Military Tuition Assistance (TA)
When looking to take advantage of military tuition assistance, the first step is always to connect with your education service officer (ESO) from your branch of service and get approval from your command. They will have updated information on the process for your specific branch of service.
Military Tuition Assistance is a benefit paid to eligible members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Each service has its own criteria for eligibility, obligated service, application processes, and restrictions. The Tuition Assistance Program will fund up to 100% of your college tuition and certain fees with the following limits:
- Not to exceed $250 per semester credit hour or $166 per quarter credit hour
- Not to exceed $4,500 per fiscal year (Oct 1 - Sep 30)
For more information, visit:
https://www.military.com/education/money-for-school/army-tuition-assist…
We also recommend you visit the following websites before deciding to attend Estrella Mountain Community College.
College Scorecard - Find the college that's the best fit for you! The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard displays data in five areas: cost, graduation rate, employment rate, average amount borrowed, and loan default rate.
College Navigator - The College Navigator, a free online tool from the National Center for Education Statistics, can help you with your search. The tool provides a wide range of information for more than 7,000 postsecondary education institutions, allowing you to compare schools' features that are most important to you like the following: Tuition and cost of attendance, Financial aid statistics, Accreditation information, Graduation and retention rates, Credit transfer, Student loan default rates.
Net Price Calculator/FA Shopping Sheet - This calculator is intended to provide estimated net price information (defined as estimated cost of attendance — including tuition and required fees, books and supplies, room and board (meals), and other related expenses — minus estimated grant and scholarship aid) to current and prospective students and their families based on what similar students paid in a previous year.
Paying for College - Get help to make informed financial decisions about how to pay for college. Start by comparing financial aid offers or understanding student loan repayment options.
Tuition Assistance (TA) Decide - This dynamic information and comparison tool is designed specifically to aid participants of DoD's Tuition Assistance (TA) program in making informed choices on schools and education programs. The TA DECIDE engine is fueled by more than 10 recognized and trusted data sources from across the departments of Defense, Education and Veterans Affairs. It provides a first of its kind experience, uniquely tailored to the needs of the TA participant. We hope TA DECIDE provides you with high value, actionable information on educational costs and outcomes to compare educational institutions that you may be considering. While this website was designed for the individual user, your Service's education counselor can also be your partner in this process.
For a general guideline of the process, you can download the TA Pocket Guide under the Downloads section of this page.
To request a Tuition Assistance education plan, use the form in the Downloads section of this page. Please pay attention to all sections of the form and it is required to have at least unofficial transcripts attached to the request. Drop the completed request form off to our office or scan and email the completed form to veterans@estrellamountain.edu.
Current Tuition Cost Chart - Tuition is charged per academic credit hour, according to your residency classification or status. Fees may vary, and will be assessed at the time of registration.
Return of Military Tuition Assistance
If you withdraw from a course for which you have received military tuition assistance funds, the Maricopa Community Colleges are required to return any unearned portion of tuition assistance back to your branch of the Department of Defense. You can read the policy at the 2.2.10 Refund Policy page. Be aware that withdrawing from a course for which you have received tuition assistance funds can result in a debt with the Department of Defense and/or with Maricopa. The potential percentage of what may be returned to the DOD and what you may owe to Maricopa can be found here and is based on the length of your class.
Return of Military Tuition Assistance Schedules
In determining the amount of unearned TA, the number of days in which the student participated/attended class will be divided by the total number of days for the class to determine the earned portion of TA. Then, the earned portion of TA will be subtracted from 1.00 to determine the unearned portion of TA which will be rounded up to the nearest 5%; the percent of unearned TA will then be multiplied by the total amount of TA allotted for the enrollment in order to determine the dollar amount of TA to be returned to the respective branch of service. To view the table please go to the following webpage. https://district.maricopa.edu/consumer-information/veterans-active-duty/benefits