Office of the Dean of Students -> Veteran and Military Affiliated Services -> Military Tuition Assistance

Military Tuition Assistance

Federal Military Tuition Assistance

Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is a benefit paid to eligible members of the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The Department of Defense (DoD) limits TA to $250 per semester credit hour and $4,500 per year. Each military branch can establish their own specific eligibility criteria and limits to manage their TA funds. DoD pays TA directly to the university.

All students who intend on using Military TA must contact Veteran and Military Affiliated Services to notify the University of your intent to use Military TA and ensure your program/major and courses are loaded into the appropriate service-specific TA systems.

Service-specific TA information is available at the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force/Space Force, and Coast Guard education portals.

Using TA

Obtain approval to use TA from your Educational Services Officer (ESO), military counselor, or Service prior to enrolling.

Email a copy of your approved TA Authorization form to Veteran and Military Affiliated Services. Include your full name and UTEID.

Veteran and Military Affiliated Services will process your TA authorization in accordance with established procedures.

Using Military TA with Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR (Chapter 1606))

Active Duty Service members and National Guard and Reserve AGRs may not receive standard Chapter 30 benefits for the same courses for which they receive TA from the military (with the exception of Top-up). If a student takes several courses, the student cannot receive Chapter 30 benefits for the courses for which TA is paid, but the student can receive Chapter 30 benefits for the courses for which TA isn’t paid.
Former Active Duty Service member, who earned Chapter 30 benefits while on Active Duty and are currently M-day members of the National Guard or Reserve, may receive standard Chapter 30 benefits for the same courses for which they receive TA from the military National Guard and Reserve (AGRs cannot).

Paying Tuition

The University will apply a tuition deferment equal to the amount listed in the Total Government Cost section of the approved TA request. This tuition deferment is valid for up to 60 days from the first day of the term. Students are expected to pay any remaining tuition balance in accordance with the tuition payment deadlines established by the University.

Policy on Return of Unearned Tuition Assistance

The Department of Defense (DoD) Memorandum of Understanding requires The University of Texas at Austin to return unearned Military Tuition Assistance (TA) funds on a prorated basis through 60% of an academic course. The University will not return any TA funds once a student completes 60% of an academic course.

We recommend that students contact the Veteran and Military Affiliated Services office before withdrawing from a TA funded academic course to determine how this policy could impact TA and potential repayment obligations of the student.

Note: Students are responsible for any tuition that may be owed to the University as a result of the University returning unearned Military TA to the government. Information about refunds can be found under the Tuition Adjustments section of the University Catalog.

How We Calculate Unearned Tuition Assistance

The University will use the class day the withdrawal was submitted and divide that number by the number of days in the term to determine the percentage of course completion and the amount the University must return to the military branch.

Example: The student enrolled in a course that is 111 days in length and submitted the withdrawal on the 45th class day. The University determines the percentage of earned TA by performing the following calculation: 45 divided by 111 equals 40.5%. Therefore, the student earns 41% of the authorized TA, and 59% of the authorized TA is returned to the military service.

Withdrawal Due to a Military Service Obligation

The University of Texas at Austin will work with the affected service members to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion of Tuition Assistance as a result of a military service obligation. Contact Veteran and Military Affiliated Services for assistance.

State Tuition Assistance

Funded by the State of Texas, the State Tuition Assistance Program is an education benefit that provides money for college to eligible members of the Texas Military Department pursuing their educational and career goals. This benefit is available to active drilling and AGR members of any of the 3 following Texas components:

Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG)
Texas Air National Guard (TXANG)
Texas State Guard (TXSG)

Visit the Texas Military Department website for additional information and to apply.

Paying Tuition

Effective Fall 2024, State TA will use an upfront payment process. This process, however, will not generally provide payment of State TA prior to published tuition payment deadlines.

Since the University expects to receive payment of State TA within 60 days of the start date of each term, Texas Education Code §56.0065 allows students to use Form TVC-ED-6 to request a 60-day tuition deferment. The deadline to submit a tuition deferment request is 7 days prior to the start date of each term.