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Frequently Asked Questions

Tuition Assistance (TA) FAQs

Tuition Assistance

I've been approved to use Tuition Assistance from my branch and have a TA Award Authorization. What do I do next?

Once you have a PDF file of your Tuition Assistance form, be sure to upload it through our website so that we can begin processing it: TA Submission Form. We then apply the funding to your student account balance within a few business days. You’ll need to do this each time you have a new TA form.

How do I know how much Tuition Assistance I have?

Depending on your branch, you have a federal Fiscal Year cap on TA funding which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. To view information specific to your branch, select the appropriate tab in the “TA by Branch” section on our TA webpage. The platform you use to request TA generally shows how much available funding is remaining.

To calculate this yourself, subtract how much funding you have already used from your annual allowance. For example, if you used $750 of Air Force TA in the spring 2021 semester, you have $3,750 remaining to use in the summer and first seven-week session of the fall 2021 semesters.

I have classes that begin in both the first and second seven-week sessions of a semester. Do I request TA for all of these classes at once?

Because you are only permitted to request TA a specific number of days before the start date of classes, you may need to create two separate TA requests in your branch’s education platform each semester. TA request “windows” for each branch broken down by class start date can be found under the tabs in the “TA by Branch” section on our TA webpage. Be sure to input exact start and end dates for each class when you are creating your TA requests.

My date of separation is before the end of a class. Can I still use TA?

To be eligible to use Tuition Assistance for a class, your DOS must fall within the start and end dates of that class. Your TA request will be denied by your education office if the class ends after your DOS.

Am I eligible for Tuition Assistance through the Air National Guard?

ANG students are not eligible for Federal TA unless they are AGR or on active orders for the duration of a semester. Drill-status Airmen have access to State TA (SEAP), which acts as a reimbursement and is processed entirely through their Wing Training Manager.

I'm a Department of Defense civilian and would like to use TA. Where do I start?

DOD civilians are able to use federal Tuition Assistance at the rate of 75% of tuition per credit, up to $250 per credit and $4,500 per federal fiscal year. Connect with your supervisor to find the point of contact for a civilian TA briefing.

For example, the tuition per credit for Boise State’s online degree programs is $375; 75% of this equals $262.50. You will receive $250 per credit in TA.

Creating TA Requests

How do I request TA?

Tuition Assistance funding is requested through your branch. After enrolling in classes, you will use that specific information (cost, dates, course title, etc.) to create a TA request in one of the following platforms which may require a CAC to access:

Boise State does not automatically receive your TA document once it’s approved by your branch’s education office. You must upload it through our TA Submission Form in order for us to process the funding.

How do I find my evaluated degree plan?

After you are admitted to Boise State, a degree plan specific to your account is populated for you. Your advisor will typically provide this to you during your first meeting, but you can also download the document using these instructions for Academic Advisement Report (AAR). Boise State calls this document your Academic Advising Report, which updates automatically as you complete courses.

Note: The “prepared on” date shown on your document may be incorrect, but it is still a valid, up-to-date degree plan.

How do I find my Cost Verification?

Army students will need to submit a Cost Verification, or “bill,” for a semester when creating TA requests in ArmyIgnitED. This can be found by following these instructions for Enrollment Verification. Boise State calls this document an Enrollment Verification.

What is the cost per semester hour for my classes?

Most TA request platforms will provide a selection of tuition rates that you can select from. If you are in a fully-online program or taking classes through the Online Degree Pathway, the rate per semester hour (per credit) is $350.

The TA Promise

Am I eligible for the TA Promise program?

The Tuition Assistance (TA) Promise program is additional funding provided to students using Federal TA in the following fully-online undergraduate degree programs: Applied Science, Interdisciplinary Professional Studies, Public Relations, Business Management, Public Health and Imaging Sciences. It is also available to TA-users taking Online Degree Pathway courses. For more information, please review our TA Promise webpage.

DOD civilians using federal TA are not eligible for the TA Promise program.

