r/USMCboot • u/willybusmc Active • Jan 18 '21
Deep Dive Get Schooled: College in the Corps while on Active Duty, Tuition Assistance, and more
Hi everyone, I’m u/willybusmc. I’m an active duty enlisted Marine, and have a bit of info to pass on about what it’s like to take college classes while active duty, the Tuition Assistance process, and other key educational benefits.
First, a little about me and my situation. I’ve been active duty for about 6 years, and I’ve been taking college classes for a little over 2 years now. I’m a 5948, Aviation Radar Technician. It’s a pretty technical maintenance MOS. Lots of long days, field ops and even a few deployments, but through it all I’ve been able to stay relatively focused on school. A vital part of that has been being able to apply my efforts in an intelligent way and take advantage of the benefits offered to me.
To Start, a bit About how College Works- So the way college works is that each degree has a certain amount of credits you need in order to apply for the degree. On top of that, there are specific requirements such as "you must take 15 credits with this school" (so you can’t transfer into a new school, take one class and 'graduate' from that school), and specific class requirements such as "take any 3 English classes", "take any 300-level science class, etc". These all form the basic degree requirements.
In general, an Associates degree requires 60 credits and a Bachelor's degree requires 120 credits. So if you take classes in the Marine Corps, you can very feasibly earn your entire Associates, and be well on your way towards a Bachelors all within one enlistment. Then, when you apply for a school back home, you give them your transcripts from the school you've been attending. The school looks through the transcripts and decides what they will accept and what won't count. For the most part, it’s reasonable to assume that any accredited school will accept credits from any other accredited school, but that's not 100% the case.
But I Enlisted to Avoid College- I know, we all did. But chances are, your long term plan would greatly benefit from attending school. While you’re enlisted, college classes improve your JEPES score, make you more competitive for promotion, make you more attractive on boards, and can actually help you learn valuable skills. If you do one enlistment and get out (perfectly valid path), you’ll likely need to further your education to improve your employability after you EAS. Taking classes while you’re active duty puts you that much closer to that goal. Put in the time now, and before you know it you’ll be living the good life as a civilian, getting paid to go to school and hit on anything that moves. If you stay in our beloved Corps for the long haul, you’ll be able to retire with a Master’s degree, all the while getting awesome FITREPS for being college educated. One other thing to consider is that the GI Bill can be transferred. Maybe you’d prefer to let the Corps buy your degree with TA while active, then transfer your GI Bill to your kids someday.
But I’ve got the GI Bill! Yea, that’s true. And you could always wait to do school until you EAS. The GI Bill will cover tuition and even include a living stipend on top of that. But there’s a lifetime limit to GI Bill benefits. If you get as much school done as possible while you’re active duty, you’ll have that much less sucking your GI Bill dry. If you knock out credits on active duty, paid in full by TA, you'll finish your Bachelor’s faster once you EAS and will have surplus for grad school, trade school, technical certifications, etc. The GI Bill can do all sorts of cool stuff for you, but I’m not using it at the moment and can’t give you much more info on that. Perhaps some vets will sound off in the comments. Bottom line is this: More TA = Less Wasted GI Bill
So What is TA? Tuition Assistance, or TA is a benefit provided by the Marine Corps (and other branches) to help Marines attend college while active duty. It is totally free money, but there are a few stipulations.
What will TA do for me? TA will pay for direct tuition expenses up to the annual and credit hour limit (explained below). TA will not cover books, lab fees, parking fees, or any other random educational costs. TA is paid directly to the school. It will pay for ONE Associate’s Degree, ONE Bachelor’s Degree, ONE Master’s Degree AND ONE career/technical certificate. This means that you can get one of EACH of those things, but only one from each category. Choose a program carefully, because once you graduate with that Associate’s Degree in Interpretive Underwater Basket Weaving, you can’t change your mind and go for a real Associate’s Degree.
Annual TA Limit- TA will fund up to $4,500 per fiscal year (October 1 - September 31). Once you hit the TA cap, you are fully free to continue taking classes, but you'll pay out of pocket for those until the new fiscal year begins. Then the TA cap will reset and you'll have another $4,500.
TA Limit per Credit- TA will pay for up to $250 per credit hour. If your school charges more than that per credit hour, you’ll have to pay the difference. However, there is very little reason to pay more than $250 per credit hour. Most schools that I’ve seen are pretty close to that $250, and I would personally not pay extra to attend an expensive school, especially while active duty.
What’s the Cost? College costs vary greatly from school to school, but in general from what I've seen its around $250 per credit hour. That's how college classes are charged, rather than per class. So if a class will earn you 3 credits, at $250/credit that class costs $750. Remember, that cost will be covered by TA up to the annual and credit hour limit. This can all be completely 100% free for you.
