Military
DANTES
The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support allows service members to receive educational opportunities outside the classroom. Education centers at nearly every installation have DANTES materials and provide DANTES-sponsored tests. Most DANTES services are free and available to active and reserve personnel.
Contact: For a complete listing of DANTES programs, see www.dantes.doded.mi
National High School offers fully accredited distance learning courses to service members. Through the agreement with DANTES National High School provides courses from high school to graduate level. The programs are explained in the DANTES Independent Study and External Degree catalogs; your installation’s education office may provide these catalogs.
Contact: For information on the Defense Department’s voluntary education programs, see www.voled.doded.mil
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges program. National High School has agreed to accept maximum military ACE transfer credit, have flexible residency requirements and recognize at least one of the national testing programs for academic credit. We also work to ensure mobilized reservists get maximum benefits when leaving school during activation.
There is a SOC program for each service except the Air Force. However, Air Force members may participate in any of the other programs.
Military Tuition Assistance
Active duty, National Guard, Reserve, and Veterans may be eligible for tuition assistance and/or scholarships. TA pays up to $250.00 per credit hour until the fiscal year (FY)* cap is reached. Some National Guardsmen and Reservists may receive only 75% TA benefits or $187.50 per credit hour.
* Each branch of the military has its own criteria for the amount of TA a service member receives.
DANTES Reimbursement
National High School courses have Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) approval for tuition reimbursement. For more information on this financing program, students should contact the Educational Service Officer on their base and their University representative.
Tuition Assistance Top-Up
The Code of Federal Regulations states active duty service members may not receive VA benefits for the same courses for which they receive Tuition Assistance (TA) from the military. To help cover potential out-of-pocket expenses of students using TA, the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) was amended to permit the VA to pay a Tuition Assistance Top-Up benefit.
The amount of the benefit can be equal to the difference between the total cost of a college course and the amount of TA that is paid by the military for the course. Top-Up is the only VA program that will pay a student on active duty and receiving TA for the same course(s).
These claims are handled differently from claims for MGIB without TA. For Top-Up claims, a student will not need to check in with the school official who certifies VA benefits. The VA does not need an enrollment certification on VA Form 22-1999. A student will not need to check for approval of the program for VA benefits. Approval is not an issue because Top-Up is payable for any course for which TA is payable under Department of Defense (DoD) criteria.
