Tuition Assistance (TA) is your best option if you plan to attend Angelo State while on active duty, though there may be other options available to you.
The military and other government services manage their TA programs differently, so there is no “one-size-fits-all” counsel we can provide with respect to the use of Tuition Assistance.
You should always start any quest for higher education (or certification) at your supporting base education center. You should also seek pre-authorization from your educational services officers and chain of command prior to registration and enrollment. Your supporting base education center should be able to make certain you are doing your TA request correctly, and your chain of command should know if you will have any competing time requirements during the upcoming semesters.
Once your education path has been approved by your chain of command and base education center, you will register for classes. Then, when you are in the “window” to apply for TA, you will use your service’s education portal to submit a funding request. These “windows” of opportunity vary based on your service’s regulations, but tend to be between 7-45 days before the beginning of the semester.
Ensure you have all the correct data for your TA funding request, including course data, name, start and stop dates, and costs. The final product of a TA funding request is a PDF of a TA Authorization Form, which is typically downloaded directly from your service’s portal.
For more information about TA, based on your service’s policies, please check with your designated base education center. The ASU VETS Center can also provide some informational help, but each service has slightly different rules and regulations.
TA Scholarships
Angelo State offers Tuition Assistance (TA) Scholarships for active-duty service members who submit a valid and correct Tuition Assistance Authorization Form to cover TA-approved courses.
Our TA Scholarship will cover the difference between total TA and other gift aid* benefits and the actual cost of tuition and fees.
The only things ASU doesn’t cover are elective fees (like parking passes), punitive fees (like parking fines), books and school supplies. These are your responsibility.
Complete the following steps to receive an Angelo State TA Scholarship:
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You will need to do this once per academic year (academic years run fall through summer). The FAFSA makes federal funds available to the university to help offset the costs of paying for your school.**
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Complete a Postponement of Tuition and Fees Form. This needs to be done once per semester (the university bills on a semester basis). This holds your schedule and classes until the government can be billed and the Angelo State TA Scholarship can be applied (usually after the billing period’s final census date).
The automated postponement of tuition and fees becomes available when bills become visible. This is approximately four weeks before the summer and fall semesters begin and around the new year for the spring semesters. - Submit a PDF of your approved Tuition Assistance Authorization as extracted from your service’s education portal to HZL-TA@angelo.edu.
*Gift aid includes grants and scholarships other than the Angelo State TA Scholarship. All gift aid will be used to reduce the cost of tuition and fees for approved courses after TA funds have been applied. If a balance is due after the application of TA funds and all other gift aid, we will cover the remaining balance with TA Scholarship funds. If you have sufficient gift aid to cover all amounts due after the application of TA, then TA Scholarship funds will not be applied.
** While the FAFSA will provide you the opportunity to take out student loans, we do not require (nor do we want) you to approve or take any of these.
Financial Aid
We encourage all students to apply for financial aid. Even though you receive Tuition Assistance or other military benefits, you may also qualify for financial aid.
We offer more than 600 scholarship programs through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Unexpected Service Requirements?
Hopefully, in the pre-authorization process, your chain of command will inform you of any upcoming exercises or deployments. However, we understand that “things” happen in the military. If you get short-notice orders (for training, deployment or other temporary duty) that will prevent the successful completion of your academic endeavors for the semester, please contact our VETS Center at vets@angelo.edu. We will work with you to meet the requirements of your orders and the needs of the university.
Per DoD MOU, paragraph 3.i.(1), institutions are required to “have a re-admission policy for service members that allows service members and reservists to be re-admitted to a program if they are temporarily unable to attend class or have to suspend their studies due to service requirements.”
Normally, any undergraduate student who misses a long semester (either spring or fall) or any graduate student who misses one year will be dis-enrolled from the university and must complete a Returning Student Application to re-enroll. A service member who is required to miss a long semester because of service requirements only needs to complete the Returning Student Active Duty Military Application Fee Waiver. This administrative requirement is free.
Questions? Contact Us!
Fax: 325-942-2080