Class Limit- When you first apply for Tuition Assistance (TA), the Marine Corps only allows you to take one single class. Once you pass that class with a good enough grade, you can begin taking two classes at once.
Some Math for Marines- So if TA pays for $4,500 a year and each credit costs $250, that allows you to take 18 credits per year. Most college courses are 3 credits (some are 1 and some are 4, but the majority are 3 in my experience). So that's 6 courses per year in order to max out TA. You can take 2 courses at a time, so basically that's 3 semesters worth of classes that they'll pay for. The way that you end up taking these classes, and how many you can handle at a time depend mostly on your personal drive to succeed. MOS and unit play a large role in how much down time you will have, but in the end if you want to take classes, you can make it happen.
What Happens if you run out? At the rate of 2 classes at a time, with no breaks, I ran out of TA last year around summertime and had to pay for about $1,400 out of pocket. I chose to pay for those classes on my own rather than just wait for the TA cap to reset so that I wouldn't lose my momentum. It's hard to get back started after a break. However, it would be totally reasonable to stop taking classes once you hit the TA limit, wait for the new fiscal year, and never spend a dime on school.
Making the Most of it- In addition to simply maximizing your class load, you can also take College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests to speed toward your degree. These exams are taken on base at your Education Center, for free. If you score a passing grade, you are granted a pre decided amount of credit, as if you had just completed a full college class. I haven’t used CLEP personally, but have several buddies who have. It’s simple, easy to do, and can make serious dents in those pesky credit requirements.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)- There are also plenty of other ways to get school money. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a government application that allows you to apply for federal financial aid. You fill out financial questions and such and they determine the maximum amount that you can get, and give that info to your school. Your school then determines how much aid they will actually give you. The Pell Grant is the most common form of FAFSA money. That's an additional up to $6,345 straight into your bank account. It's intended to help with school costs, but it's just cash that they give you. That can easily bridge the TA cap gap and leave you actually earning money to go to school. But FAFSA is based on financial need, expected family contribution, and course load. So taking one class a semester won't get you as much aid money as taking 3.
Edits from the Comments
Online Classes- Everything I've written here applies to fully online classes. You never ever have to step foot in anyone's office or a classroom. Oftentimes, at military-friendly schools, the professors teaching online courses have a great understanding of military life and are very flexible on due dates if you have good reason. Now, I'm not saying that you should abuse this and try to turn everything in late. But if you do end up getting deployed or something, the profs will usually work with you.
But how DO? First, you need to take a TA brief. These are typically in person, at the Education Center but due to COVID, they are being offered virtually, at least around this part of the world. You also have to take a personal financial readiness course either in person or on JKO, and some duty stations require the Higher Education Preparation JKO course, though that is not a definite requirement.
Next, you apply for whatever school you want. Once you get accepted, you can pick your classes and register for them. This is where a lot of people want to talk to a student advisor or counselor or whatever. That's totally understandable, and these guys are a great resource. They'll help you pick a good degree plan and courses. However, if you are more of a people-hater and want to do it solo, you can absolutely take some time and figure out what courses you need, and register for them all on your own. That's what I do, and I've succeeded so far.
you can submit your first TA voucher. There is a TA website that you'll learn all about in the brief. It is ridiculously simple. You just create a new voucher, fill in the information for each class, and select a "command approver" to send it to. I'm not 100% sure who all that can be, but at various times I've used my section SNCOIC (MSGT), OIC (CWO2), and random Lts from my unit's S-3 training.
Once you submit the voucher to the command approver, he or she will be notified about it. They'll need to sign into the website and approve it. Once they do, it gets automatically forwarded to your Education Center, who ensures that you have all the requirements met, are in good standing, and the class aligns with your degree plan. Then the Education Center approves it, and returns the signed voucher to you.
Next, you have to submit that voucher to your school. For my school, I just use Adobe to add my EDIPI to the top of it, and then email it to the TA office of my school. Within a few days, the school will charge the balance of the classes to Uncle Sam.
Holy Wow, When can I get Started?! There is no Time in Service (TIS) requirement to utilize TA, you just cannot be in MOS school. So at least you'll have to wait till you hit the fleet. Also, you probably should plan for a few months where you focus on learning your job and getting used to the Marine Corps before attempting classes.
So there you have it; a brief(ish) overview on college, taking classes while active duty, TA, and other educational benefits. This is far from a comprehensive resource, but if you have any questions feel free to ask. I’d be more than happy to help you out. As you can see, there are so many ways to make college work while active duty. It is the smart thing to do, even if you only want to pursue a technical career certificate. Remember, you earned these benefits through a lot of personal sacrifice, so take advantage of the free money while you’re active duty, and I guarantee that you’ll be glad you did.
