Follow the Next Instructions if you are New to Using Tuition Assistance
Before Classes Begin 1. Decide on a School; if you are unsure call our office for counseling. 2. Determine if you qualify for the Army’s Federal Tuition Assistance Program (GoArmyEd). 3. Determine if you qualify for the NC Tuition Assistance Program (NCTAP). 4. Find out which GI Bill benefit will fit your situation. 5. Request a Joint Services Transcript to be sent to your school. 6. Apply for admission through school & be accepted. 7. Register for classes 8. Apply for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 9. Apply for GoArmyEd (if applicable) 10.Apply for NCTAP (if applicable)
1. Decide on a School • Every school will claim to be military friendly. • Compare schools to determine if you can get the same education for a cheaper price. • Almost every school offers online degrees (to include Community Colleges) • DON’T PAY TOO MUCH FOR YOUR DEGREE!!! (Military TA programs are NOT guaranteed. You don’t want to be stuck with a huge bill or a lot of student loans if the money runs dry.) • Have a plan of future degrees – Students who wanting to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree are highly encouraged to obtain an Associate’s Degree at a local Community College. – Before pursuing your Associate’s Degree, decide on a school for your Bachelor’s. Meet with your school counselor and pursue classes in your Associate’s that will transfer into your Bachelor’s Degree.
2. GoArmyEd (GAE) Overview • Tuition reimbursement program offered to members of the Army (Active Duty, Reserves and National Guard). • Funding based on the availability of funds, awarded on a 1st-come, 1st-serve basis. NOT GUARANTEED. • Operates on the Federal Fiscal Year (OCT-SEPT) • Cannot be used to pay for First Professional Degree (PHD, MD, JD, etc) • Tuition Cap – Up to $250 per semester hour – Up to $4,000 per fiscal year
• Semester Hour Cap – Up to 16 semester hours per fiscal year – Undergraduate Degree: up to 130 semester hours – Graduate Degree: up to 39 semester hours
• Due to a determination by the Department of Defense (DOD), Soldiers can no longer use GAE and GI Bill benefits (only CH 1606 & 1607) for the same course. Soldiers may use both GAE & their GI Bill benefits during a semester, as long as they don’t use both benefits for the same course.
2. GoArmyEd (GAE) Criteria (pg 1) • School must be on the GAE approved list: https://www.goarmyed.com/public/public_degree_plan_browse.aspx • MUST have one year of service after completion of IET (AIT or BOLC) • Enlisted: ETS cannot fall between the start & end date of classes (semester) • Officer: must agree to serve at least 4 additional years of service following the semester in which GAE was utilized • Warrant Officer: must agree to serve at least 2 additional years of service following the semester in which GAE was utilized • Must not have ANY unit flags • Must not currently possess a degree higher to what you are pursuing • Must not currently possess a degree in which you are pursuing (i.e., already have a Bachelor’s and pursuing a second Bachelor’s)(THIS STILL APPLIES EVEN IF THE MILITARY DID NOT PROVIDE ANY TUITION ASSISTANCE TO OBTAIN YOUR PREVIOUS DEGREE)
2. GoArmyEd (GAE) Criteria (pg 2) • If GAE provided ANY funding towards your Undergraduate Degree, you must serve at least 10 years before using GAE to help fund your Master’s Degree • You are subject to holds and recoupment of funds if the courses aren’t completed satisfactorily • CANNOT be combined with ANY ROTC scholarships • Minimal GPA Requirements: – Undergraduate Degrees: 2.0 in your GAE account – Graduate Degree: 3.0 in your GAE account • PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO POLICY CHANGES AT ANY TIME. UPDATES AND POLICY CHANGES WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE ESO MESSAGE BOARD.
3. NCTAP Overview • The North Carolina Tuition Assistance Program (NCTAP) is a REIMBURSEMENT program. It is NOT designed to meet payment deadlines set by schools. It is your responsibility to make payment arrangements to avoid being dropped. • The NCTAP is fully funded by the State of NC and thus has a completely different set of rules from GoArmyEd and GI Bill. Do NOT confuse the NCTAP with GoArmyEd or GI Bill benefits; they are 3 separate programs. • An Application is REQUIRED to be submitted ONCE per EACH NEW academic year. • Coursework information is REQUIRED as follows: Fall - PRIOR to the start of the term (Aug through Dec start dates) Spring - PRIOR to the start of the term (Jan through 14 May start dates) Summer - NLT 01 May (15 May through 31 Jul start dates) • Awarded on a 1st-come, 1st-served basis; based on availability of funds.
3. NCTAP Criteria
• Be attending an approved school. The list of approved schools can be found at: http://www.northcarolina.edu/sites/default/files/nc_saa_approved_programs_list.pdf • Be meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements for the approved institution of higher education • Be an active drilling member of the North Carolina Army or Air National Guard PRIOR to the start date of the term/course(s) • Be an active drilling member of the Army or Air National Guard and meeting the 2 year service obligation. You MUST have 2 years remaining on your contract with the North Carolina Army or Air National Guard at the END of the academic period for which the award will be applied • Be attending an approved certificate or degree program at an approved institution of higher education approved by the Authority
4. Which GI Bill to Use? • Because of the various GI Bill programs available, Soldiers will need to send the following information shown below to the ESO via email at ng.nc.ncarng.mbx.education-service-office@mail.mil. The GI Bill Manager will need all of the information in order to specifically tailor the counseling for you.
– Full Legal Name – Last 4 – Preferred Email Address – Name of School – Type of Degree Pursuing (Associate, Bachelor, Master) – Are you going solely online? – Will you be attending Full-time, ¾ time, ½ time or less – How much does your school charge per semester hour – Are you planning on staying in the military? – Is this going to be your only degree (if not, which one will be next)?
