DOD Tuition Assistance (TA) at UC Santa Cruz
DOD Military Tuition Assistance
Tuition Assistance (TA) is a Department of Defense benefit paid to current service members of all branches of the Armed Forces to assist with the cost of tuition. Those who may be eligible are members of the Armed Forces. Participation in this program is for our service members admitted to UC Santa Cruz. TA funds are a source of financial aid for active duty military. A military student is eligible for $4,000 per academic year.
How to apply for Tuition Assistance
- Each military service branch and component has its own criteria for Tuition Assistance (TA). These criteria include eligibility for the benefit, military service obligation, application process, and restrictions. Speak with your Educational Services Officer (ESO) or chain of command within your service area to obtain information and for further guidance to request your TA benefits. Please note that in order to use TA at UCSC, you must be an admitted student.
- Please contact your correlating office and request an authorization letter to be sent to UC SC. The letter can be sent to thirdpartybilling@ucsc.edu.
- After correlating with your respective branch, it is important to contact the Financial Aid & Scholarship Office to determine any other aid eligibility.
- Complete your Academic Plan with an Academic Adviser at UCSC.
- Email the Academic Plan to your ESO, and vets_benefits@ucsc.edu
- Follow branch-specific instructions on how to request TA for courses. It is important to keep the UCSC academic calendar in mind to meet all deadlines.
Contact admissions@ucsc.edu for any questions regarding admissions.
Financial Aid Tips
Consult with UC Santa Cruz Financial Aid Advisor: Meet with a UC Santa Cruz Financial Aid Advisor to discuss how TA might impact your financial aid package. Additionally, inquire about any additional tuition-and-fee specific funding for which you may be eligible. You can contact them through the email provided: finaid@ucsc.edu
Inform UC Santa Cruz Veteran Services Office: Once your education plan is finalized, notify the Veteran Services Office so the School Certifying Official can enter your program/major and ensure course credit costs are accurately loaded into the appropriate service-specific TA systems. vets_benefits@ucsc.edu
Follow Service-Specific Instructions: Follow the instructions provided by your military service branch and component on how to request Tuition Assistance (TA) for your courses. Take note of the TA application instructions/deadline specific to your branch and the UC Santa Cruz academic calendar to ensure your request is processed by the fee payment deadline.
Consult with your commanding officer and communicate your course load to them. Having the command team involved can foster a friendlier educational environment, and create healthier service member-student relationships. Any command team questions can be emailed to vets_benefits@ucsc.edu
Follow Service-Specific Instructions: Follow the instructions provided by your military service branch and component on how to request Tuition Assistance (TA) for your courses. Take note of the TA application instructions, deadlines specific to your branch, and the UC Santa Cruz academic calendar to ensure your request is processed by the fee payment deadline.
TA Refund Policy
UCSC Student Business Services will post a non-refundable provisional credit memo to the student account, which will apply toward eligible charges. The balance is transferred to the agency’s contract account which then UCSC will bill. In the event a student withdraws or does not attend the term in which they are covered, the student’s fees are adjusted according to the campus refund policy. In association with the student’s fee adjustment, the student’s credit memo is updated to the new rate and reduces the total amount that the agency is billed for the respective term.
Additional Tuition Assistance and Veteran Education Benefits Information
Chapter 30 Recipients
Active Duty Service members and National Guard and Reserve AGRs are ineligible to receive standard Chapter 30 benefits for courses covered by military TA, except for instances of Top-up. If a student enrolls in multiple courses, they cannot receive Chapter 30 benefits for those already covered by TA. However, they remain eligible for Chapter 30 benefits for courses not included under TA coverage.
Chapter 33 Recipients
Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve Service members are eligible to receive Chapter 33 benefits for courses covered by military TA. Depending on their mobilization duration, National Guard and Reserve Service members may receive Chapter 33 benefits ranging from 50 to 100%. The university will be required to subtract TA benefits from the total tuition and fees reported to the VA, and Chapter 33 benefits are then applied towards any remaining out-of-pocket expenses.
Chapter 1606 Recipients
Effective May 17, 2021, restrictions have been lifted and reset for concurrent use of Federal Tuition Assistance and MGIB-SR (chapter 1606). All eligible Selected Reserve Service members are permitted to utilize both TA and MGIB-SR benefits concurrently if enrolled in an educational program at least half-time. However, concurrent usage is not authorized when enrolled less than half-time.
Any questions about these additional benefits may be answered here:
Contact the UCSC Veteran Benefits Office if you have any additional questions.
Once on campus visit the UCSC Veterans Resource Center or check out the Veterans Coordinator, Jerry Cabilatazan with any questions.
Revised: 07/10/24
