Air Force suspends Tuition Assistance program

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. John Cooper
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  The Air Force this week decided to suspend the popular Tuition Assistance program for all Airmen. This change will affect active-duty, Guard and Reserve members of the force.

As of March 11, Airmen will no longer be allowed to submit new requests for tuition assistance; however, Airmen who are currently receiving TA for classes they are already taking, or who had requests approved for future courses before March 11, may complete those courses and receive funding as scheduled.

Air Force leadership made the decision to suspend the program due to the significant budget cuts mandated by the sequestration agreement agreed upon by the White House and Congress in 2011. Sequestration has already forced numerous, painful cuts across the Air Force, including the planned furlough of civilian Airmen for 16 hours every pay period, a significant reduction in flying hours at many bases, and cuts to TDYs, training opportunities and routine facility maintenance.

Until the sequestration issue is resolved, the long-term outlook for Tuition Assistance is unclear; no decisions have been made yet for Fiscal Year 2014. The Department of Defense has not cut any other education assistance programs at this time, but all programs are under review.

Despite the loss of these funds, Airmen are encouraged to continue pursuing educational opportunities, and to make use of other sources of funding, such as the G.I. Bill, Pell grants and other forms of federal aid. Individual institutions may offer significant financial aid to military students, as well. Airmen are encouraged to contact their college or university's financial aid department if they have questions or want to find out about more scholarship and assistance opportunities.

According to Air Force statistics, in FY 2012, 104,422 Airmen received Tuition Assistance, which provided $194 million in payments to Airmen across the service. This assistance helped pay for 277,255 courses, enabling Airmen to earn more than 26,611 associate degrees, 2,405 baccalaureate degrees, and 3,356 graduate degrees.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the Whiteman Warrior next week for more information about tuition and assistance opportunities for Whiteman Airmen.