail to serve the obligation must repay the TA funds expended on their behalf
during the last two years of active duty on a pro rated basis.
- Yes, now distance learning courses longer than 24 weeks will be funded up front. The DANTES Distance Learning Application procedures,
with reimbursement occurring after successful course completion are no longer used by Navy.
- Fees directly required for course enrollment may be combined with tuition. Navy will pay fees that are published, mandatory,
and charged for course enrollment.
- Mandatory non-reimbursable fees meeting the criteria listed above may be funded with TA. However, if the course is canceled
allowing the tuition to be refunded, the student is responsible for paying the non-reimbursable fee.
- Sailors requesting payment of fees with tuition are responsible for providing accurate fee information to their Navy College
Office when applying for TA.
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Effective immediately, Sailors are no longer required to take practice CLEP or actual CLEP exams prior to
obtaining approval for TA. However, Sailors are encouraged to pursue credit through College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Defense
Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) where applicable, to save time toward completing a
degree and reduce Tuition Assistance cost.
For example: when working to complete college degree requirements, if a Sailor needs a year of Social Science or
History credits, he or she may take the practice exam for the CLEP Social Science/History test. If the results of the practice exam indicate
the Sailor may pass the test, the Navy College Office can schedule the Sailor to take the CLEP Social Science/History test. The test represents
6 semester hours of college credit. If the Sailor passes the test, then this is the equivalent of completing two college courses. The Sailor has
reduced the time to complete all the courses required in his or her degree program by two - just by passing one test! CLEP/DSST exams are offered
at NO COST to active duty military. They are administered by Navy College Offices or through National Test Centers. Some on-base institutions have
become National Test Centers and can offer 35 different computer delivered CLEP tests. Navy College Offices have paper tests which are limited to
14 tests. Sailors may also take CLEP exams from National Test Centers located off-base at local colleges. These sites charge an administration fee
that must be paid by the Sailor, however, the actual test is provided at no cost to Sailors.
To help the likelihood of successfully passing the tests, Sailors must complete applicable practice CLEP/DSST exams which
are available on the Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) website at www.nko.navy.mil or from the
Navy College Office. Sailors who score well on practice exams should take the actual CLEP/DSST exams for academic credit. Testing is available through
local Navy College Offices, Reserve Centers, National Test Centers, and onboard some ships. Sailors passing the CLEP/DSST save both time and money and
can progress on to enroll in courses funded by Tuition Assistance. Sailors who do not pass the CLEP/DSST exams may enroll in the corresponding courses,
funding them with Tuition Assistance.
Contact your Navy College Office and discuss whether a CLEP/DSST exam
exists that would count for credit in your degree program. If so, work with your
Navy College Office to determine the best method to
take/schedule the practice exam and actual test.
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REQUIRED READING
(Keep this page for future reference)
- Your command approved Tuition Assistance Application must be submitted to your supporting
Navy College Office or Marine Corps Education Center
for processing. If you do not know where your supporting Navy College Office is, click (here). For Marines, click
(here).
- Once received by your Navy College Office/Marine Corps Education Center and authorized, your supporting Navy College Office/Marine Corps
Education Center will prepare a TA Authorization Voucher for you to provide to the school. Keep a copy for your records.
- TA participants may submit a copy of a grade report obtained through their student account. The easiest way to submit a grade would be
electronically as an attachment via email to SFLY_TA.NAVY@NAVY.MIL or SFLY_TA.MARINE@NAVY.MIL after submitting via email, wait 7 days then go to
https://smart.navy.mil to verify the grade has been processed. Please wait the allotted time before taking any further action. You can also fax a
copy of your grade to (850) 452-1149; (850) 452-1032; or (850)452-1079. DSN prefix is 922. The Coast Guard email is CGI-PF-Tuition_Assistance@uscg.mil
- If you receive a grade of (F), (N), or an Incomplete (I), you must reimburse TA Accounting for the TA funded portion of the course. Or,
if you do not submit your grade/s within 60 days upon completion of the course, your command will receive a letter from the TA Accounting Office
advising that, unless the grade is faxed to TA Accounting, payment for the TA funded portion of the course is required. Payment is by a cashiers check
or money order only, made out to the U.S. Treasury, and mailed to:
Commanding Officer
NETPDTC TA Accounting N8132
6490 Saufley Field Road
Pensacola, FL 32509-5241
To access your TA Request Form (PDF or Word document format) ,
click on (Acknowledge - pdf format) or
(Acknowledge - word document)
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What are the procedures to use TA?