5. Joint Services Transcript • The Joint Services Transcript (JST) is a DOD Transcript that replaced the old Army ARRTS Transcript as well as others similar to it. • The JST takes some of your military training and converts it into college credit. Based on your degree program and type of training, your school has the option of applying these credits towards your degree. • Service Members can access a copy of their JST by using “Google” and entering “Joint Services Transcript” into the search box. • From the JST website, you can request an Official Transcript to be sent to your school, print off an unofficial transcript for your review, request updates or corrections, etc.
6. Apply for admission through school & be accepted • Prior to doing anything, you must be accepted into an accredited program.
7. Register for classes • Both GoArmyEd & NCTAP applications will require that you already be registered for classes. However, YOU WILL NEED TO APPLY FOR BOTH PROGRAMS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF CLASS. DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO CLEAR UP ISSUES WITH EITHER PROGRAM.
8. Apply for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). • Since both the Army’s GoArmyEd program and the NCTAP are based on the availability of funds, Service Members should have a plan in place to potentially cover all of their tuition & fees prior to starting school. • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is completely separate from both GAE & NCTAP. FAFSA is part of the US Department of Education; employment in the DOD is not required in order to qualify. • Applying for FAFSA will help with grants, student loan eligibility, etc. • Additional information is located on the FAFSA website at https://fafsa.ed.gov/.
9. Apply for GoArmyEd (GAE) (if applicable) • Soldiers who qualify to receive benefits from GAE will need to establish a GAE account. • Once logged into GAE, step-by-step directions are provided in the “My Training” tab located in the “Smart Links” section at the top-left hand side of the page. • After your account has been registered, you will still need to submit a request for tuition assistance as well as a course planner.
10. Apply for the NCTAP (if applicable) • Applying for the NCTAP is a 2 step process (see instructions below): 1 - APPLICATION (submitted online through CFNC.org, Step 1 instructions below) 2 - COURSEWORK INFORMATION (submitted via email, Step 2 instructions below)
FAILURE to submit BOTH is an automatic DENIAL
• Step-by-step instructions on how to apply can be found at: https:// nc.ng.mil/services/eec/Pages/Education-Center.aspx Click on State Tuition Assistance Program – The NCTAP
Step 1 - Submit the NCTAP application online through CFNC.org (this step is required ONCE per EACH NEW academic year) Instructions on How to Complete the NCTAP Application NEW STUDENTS RETURNING STUDENTS Go to www.CFNC.org Go to www.CFNC.org Log into your CFNC.org account. If you do NOT already have Log into your CFNC.org account a CFNC.org account you MUST create one and you MUST add your SSN to your profile See instructions below to ADD SSN to profile Hover over My CFNC Hover over My CFNC Click on Financial Portfolio Click on Financial Portfolio Click on My Scholarships Click on My Scholarships Click on SEAA Student Portal Link Click on SEAA Student Portal Link Read the “Welcome to Your Student Portal” page Read the “Welcome to Your Student Portal” page Check the box that you acknowledged that you have read and understand the notice Check the box that you acknowledged that you have read and The Welcome to Your Student Portal page appears understand the notice On the Welcome to Your Student Portal / Scholarships and Click on Apply for Scholarships and Forgivable Education Loans Forgivable Education Loans page, locate the North Carolina National Guard Tuition Grant Program Click on the words “Apply Now” Click Ok on the **Notice to Users** page Read about The North Carolina National Guard Tuition On the Welcome to Your Student Portal / Scholarships and Assistance Program (NCTAP) Forgivable Education Loans page, locate the North Carolina National Guard Tuition Grant Program Scroll down, if necessary Click on the words “Apply Now” Click the radio button beside “I understand the information Click the radio button beside “I understand the information above above and would like to complete the online application for and would like to complete the online application for the North the North Carolina National Guard Tuition Assistance Carolina National Guard Tuition Assistance Program” Program” Complete the Application by answering ALL questions READ and UNDERSTAND the statement regarding Coursework Information; check the Box that you understand submitting coursework information is REQUIRED
Complete the Application by answering ALL questions READ and UNDERSTAND the statement regarding Coursework Information; check the Box that you understand submitting coursework information is REQUIRED
Click Submit
Click Submit
Step 2 - Submit coursework information to: ng.nc.ncarng.mbx.education-service-office@mail.mil •
Coursework information is due as follows:
Fall - PRIOR to the start of the term (Aug through Dec start dates) Spring - PRIOR to the start of the term (Jan through 14 May start dates) Summer - NLT 01 May (15 May through 31 Jul start dates)
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Coursework information must include: •Last Name •First Name •Last 4 •Current National Guard Component (Army or Air) •Preferred Email Address •Primary Phone Number •Name of School •Type of Degree Pursuing •Course Name & Number (ie: ENG 101) •Term/Semester (ie: Fall 2015, Spring 2016) •Total credits this term/semester •Start Date •End Date •Total Cost of Tuition & Required Fees (excluding books) •Acknowledgement that you successfully submitted the NCTAP application online through CFNC.org and understand that submitting coursework information is NOT the same as completing the NCTAP application: (Answer Yes or No to this acknowledgement) •Additional comments: (if applicable)
How to Add SSN to CFNC Profile (when creating a new CFNC account to apply for the NCTAP)
How to Add SSN to CFNC Profile Hover Over My CFNC Click on Your Profile Click on The Basics Click on the Edit button located directly across from the words “THIS is ME” Fill in full SSN Scroll down Click on Save Proceed to Instructions on How to Complete the NCTAP Application
Questions Direct questions to the North Carolina National Guard Education Services Office. Email: ng.nc.ncarng.mbx.education-serviceoffice@mail.mil Phone: (984) 664-6272