Policies
Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded. To comply with the Department of Defense (DoD) policy, Cape Cod Community College will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending.
Before dropping or withdrawing from a course or semester, please review the College’s policies Course Withdrawal Policy, Course Drop Policy and Semester Withdrawal Policy. Contact Student Accounts in the Business Office (Email: [email protected] / Phone: 508-375-4123 / Location: Nickerson Administration Building, Top Floor, Room 116, Main Campus) and the Military and Veteran Services Advisor (Phone: 774-330-4478 / Military and Veteran Resource Center, Wilkens Library Second Floor, Room 201) as to how this may impact TA and potential repayment obligations.
In instances when a Service Member stops attending due to a military service obligation, the College will work with the affected Service Member to identify solutions that will not result in a student debt for the returned portion in compliance with the DoD policy. Please review the College’s policy on Leave Due to Military Deployment, as well as the Massachusetts Public Colleges and Universities Military Leave/Active Duty policy for information and requirements.
The College’s policy serves to fully inform students receiving Military Tuition Assistance (TA) of the required actions the College must take to comply with the Department of Defense (DoD) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Return Policy for Military Tuition Assistance (TA) funds rules and align with the return of unearned student aid rules applicable to the Federal Student Aid as required under section 484B of the Department of Education Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
This policy applies to all students receiving Military Tuition Assistance (TA) for all participating Military branches including the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force.
Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is a benefit paid to eligible members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force. Congress has given each branch of service the ability to pay up to 100% for the tuition expenses of its member. Each branch of service has its own criteria for eligibility, obligated service, application processes, and restrictions. This money is usually paid directly to the institution by the individual services. This policy only applies to this type of educational benefit. The TA program is a benefit that is available only while the student is in the service. This policy does not apply to Veterans or Veterans benefits.
Participant Eligibility
Eligibility may depend on time in service, job performance, and past academic qualifications, including ASVAB scores, among other factors as determined by the military service concerned.
Approvals may also depend on the availability of appropriated funds to support TA.
The DoD policy defines successful course completion as a grade of "C" or better for undergraduate courses. DoD policies may deny requests for further TA funding if the Service Member fails to maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher after completing 15 semester hours, or equivalent, in undergraduate studies on a 4.0 grading scale. The military has exception policies for these circumstances.
Funding Limitations
The military services pay tuition directly to the participating school, but may require a Service Member to pay back the TA if he or she fails to successfully complete a course.
Military students are responsible for the remainder of the education costs not covered by TA and may supplement TA with certain other federal education funding. DoD policies generally prohibit TA funding in conjunction with other forms of military-funded education benefits, such as Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarships and advanced civil schooling. Service Members may receive other federal student aid loans and grants (e.g., Pell Grants) concurrently.
Procedures
To remain in compliance with the Department of Defense’s (DoD) policy, the College will return any unearned TA funds through at least 60% of the semester on a prorated basis. The amount of unearned TA that is returned is based on the date of withdrawal from the course. After 60% of the semester has passed, TA will not be evaluated for a return to the DoD.
The amount of TA earned is determined on a prorated basis. Calculated unearned TA funds will be returned by the College to the Military Service and not to the Service Member. The calculation of the return of funds may result in the Service member owing a balance to the College. This return of funds calculation aligns with the return of unearned student financial aid rules applicable to Federal Student Aid rules as required under HEA, Section 484B and 34CFR 668.22.
Service Members who withdraw after the 60% point in the semester will have earned all Military TA funds.
To be in compliance with these requirements the College has established the following schedule for the return of unearned TA funds.
15 Week Full Fall and Spring Semester Course Withdrawal Schedule
For courses that have durations differing from those listed above, unearned TA funds will be returned on a prorated basis, depending on the length of the course. To determine the amount of TA that needs to be returned, the institution will determine the date the withdrawal was submitted, and then divide that by the number of days in the term to determine the percentage of TA that was earned by the student.