Education Services

Do I qualify for Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA)?

What will FTA pay for?

• Up to $250.00 per semester hour, not to exceed 16 SEMESTER HOURS PER FISCAL YEAR (1 October – 30 September).

   
• FTA may pay towards the cost of tuition if the college/university is regionally or nationally accredited AND is an active GoArmyEd participant.

   
• Funded courses must be listed on your documented degree plan from the school.

   
• FTA may pay towards ONE of each level of credential with the limitations of up to 130 undergraduate hours and 39 graduate hours taken in progressive order. FTA cannot be used for courses leading to a lower, lateral, or duplicate postsecondary credential or degree that has been documented in your education record, regardless of funding source.

   
• Undergraduate students must maintain a 2.0 or above GPA on a four-point scale for TA-approved courses. Students that receive a grade of "D" or "F" for a course will be recouped for the amount of tuition assistance received for the course.

   
• Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 or above GPA on a four-point scale for TA-approved courses. Students that receive a grade of "C", "D", or "F" for a course will be recouped for the amount of tuition assistance received for the course.
   

What will FTA not pay for?

• FTA will NOT pay towards:
  • Courses leading to a lower, lateral, or duplicate postsecondary credential or degree that has been documented in your education record, regardless of funding source.

     
  • First Professional degrees are NOT eligible. This includes, but is not limited to, Doctor of: Chiropractic, Dental Science, Dental Medicine, Juris Prudence (also known as Juris Doctor), Medicine, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine /Osteopathy, Pharmacy, Podiatric Medicine/Podiatry, and Veterinary Medicine.

     
  • Any program that bundles costs (the charges for the program must be charged by the course and NOT as a lump sum for the program).

     
  • Continuing Education Units.

     
  • Any Fees (Tuition assistance pays toward the costs of tuition only)
     

What do I do to get started?

• How to apply:

START NOW! A little work on your part WILL pay big dividends. You MUST begin the process early. You can apply for tuition assistance as soon as possible (up to 60 days out), but no later than (14) days BEFORE the course start date. For example, if class begins on 18 August, the TA request must be submitted no later than 4 August. Keep in mind, Soldiers must already have an approved course planner if a course planner is required before they can request tuition assistance.

• This is to allow education counselors time to process and approve your application prior to the course start date. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are no guarantees tuition assistance will be approved prior to the course start date. INPUT YOUR TA REQUESTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! For courses not approved prior to the course start date, there are no exceptions.

Requesting tuition assistance, uploading documents to the eFile, and the input of course data are an individual’s responsibility.

• Let’s Begin. If you don’t already have a GoArmyEd account:

   
• Establish a GoArmyEd Tuition Assistance Account.
   
  • Go to www.GoArmyEd.com . SCROLL DOWN, on the right side of screen check “Student”, click Create/Activate Account. Enter SSN and Date of Birth, click submit. Complete the required training for a base role GoArmyEd account, which results in the creation of your GoArmyEd user name and password. Don’t lose your password! Also, ensure you input your preferred email address with good contact numbers. This is extremely important! The email address used should be an email address you check regularly. It does not have to be an AKO email. Recommend a personal email such as gmail, hotmail, bellsouth, etc.
     

AFTER YOUR ACCOUNT IS ACTIVATED

• You will receive an email advising your account has been activated.

NOTE: The following instructions apply if you are attending a Non-LOI school. The term Non-LOI school refers to accredited, postsecondary education schools that have not signed a Letter of Instruction (LOI) with the Army to integrate their schedule of classes, tuition costs, and course registration processes within the GoArmyEd program. The vast majority of public and private universities within the State of Mississippi are Non-LOI. Contact an education counselor if you are unsure if your school is Non-LOI.

 

1. DOCUMENTED DEGREE PLAN/STUDENT AGREEMENT. A documented degree plan must include four (4) items:
    
• Soldier’s name
   
• Listing of all of the requirements for degree completion
   
2. COURSE TUITION COSTS. The detailed bill consists of official school documentation with student’s name, such as an itemized receipt, a current invoice, or a statement of tuition and fees specific to your enrollment. When uploading the DETAILED BILL, tuition and fees MUST be listed separately with courses identified showing a breakdown of cost-per-semester/quarter/clock-hour and fees. The bill must specify Tuition = X amount of dollars. A page out of the school catalog will not suffice. 
    
3. CLASS SCHEDULE with student’s name showing all courses with the START and END dates, course department and numbers, course names, course hours and days/times for each class.
    

UPLOADING DOCUMENTS TO EFILE

• Upload THREE (3) documents to your eFile:
1. Login to www.GoArmyEd.com
    
2. Select “My Education Record” Smart Link
    
3. Select the “eFile” tab and scroll down
    
4. Under Upload eFile. Complete the required fields (Title and Description). Ensure you select the correct transaction type for EACH file you upload. Only one file can be uploaded at a time.
    