Can I still receive the TA Promise funding if I have run out of TA?

No, TA Promise funding will only be awarded to students who have been approved to receive federal Tuition Assistance on a class-by-class basis.

I have received my Tuition Assistance plus TA Promise funding, but still have a remaining balance. Am I responsible for this balance?

Costs that cannot be covered by these two financial resources include e-textbooks and ID card fees. The TA Promise covers $15 English fees, so if you notice that this cost has not been paid, please notify us. If you did not use TA towards a course that you’re enrolled in, you are responsible for covering the full cost of that class through other sources.

SEAP

The State Educational Assistance Program (SEAP) is handled entirely through your station’s education office or wing training manager. This funding is provided on a first-come-first-serve basis and must be requested ahead of the semester. Please connect with your UTM if you are unsure who your point of contact is.

Understanding Your Student Account

The amount of Tuition Assistance posted to my account does not match what my TA Authorization indicates. What do I do?

If you are using TA from the Army and taking 12 or more credits, the amount of funding we apply to your account balance may be different from the “Army cost” shown for each class on your Award Authorization document. This is due to an Army policy that separates Boise State tuition from our included fees. Army TA will only cover up to the tuition line on our official Schedule of Tuition and Fees, which can be found on the Tuition and Fees webpage. For clarification, please contact your station’s education office.

If you are using TA from another branch and feel there is a discrepancy in your funding, please contact us at militaryprograms@boisestate.edu.

I received a late fee while waiting for my Tuition Assistance to be processed. Do I need to pay this?

If your Federal TA was not applied to your account at the time of the fee payment deadline (see our Academic Calendars), you may have received a $10 or $50 late fee on your student account balance. If you haven’t already, please upload your TA Award Authorization and contact us so we can remove the late fee. Please request your Tuition Assistance through your branch as soon as you can so that we can process it ahead of the semester.

What is the Vet Fee Pay Plan?

When you submit your TA form to us each semester, we add a tag to your account that allows us to extend your fee payment deadline. If you have a remaining balance after we apply your TA, this amount will show a new due date that’s typically three months after the semester begins so that you have more time to 1) request and send us any TA documents for second seven-week courses, or 2) pay the balance with another financial source.

Once we make this change to your account, a separate line item will show in the financials section of your student account with the title, “Vet Fee Pay Plan” or, “Military Pay Plan” in the amount of the remaining balance. You can view your new due date by opening that item.

Where can I find more information on navigating my student account?

Lots of resources and how-to guides can be found on the MyBoiseState Help site. Having technical issues? Call the Help Desk at (208)-426-4357.

CCAF

What is the GEM Program?

General Education Mobile (GEM) is an agreement between Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) and civilian schools that allow us to provide the general education courses needed to complete Community College of the Air Force requirements. We offer these online courses in seven- or 15-week formats.

See Course Offerings

Can I use Tuition Assistance for CCAF requirements?

Yes, you can use TA for the general education courses we offer for Community College of the Air Force requirements. Because you are required to submit a degree plan in AFVEC when using TA for degree programs, we recommend keeping your education goal in AFVEC as “CCAF completion.”

  1. Contact our Military Programs office to discuss what courses you need and seek counseling from your base Education Center.
  2. Apply to Boise State as a fully-online, degree-seeking student. Select your major as the Online Degree Pathway, and ask us for a fee waiver before submitting the application.
  3. Meet with our online advisor to enroll in the classes you need, and request TA in AFVEC ahead of the semester.

GI Bill

I would like to use a combination of Tuition Assistance and GI Bill funding. How do I access both?

First, make sure to connect with an education counselor at your station to ensure that you are eligible to use your GI Bill and what chapter you are eligible for. GI Bill processing and inquiries are handled by our Veteran Services Office.

If you are using Top-Up with TA, you will need to do both of the following:

Submit your TA document through our TA Submission Form

Submit the Veteran Services Declaration

Please note that only submitting one of these forms will not secure your funding from both sources.