- Contact your Navy College Office to receive educational counseling in person, by phone or email. With your Navy College advisor,
determine which courses will be requested for TA funding.
- Complete a TA Application form NETPDTC 1560/3 listing course(s) and fee(s). Check with your institution to make sure the amounts
for tuition and fees you list are correct. Allowable fees that can be funded under Tuition Assistance are:
- Fees directly required for course enrollment may be combined with tuition. Navy will pay fees that are published, mandatory,
and charged for course enrollment.
- Mandatory non-reimbursable fees meeting the criteria listed above may be funded with TA. However, if the course is canceled
allowing the tuition to be refunded, the student is responsible for paying the non-reimbursable fee.
- Sailors requesting payment of fees with tuition are responsible for providing accurate fee information to their Navy College
Office when applying for TA.
- Carefully read the second page of the TA Application, the Tuition Assistance Application Agreement, and complete the requested
information at the bottom of the page. Your signature on this form indicates you understand the current rules relating to Tuition Assistance
funding. Receive command approval signature to enroll in the course(s).
- Your TA Application MUST be returned to your Navy College Office for processing.
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What if I must make changes to the courses such as.
- I must withdraw from the course soon after I've just enrolled?
- If you are still within the school's drop/add period, "officially" cancel the course with the school. If possible, ask the school to give you back the TA Voucher you provided to them for full or partial payment.
- Take or fax your official cancellation paperwork to your Navy College Office and request that they cancel the TA funding for your course. If you do not cancel the course with the Navy College Office, you will receive letters from the Navy asking for grades and reimbursement for the amount of the TA.
- If your TA funded a non-reimbursable fee, you are responsible for paying the amount of the fee to the school if they have not already invoiced the Navy, or to the Navy if the school has already been paid.
Note: If you do not withdraw properly, the amount of your TA will be withdrawn from your pay, even though you did not take the course.
- I must withdraw involuntarily due to military duties, transfer, emergency or hospitalization?
- Notify the school and "officially" withdraw from the course. Make sure you will be receiving a "W" grade.
- Request your Command write a letter to NETPDTC N8131 (see address below) confirming your reason for the involuntary withdrawal and ask that you be relieved of paying back the amount of the TA used to fund the course you could not complete.
- If your TA funded a non-reimbursable fee, you are responsible for paying the amount of the fee to the school if they have not already invoiced the Navy, or to the Navy if the school has already been paid.
Commanding Officer
NETPDTC TA Accounting N8131
6490 Saufley Field Road
Pensacola, FL 32509-5241
- I withdraw from the course due to personal reasons?
- You will be required to reimburse the U.S. Treasury the full amount your TA funded (click here for procedures to follow.)
- The Navy requires you to reimburse for all W Grades received for personal reasons.
- I don't complete the course and receive a failing (F), non-passing (N) or incomplete (I) grade?
- You must reimburse the U.S. Treasury if you receive a failing (F) or non-passing (N) grade or if you fail to clear an incomplete (I) grade within 6 months of the original course completion date. The Navy requires you to reimburse all F Grades, and for reimburse all I Grades if they are not changed to a passing grade after 6 months.
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- What is my obligation once the course is completed?
- Obtain your official grade or certificate from the institution. Mail, email(attach a scanned copy of your grades), or fax your grades and/or certificates to the TA Accounting Office in Pensacola:
FAX NUMBER:
Fax to any of the following: 850-452-1149 / 1032 / 1079 DSN prefix 922
MAIL ADDRESS:
Commanding Officer
NETPDTC TA Accounting N8131
6490 Saufley Field Road
Pensacola, FL 32509-5241
EMAIL ADDRESS:
- What will happen if I don't mail or fax my grades?
- You and your command will receive letters from the Navy requesting your grade or reimbursement for the TA. If you do not respond, the amount of your TA will be withdrawn from your pay through a pay checkage.
- What if I don't successfully complete the course and my school grants me an extension to complete it?
- The Navy allows only one extension of up to 6 months. If you receive an extension from your school to complete your course, contact NETPDTC N8131 (see contact information above - the same fax or mailing address as for grades) and let them know. Tell them:
- Your Name
- Your last four of SSN
- The name of the school
- The term dates pertaining to the course you are requesting to have extended
- The course number
- The extension date your school has allowed you to complete your course
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If you complete a certificate or degree earned from a U.S. Department of Education national/regional approved academic institution,
request your college mail an original transcript to:
COMMANDING OFFICER
Center for Personal and Professional Development
Attn: Virtual Education Center
1905 Regulus Avenue, Ste. 234
Virginia Beach VA 23461-2009
E-mail or phone the Virtual Education Center to let them know you have requested your transcript to be sent to them. Give them your
name, last four of SSN and either e-mail or phone number so that you can be reached should there be any questions.