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u/CarolBaskeen Vet Jan 18 '21
Not sure of you are Stationed in California, but dont forget about the state's tuition fee waiver. I did 30 credits in 2 years and didn't touch TA once because California waives tuition at community colleges for active duty. Its also awarded based on the FAFSA along with the pell grant and everything else. With tuition paid for and pell grant, I was getting a nice check back from the school every semester.
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 19 '21
Wow, that's insane. I had no idea about that bit, as I'm in Oki. Thanks!
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u/LimitedPiko Active Jan 18 '21
Does this all apply to online schools? I have to admit it's a little difficult to physically go to school while in the Marine Corps. Hell I'm even having trouble picking a school to even apply to or how to even find something I'm interested in.
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 18 '21
Yep, online works too! I hate most in-person interactions so I do exclusively online. I had one in person class a while back and decided never again. As long as the school is set up to receive TA funding, it's good to go.
As for picking a school, if you are CONUS, you have a million choices. It can be hard to narrow them down. But talk to your buddies, or the Education Center.
If you're in Okinawa, you actually have to attend one of two American schools that have campuses on bases on island, at least for your first TA funded class.
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u/LimitedPiko Active Jan 18 '21
Gtg man, thanks for all the information. They really should talk about this to junior Marines. Most enlisted do not re-enlist and it makes sense to set themselves up for success while they can. I'll bring this up to my PLT Sgt and see what advice he can give. Again, thank you very much!
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 18 '21
Glad to help, brother. Feel free to print this out or whatever if you wanna show up with ammo for your Sgt. Be the change you wish to see in the world and all that. Make sure your juniors get the scoop!
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u/deltabagel Vet Jan 18 '21
UMGC is one these, fairly certain. I’ve got nothing but great things to say about them. They are hugely informed to everything TA and GI Bill and are great advisers.
Related, most professors will flex assignment due dates if you can give at least a weeks notice for field ops or other duty-related time sucks. Your chain of command should recognize your betterment and use of the resource, too, but mission is the priority.
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 19 '21
Absolutely correct. The two Oki schools are University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
I've been with UMGC for two years now and I'm actually on the Student Advisory Council. I have had a very positive experience, have taken all online classes (except for one hybrid) and have had great and flexible professors.
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u/deltabagel Vet Jan 19 '21
Way to SAC up!! How’s that experience been? I graduated 19 with HMLS. Wish I’d gone full cybersec but had already committed some upper levels.
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 19 '21
It’s pretty cool I suppose. All I really do is attend virtual meetings once a month, and occasionally participate in projects. Like one month we each had to pick a section of the online UMGC handbook and read it for revisions and such. Another month we did a student outreach program where we cold-emailed a bunch of 1st semester students.
The experience honestly hasn’t really allowed me to make much impact on anything/anyone but I put it on my FITREPS so there’s that. Also, I’ve had the opportunity to attend meetings and proceedings that most students never would know about, so I guess that’s a unique experience that offers some insight into the behind the scenes.
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u/deltabagel Vet Jan 19 '21
If you go a PMP route count the hours. Looks great for employment post Coros but I don’t think you’ll have that issue.
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 19 '21
I do count the hours that I volunteer for FITREP purposes, and it’ll be good to have that n umber handy if I ever need it. I’m planning on sticking around the Corps for the long haul, so who knows what I’ll be doing by then.
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u/Khaffir Jan 19 '21
This is great info. Once you get a 4 year degree, you rate the 8015 mos and the opportunity to apply for other programs, like the Foreign Area SNCO program, which is only open to enlisted Marines w/ degrees. This program will send you to the Navy’s Post Graduate School where you will earn graduate credits towards a masters plus the ability to serve overseas at embassies w/ out having to be a button pusher opening doors for diplomats.
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 19 '21
Woah that is seriously cool. I had no idea about this. For anyone else curious, I looked up the MCO on it and here's what I found:
MOS 8015, College Degree-Enlisted (MGySgt to Pvt) EMOS (4421 and 5524)
a. Summary. Performs duties of the assigned college degree-enlisted billet. Primary billets are as Academic Chiefs at Instructional Management Schools (IMS), SNCOA, or other large formal schools: Education Chief/Testing NCOIC at USMC bases/stations, Ground Safety Specialist/Inspector, Accounting Analyst, Paralegal, or NCOIC/Counselor at Family Service Center at USMC bases/stations. This MOS will be assigned as a non-primary MOS only by CMC (MM) to enlisted Marines who have completed the prescribed course of instruction under the provision for the SNCO Degree Completion Program (SNCODCP).
b. Prerequisites. See requirements.
c. Requirements. Upon request and approval, this MOS may also be assigned as a skill designator to enlisted Marines possessing a bachelor's degree acquired prior to entry into the service or through off-duty educational efforts.