5. Select “Browse” to find the following PDF file you have previously scanned and saved to your computer desktop.
    
• DEGREE PLAN
• Transaction Type - Course Planner Student Agreement/Documented Degree Plan
   
6. Select “Upload File”.
    

Repeat steps 4-6 for School Tuition/Fee Cost and Class Schedule.

• COURSE TUITION & FEE COSTS

  Transaction Type - Cost Verification and Course Schedule

   
• CLASS SCHEDULE

  Transaction Type - Cost Verification and Course Schedule
   

HOW TO REQUEST Tuition Assistance (TA)

1. Login to www.GoArmyEd.Com with your Username and Password
2. To determine if a course planner is required, click on the Request TA Tab, if it takes you to the Course Planner page, a Course Planner is required. If not, proceed to Step 4 below.
3. Complete the Course Planner. Select the “How to use Course Planner” link under Training Resources on your screen for assistance using the Course Planner.
    
• Basic Steps:
   
1. Get an official Student Agreement / Documented Degree Plan from your school.
    
2. Select the Course Planner Smart Link on your GoArmyEd homepage.
    
3. The first step on your Course Planner is to upload your degree plan unless you have already uploaded one to your eFile.
    
4. Next enter the number of REMAINING units you need to graduate (this should be provided by your school on the degree plan). ENSURE you input ALL the course hours you have remaining.
    
5. Click the “Select School” button to select the school from which you plan to take a course.
    
6. If the course you wish to take has been uploaded to GoArmyEd by your school, you will be prompted to search for the course to add it to your Course Planner. If the school has not uploaded the course you need, manually enter the required course information. Ensure the course you input is listed on your degree plan.
    
7. To enter the information for the other courses listed on your degree plan, you REPEAT the process by clicking “Select School” and again entering the course information. After entering all your remaining courses, click and place a checkmark by each course. Now, click SUBMIT. The status will change from “NEW” to “PENDING”.
    
8. Once the status is showing “PENDING”, it is sent to an education counselor for approval.
    
4. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REQUEST TUITION ASSISTANCE UNTIL YOU HAVE AN APPROVED COURSE PLANNER. Once your course planner is approved or one is not required, select the “Request TA” button from your GoArmyEd home page.
   
   Note: When you select the “Request TA” smart link and you don’t have an approved Course Planner, the Course Planner page will appear and you’ll have to complete a Course Planner as noted above in STEP 3. 
    

1. Login to www.GoArmyEd.Com with your Username and Password
    
2. Select “Request TA”.
    
3. Confirm school is pre-populated, enter the class subject, Catalog and the Class start date and select NEXT. Do not input a class unless it is on your degree plan, schedule, and invoice.
    
4. Once the TA Request Displays, Complete each required field in the Class Information and Class Cost Sections. Search eFile and attach your Course Schedule AND Course and Fee Costs here.
    
• Class Schedule – Transaction Type – Costs and/or Course Enrollment Verification showing all courses with student’s name with the course start and end dates, course department and numbers, course names, course hours and days/times for each class.
   
• Course and Fee Cost – Transaction Type – Costs and/or Course Enrollment Verification consisting of official school documentation with student’s name such as an itemized receipt, a current invoice, or a statement of tuition and fees specific to your enrollment. Tuition and fees must be listed separately with courses identified showing a breakdown of cost-per-semester/quarter/clock-hour and fees. Fees listed on invoice must be itemized and specific to each course (i.e. Lab Fee for BIO 1101). 
   
• Unit Type will be Semester, Quarter, or Clock. Unit will be the number of hours for the course, i.e. 3.00. Unit Cost will be the cost per hour, NOT per course. Select “Calculate Cost” to populate the invoice section so you can see the final Army and Soldier’s costs.
   
5. Verify all the information you provided in the TA Request matches the information you’ve uploaded into your eFile. 
    
6. Review your TA Request for accuracy and then select “Submit”. 
    
7. Confirm your email address information and your contact information.
    
8. Click “Account Information Verified” button. <Click Ok>
    
9. If you need to request TA for another class Click YES. If not, exit the screen.
    
10. When the TA Request is approved by the Army, you will receive a confirmation email.
     

After Receiving TA Request Approval

1. To print this form, select the "Other Links" Smart Link from your home page, then select the plus icon next to "After You Enroll in a Class" and select the "View All TA Requests" link. 
    
2. Select "Search" and then select one course from the desired term and a new screen will open. Place a check in the "Print Select" checkbox for the courses you want to print on your TA Form.
    
3. Select the "Print TA Form" button and a report will run. A link will be displayed when the report is done. Select the link to view the report, “Click here to view report”.
    
4. Print or save the PDF form to your computer.
    
5. Submit the approval form to your school’s business office!
    
   Ensure the data on the TA Approval Form is correct. If you identity an error, it is your responsibility to notify the education office to see if a correction can be made.