Federal Tuition Assistance

Expand all

Return of Tuition Assistance (Unearned TA Policy)

Students who use Tuition Assistance are expected to remain enrolled in the course for its entire duration. If a student using TA withdraws or stops attending, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of the benefit that was originally authorized.

To remain in compliance with the Department of Defense's policy, M State will return any unearned TA funds through at least 60% of the course on a prorated basis. The amount of unearned TA that is returned is based on the student-initiated date of withdrawal or the last date of attendance noted by the instructor. 

After 60% of the course has passed, TA will not be evaluated for a return to the DoD.  

As an institution, M State will bill the DoD after 60% of the course has passed to reduce the amount of incorrect TA funds being disbursed to us by the DoD. The college will only bill for the amount the student earned given their enrollment. 

Schedule for Returning Unearned TA

This return schedule applies to any course regardless of its duration. 

Unearned Tuition Assistance funds will be returned on a prorated basis, depending on the length of the course and the amount of the course the student completed. 

To determine the amount of TA that needs to be returned, M State will determine the date of withdrawal or date of last attendance, count the number of days the student completed and then divide that by the total number of days in the course to determine the percentage of TA that was earned by the student.  

Example: The student enrolled in a course with a scheduled duration of 30 days. The withdrawal was submitted on the 14th day. M State would perform the calculation to determine how much TA was earned by the student's attendance (14 divided by 30 equals 46.6%; 47% of the TA authorized was earned by the student, which means 53% of what was authorized will be returned to the DoD). 

Example: The student enrolled in a course with a scheduled duration of 120 days. The withdrawal was submitted on the 34th day. M State would perform the calculation to determine how much TA was earned by the student's attendance (34 divided by 120 equals 28.3%; 28% of the TA authorized was earned by the student, which means 72% of what was authorized will be returned to the DoD). 

If the student completed more than 60% of the course, the full amount of TA authorized is considered "earned" and no refund is needed. 

Information the DoD Asks Us to Share with Prospective Students

The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard is a consumer planning tool and resource to assist prospective students and their families as they evaluate options in selecting a school. 
 
The National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator is a consumer tool that provides school information about tuition and fees, retention and graduation rates, use of financial aid, student loan default rates, and features a cost calculator and school comparison tool. 

The U.S. Department of Education's Financial Aid Shopping Sheet is a model financial aid award letter designed to simplify the information that prospective students receive about college costs and financial aid so they can easily compare institutions and make informed decisions about where to attend school. For a personalized Financial Aid Shopping Sheet, log in to SpartanNet with your StarID and password, click on the orange E-Services bar, then click on the "Financial Aid" tab.  Additional information about M State tuition, fees, and financial aid information is found on our financial aid webpage.   

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Paying for College website contains a tool that can be used by prospective students to compare detailed financial information for up to three schools at a time. This site also includes general information about financial aid and financial literacy. 

M State's designated point of contact for service members is Aaron Johnson, the Minnesota veterans services higher education regional coordinator who serves M State. He can be reached at 218.329.6040. Call for campus availability.

If you are receiving Tuition Assistance and are seeking access to Accessibility Resources information, contact the Accessibility Resources team at M State.