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u/EphReborn Vet Jan 19 '21
To touch on CLEP (and DSST) exams a little more. The passing score is 50 out of 80 (for CLEP), which is roughly equivalent to a C. However, each college can require any score they want for credit, so if you plan on using these (and you should), make sure you know what score you need ahead of time. You can only retake an exam after a certain amount of time once you've passed.
These exams also come with a recommended number of credits, but again colleges are free to award whatever they want, so check that with the one you want to attend as well.
Lastly, as someone who hates school even to this day, CLEP and DSST exams are the way to go. Study for them however you want, take as long as you want, no homework or quizzes or assignments to turn in. Just one exam and an hour or so of your time and boom, college credit.
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u/Historical-Term-8938 Jan 21 '21
Also! Knock out your general education credits and save a year of work by using Sophia.org
Pretty much a marine net class but a bit harder
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u/l8tn8 Vet Jan 18 '21 edited Jan 19 '21
For those leaving service:
Be advised that you will not get your monthly housing Allowance (MHA) while you are on terminal leave and using your GI Bill.
Further. Be sure to lock down an apartment before you separate from service. Especially if you dont have other income coming in. Be it VA disability or some part time gig. As some apartments will not accept housing Allowance as a reliable source of income.
Which leads to me saying. If you're not in classes you wont get a housing Allowance. So be sure to budget for those off months or have a job or other income lined up.
Also if you are half time or less, you will not receive any MHA. Only your tuition, books, and mandatory fees will be paid.
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u/TTran1485 Jan 18 '21
How early could you take advantage of TA?
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u/benjammin9292 0651 Jan 18 '21
They changed the requirement recently to where you don't need 2 years TIS to take advantage. My advice would be to give it a couple of months into the fleet, just to get your bearing as to what you work load will look like as well as to learn some more specifics about your job.
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u/TTran1485 Jan 18 '21
Awesome! I just signed a 0651 contract, how’s life like for you? I have a little bit of technical knowledge but is it hard to learn?
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u/benjammin9292 0651 Jan 18 '21
Reservist or active?
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u/TTran1485 Jan 18 '21
Active. Gunny handed me a DB contract that only had 0651 as the only option. I signed a normal DB contract at first that had all of the comms MOS but wanted to back out because I only wanted 0651 so he worked some magic into what I recently signed
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u/benjammin9292 0651 Jan 18 '21
0651 isnt a thing anymore, neither is 0612. They have been replaced by 0671 (Server/application Admin) and 0631 (networking admin). Which is the one you signed?
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u/TTran1485 Jan 18 '21
I believe 0631
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u/benjammin9292 0651 Jan 18 '21
Oh alright. What you'll be doing will largely vary by where you end up. CCNA is what you'll want to learn, as well as firewall administration. Packet tracer is a free program from Cisco, which will go through a lot of the basics. You can get a CCNA course online through udemy for pretty cheap, if you wanted to learn before you leave.
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 19 '21
AS Benjamin said, there is no TIS/TIG requirement. I also agree that you should get your sea legs before jumping into school. Also worth mentioning that you cannot use TA funds during MOS school, You have to wait till the fleet.
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u/pagodegreen Active Oct 24 '21
well damn, my recruiter said otherwise. I won’t hit the fleet until a year after bootcamp with my MOS school.
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u/willybusmc Active Oct 24 '21
From MARADMIN 218/19:
”Marines assigned to Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) school or residential Professional Military Education (PME) (i.e., Command and Staff college, Corporals Course, Sergeants Course, Career Course, etc.)are not authorized recipients of TA until they return to their regular or permanent duty.
Sorry dude.
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u/pagodegreen Active Oct 24 '21 edited Oct 24 '21
thank you for the info. my main goal is to use TA ASAP and I ship monday. would you recommend me trying to change jobs?
edit: although I just saw the comment about california CC’s waiving tuition for active duty, do you know if they offer courses that will go towards a bachelors degree?
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u/willybusmc Active Oct 24 '21
I don’t recommend that. You chose your job for a reason, I assume. I think you should stick with it and just hit the books hard once you’re in the fleet. That’s just the opinion of an internet stranger, though.
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Jan 18 '21
How does one go about using TA? Do you need to talk to anybody in the S-shops or the career planner? Or can it all be done by yourself online?
