The Secretary of the Army suspended the program last Friday, putting future soldiers who qualify for the TA program after enlisting and completing basic training out of luck. The program covered up to $250 per credit hour and a total of $4,500 per year in financial aid.

At MSU, the TA program funds about seven students per class from freshmen to seniors, said Lt. Col. Jeff McDonald, chairperson for Department of Military Science for the MSU Army ROTC.

Students currently using TA to fund classes will not be affected and can finish their courses.
He said many cadets enlisted in the Army specifically so they could qualify for federal tuition funding.

“Federal tuition assistance is an incredible program for students — I used it myself,” he said, adding he used it to earn his second master’s degree in education.

About 201,000 service members took about 620,000 courses using the TA program, which awarded $373 million in financial aid to students in 2012, according to Army reports.

McDonald said the amount of financial aid offered through the TA program fluctuates. He said he can remember a time when it only covered about 50 percent of tuition and other years where it covered up to 90 percent.

Although all DOD programs are being reviewed, a statement from the Secretary of the Army indicated it does not expect any other educational programs to be cut or modified at this time.
The Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty and Reserve Education Assistance Program, which are forms of educational financial aid, were unaffected by the sequester.

After completing basic training this past summer, senior and Army ROTC Cadet Blake McCullough qualified for the TA program this semester. Because he already paid his tuition out of pocket for his first three years at MSU, he said the end of the program won’t affect him too badly.

“That would mean more money out of my pocket for me,” he said. “It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it definitely helped a lot.”

Another ROTC cadet, criminal justice and psychology junior Amanda Dolsen is using money from her father’s GI bill — education benefits service members earn through active duty — to fund college for now, but the money eventually will run out. She said she won’t be able to use the TA program this summer as planned, and although her parents can foot the bill, others aren’t as lucky.

“I know a lot of people at my reserve unit have gone to college significantly (through) using that money,” she said. “A lot of people, I think, are going to be upset about it.”

The Army’s statement indicated the suspension could end should economic conditions improve. For now, Army officials are conducting an analysis to decide if any revisions to the program are necessary to make it more financially efficient.

“I hope that we come to a resolution to where the department can make targeted reductions versus across-the-board spending cuts,” McDonald said.