The VEC can be reached at:
Phone: 1-877-838-1659
Comm: 757-492-4684
FAX: 757-492-5095
DSN: 492-4684
Email: VEC@navy.mil
The VEC cannot accept faxes or degrees mailed from you or your Navy College
Office. They must receive your transcript directly from your college. Once the
VEC receives your official transcript, they will enter the degree in our
database and it will show on your SMART transcript.
The VEC call center will be open Monday - Friday, 15 hours a day (0600-2100 Eastern) and will be staffed by academic advisors,
ready to fill your requests and answer questions about all components of the Navy College Program.
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Montgomery GI Bill
"MGIB Top-Up"
(Public Law 106-398)
Beginning 1 November 2000 to the present, servicemembers may combine TA with VA benefits. Navy TA pays up to the hourly cap
and annual ceiling. If you are eligible for the MGIB (Chapter 30), you may be eligible to be reimbursed for the remainder of your course costs
(the amount on your military TA form which is not paid by the Navy).
Servicemembers who have never used MGIB benefits must complete VA Form 22-1990 (indicate "Top-Up" on the VA application in
item 1A under the MGIB-Active Duty block), and have the form certified by a Military Education Counselor. A fully signed TA Authorization Voucher with
the words "TOP-UP" printed in the top margin and the VA Form 22-1990 must be send directly to the appropriate Regional VA processing center. To find
the correct Regional VA processing center you must mail your form(s) to, go to web site:
http://www.gibill.va.gov/contact/contact.htm
Thereafter, for a reimbursement under TOP-UP only a fully signed TA Authorization Voucher form (with "top-up" printed in the
top margin) will be sent to the VA.
Remember: using the top-up benefit will reduce your MGIB entitlement.
For more information, contact your local Navy College Office or call the Virtual Education Center at 1-877-838-1659.
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We have sent out a notification letter to inform colleges of this change. If your institution has not been
set up for electronic invoicing through Wide Area Workflow (WAWF), please contact the WAWF POC (noted in the letter and on the cover of the
TA WAWF Guide).
Tuition Assistance is the Military educational financial assistance program. It provides active duty personnel funding for
tuition costs for courses taken in an off-duty status at a college, university or vocational/technical institution, whose regional or national
accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard students under this program will provide you with a TA Authorization form.
Please be aware that there have been solicitations from different organizations, not sponsored by the Navy, that claim to
provide WAWF conferences, on-site training, and training materials for a fee. We have been notified that one organization in particular, the Federal
Government Receivables and Research Bureau (FGRRB), has sent email solicitations to several schools. While it is not prohibited to use their services,
please exercise caution when accepting WAWF support from sources that are not endorsed by the Navy. We would like to remind you that the Navy provides
WAWF support at no cost, and encourage you to contact your WAWF POC before accepting any additional WAWF support.
WAWF Web Site:
(WAWF is an Internet-based invoicing system that requires no additional software and is free of charge.)
TA WAWF Guide (Updated 07/24/2008)
Contains step-by-step invoicing instructions as well as useful information about TA WAWF.
TA Attachment Template (Updated 03/01/2007)
An excel spreadsheet for entering student and course details.
TA Newsletter, March 1, 2007
Contains useful information pertaining to TA invoicing.
Web Conference Training
A web conference training session for TA WAWF invoicing is available every Monday at 2pm (ET). Each session is limited to 10 participants.
If you are unable to enter the session, please join in the following week's session or contact the WAWF POC for individual assistance. Session details:
Session link: https://www.gotomeeting.com/join/791329652
Conference Call: Dial (605) 990-0010, access code 791-329-652
Meeting ID: 791-329-652
Payment
Payments for invoices submitted through WAWF will be made by EFT, and are received in 1-2 weeks. To check the status of payments, log in to the DFAS
myInvoice system. For assistance with myInvoice, contact DFAS
Customer Service at 1-800-756-4571, Option 5 or e-mail the help desk at
CCO-MYINVOICEHELP@DFAS.MIL.
To contact DFAS regarding payments, send an email to DFAS-PE-VPIS@DFAS.MIL or call DFAS Customer Service at 1-800-328-9371.
Refunds
Please make checks payable to the U.S. Treasury and mail to the below address:
COMMANDING OFFICER
NETPDTC N8115 - SCHOOL REFUND
6490 SAUFLEY FIELD ROAD
PENSACOLA FL 32509-5241
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