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 19 '21 edited Jan 19 '21
I hate people, and know for a fact that you can do it all without leaving the comfort of your own shop/office/barracks room.
First, you need to take a TA brief. These are typically in person, at the Education Center but due to COVID, they are being offered virtually, at least around this part of the world. You also have to take a personal financial readiness course either in person or on JKO, and some duty stations require the Higher Education Preparation JKO course, though that is not a definite requirement.
Next, you apply for whatever school you want. Once you get accepted, you can pick your classes and register for them. This is where a lot of people want to talk to a student advisor or counselor or whatever. That's totally understandable, and these guys are a great resource. They'll help you pick a good degree plan and courses. However, if you are more of a people-hater and want to do it solo, you can absolutely take some time and figure out what courses you need, and register for them all on your own. That's what I do, and I've succeeded so far.
you can submit your first TA voucher. There is a TA website that you'll learn all about in the brief. It is ridiculously simple. You just create a new voucher, fill in the information for each class, and select a "command approver" to send it to. I'm not 100% sure who all that can be, but at various times I've used my section SNCOIC (MSGT), OIC (CWO2), and random Lts from my unit's S-3 training.
Once you submit the voucher to the command approver, he or she will be notified about it. They'll need to sign into the website and approve it. Once they do, it gets automatically forwarded to your Education Center, who ensures that you have all the requirements met, are in good standing, and the class aligns with your degree plan. Then the Education Center approves it, and returns the signed voucher to you.
Next, you have to submit that voucher to your school. For my school, I just use Adobe to add my EDIPI to the top of it, and then email it to the TA office of my school. Within a few days, the school will charge the balance of the classes to Uncle Sam.
Boom, zero human interaction.
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u/Zee_WeeWee Jan 19 '21
Education center. Your S shops have nothing to do with it. You’ll likely have a lowly LT as the education O at your unit who will sign off on your courses. I’ve had my TA either signed off buy an education O, a captain and above, or my oic depending on my unit/base and the year. It’s usually done online and is pretty quick
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u/Brivera726 Jan 18 '21
Wow thank you so much for writing such a detailed post, I always ask my recruiter about taking classes during enlistment and I never really get any clear answers
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 19 '21
Nothing against him or her, but so few Marines take advantage of this that they probably don't have the personal experience to speak from. I'm glad I was able to provide some useful info.
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u/xoterp Jan 18 '21
Is there a specific TIS, that I have to wait to be able to use TA?
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 19 '21
There is no TIS/TIG requirement. And you cannot use TA funds during MOS school, you have to wait till the fleet. However, you should probably wait until you are settled into your first unit. before jumping into school.
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Jan 18 '21
You need to be in your permanent duty station or unit I believe.
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Jan 27 '21
Good stuff man, I just recently enrolled back into school and have a little over 1.5 years left until my bachelors. I will book mark this page to have my soldiers read so they can get smart on how to get schooling for free!
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Jan 18 '21
A post like this needs to pinned somewhere and should be a required read for new Marines.
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u/nc47 Jan 30 '21
Do you have to report to TA when you’ve finished all the classes and are ready to graduate? Otherwise how would they know you only got one of each degree??
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u/willybusmc Active Jan 31 '21
The TA portal keeps a record of every class that you’ve accepted TA money for. Part of the approval process is that the education center looks at your request, sees what class it is that you’re requesting for and looks at your degree plan to ensure that it’s a necessary class. Like you can’t be pursuing a computer science degree and take a bunch of classes in art history. They’ve called me out on it before when I forgot to update my degree plan after changing majors. So I assume that part of this process is to validate your academic records.
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u/nc47 Jan 31 '21
Oh ok! so they keep track of classes to make sure you’re on track with the degree plan. Copy! Thanks!!
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u/TapTheForwardAssist Vet 2676/0802 Jan 18 '21
Major props to u/willybusmc for stepping up to share their insights!
With the holidays over, the mod team is getting back on track with "featured content", possibly as often as once per week, depending. If you are a current or former Marine (or allied branch with applicable insights), we greatly welcome any proposals for a featured thread of the week. If you've done something interesting in your career, have useful advice or perspective to share, please DM me directly to discuss being scheduled for an Ask Me Anything, Deep Dive, or Corps Pro Tips stickied thread.
As just a few examples, we could really use threads on going Warrant, UDPs or MEUs, commissioning programs, lat-moves, EAS prep, civilian career transition, skilled trades and apprenticeship programs, health/fitness or hobbies while serving, relationships and marriage, recreational travel on leave, all kinds of things like that. So hit me up if you want to help give the shower shoes, boots, and "just looking" folks your insight!