III:14:02 Return of Unearned Military Tuition Assistance (TA) Policy

General

Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) program. The TA funds are awarded and applied to tuition and fees as outlined by the DOD policies and guidelines.

Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which 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 DOD policy and the DOD Memorandum of Understanding Return Policy for Military Tuition Assistance, VSCC will return all unearned TA funds on a proportional basis through at least 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. This aligns with the return of unearned student aid rules applicable to Federal Student Aid as required by the Department of Education Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

For the return of TA funds:

  1. Returned TA funds are not the same as a refund.
  2. Returned TA funds will be returned directly to the Military Department, not to the Service Member.
  3. The return of TA funds applies to the TA portion only.
  4. Any refund to the student calculations occurs subsequent to calculating the return to the government.
  5. TA funds are approved on a course-by-course basis and each course is subject to the period for which the funds were provided.

Withdrawal

A student is considered withdrawn at the point the college considers the student to have dropped or withdrawn as documented as the official withdrawal date by the Records Office. The DOD requires the Return of unearned TA funds regardless of the reason for drop/withdrawal (military service-related or otherwise.

Once the official withdrawal date has been determined, VSCC will recalculate a student’s TA eligibility based on the following formula:

Number of days completed / Total days of the course (start to end date)  = Percent of TA earned

Schedule for the Return of Unearned TA Funds: (15 Week Course Withdrawal)

  • Before week one and during week 1: 100%
  • During weeks 2 through 4: 75%
  • During weeks 5 through 8: 50%
  • During weeks 9 through 10: 40% (60% completion points)
  • During weeks 11through 15: 0% / No Return

 

VSCC Source: President’s Cabinet, July 1, 2019