Members of the U.S. National Guard are eligible to receive tuition assistance through their appropriate branch.

Army National Guard

The Army National Guard (ARNG) provides Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) to soldiers meeting the following eligibility requirements:

  • attend an accredited institution
  • be a traditional ARNG soldier in 'active drilling' status
  • must remain in ARNG during term of courses
  • officers must serve four years after completion of their final FTA approved course
  • must not be receiving ROTC scholarships

If you meet these guidelines, you become eligible the day you join ARNG. ARNG FTA operates on a limited budget and is not a guaranteed benefit.  If you are approved, FTA will cover:

  • 100 percent of tuition up to $250 per semester credit hour or $166 per quarter hour
  • Fees up to $500
  • Note: FTA will not exceed $4000 per fiscal year
  • 16 semester hours per fiscal year

For assistance applying to CSU through the ArmyIgnitEd Portal, please contact militarysupportgroup@columbiasouthern.edu or call (800) 977-8449 ex 6533.

  • Soldiers will be eligible for Army Tuition Assistance (ATA) upon successfully completing one year of military service following graduation from Advanced Individual Training.  
  • Soldiers can use ATA for a second, higher-level degree (post bachelor's) once they have 10 years of service, if any portion of the undergraduate degree was funded with ATA.  There is no 10-year requirement if ATA did not fund any portion of your undergraduate work.  
  • Soldiers can utilize ATA to cover up to 130 semester hours toward a bachelor's degree and 39 semester hours toward a graduate degree.
  • Soldiers may complete one degree at the bachelor's and at the master's level.

Applying for ATA Through ArmyIgnitEd:

  • Request ATA through ArmyIgnitEd before the course start date or the school's late registration period.
  • You must request ATA for each course you take.
  • You will receive notification from ArmyIgnitEd when your request for ATA has been approved or denied. If you request is denied, ArmyIgnitEd will advise you of the next step you should take.
  • All dropped courses or withdrawals must take place through ArmyIgnitEd. If you receive an "F" you will be required to repay your ATA. If you are unable to complete a course due to your military duties, you must ensure that you withdraw from the course through ArmyIgnitEd so that you will not be charged.
  • If you would like to take a course from a school that does not participate in the electronic ArmyIgnitEd course schedule, you must still complete an ATA request. The request will be routed to an Army education counselor/Reserve ESS to be reviewed and approved. You should allow extra time for this process. If your request is approved, you will receive notification via email. You will then need to print the approved ATA request form and provide it to school. You will enroll directly with the school.
  • You must submit a new, signed ATA Statement of Understanding each year (SFC and above may sign for themselves and the commander). Your ATA request will not be authorized until the ATA SOU is approved. You will receive a notice from ArmyIgnitEd 90 days before the due date.
  • Your FTA can be used with MGIB-Selected Reserve or MGIB-Active Duty as long as you are enrolled at least half time or more. However, MGIB-AD participants who are drawing GI Bill-Kicker benefits are not eligible.

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard (ANG) provides FTA to all eligible members. If approved, you will receive:

  • $250 per semester credit hour
  • $4500 per fiscal year

For assistance applying to CSU through using ANG education benefits, please contact militarysupportgroup@columbiasouthern.edu or call (888) 394-5738.

To apply for your benefits, please visit AFPortal.

AF policy requires you to create a goal and upload a degree plan via the AFVEC website prior to requesting MilTA (use Tutorials on AFVEC site). A generic degree/academic plan can be used for up to 6 semester hours until you have an evaluated degree plan.

  1. You must request MilTA before class starts, maximum of 45 days prior to and minimum 7 days prior to class start date.
  2. Your supervisor must electronically approve all MilTA requests.
  3. If you withdraw from a course you must notify the school AND the Education Center immediately.
  4. If you fail a course, you must reimburse the full amount of tuition paid.
  5. If military duties prevent you from attending class you can apply for a waiver of reimbursement.
  6. You must submit a letter explaining the reasons for withdrawing from the course(s) signed by your Squadron Commander.
  7. You are responsible for ensuring that your education record reflects your official grade within 30 days after the class ends.
  8. You are allowed 15 Semester Hours (5 classes) to establish a GPA; you must maintain 2.0 for undergraduate degrees, 3.0 for graduate degrees, to continue using TA.
  9. TA is not authorized for courses leading to a lateral or lower level degree than you already possess (i.e. Second Associate's or Bachelor's degree).