Be Informed: Use your tuition assistance wisely

  • Published
  • By Lanette Hetrick
  • Education and Training Center
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  There are many things to consider when selecting a college but knowing the difference between Regional Accreditation and National Accreditation is a must. Credits from a Nationally Accredited school will be difficult to transfer. It may also be next to impossible to step off of a Nationally Accredited degree into a higher degree, such as associates to bachelors, or bachelors to a masters degree. In fact, some commissioning programs will only accept coursework from Regionally Accredited schools. Few things could be worse for Air Force Global Strike Command student-Airmen here than to complete college courses only to find out that the hard work will not count toward the goal or degree.

How schools conduct themselves should also be considered. A probe recently conducted by the United States Government Accountability Office, found some fraudulent, deceptive and otherwise questionable practices of 15 for-profit colleges, including substantially higher cost than local, non-profit schools. An article from Bloomberg Businessweek entitled "For-Profit Colleges Target the Military" explores how these schools target the military through incentives, freebies, etc. What may seem "free" may ultimately cost you some or all of your GI Bill.

Something else to consider is that some of these schools require courses that are specific to their college and these courses will not transfer to any other college, such as "How to be a College Student" or "Intro to Online." Ask your school if the course is necessary if you already have college credits. Colleges may waive this requirement if potential students already have 20 or so college credits, which is important because most members will have earned at least 20 semester hour college credits once graduating from technical school and another eight college credits once awarded the 5-level. Tuition Assistance will pay for these courses when they apply to your degree, but not if you are pursuing your CCAF degree alone.

When researching and inquiring about various schools, keep in mind that some heavily marketed for-profit colleges can be very persuasive when recruiting new students; don't be intimidated by high-pressure tactics. You are the customer. Your $4,500 annual Tuition Assistance is your benefit. You are in control. Even if the school promises a quick degree, the TA cap is $4,500 for each fiscal year, so if the course is $750, a student can take six classes a fiscal year. If the course is $1,000 every five weeks, you are only going to get four-and-a-half courses a year before TA money runs out. It is something to think about.

Come to the Base Education and Training Center if you are unsure of your goals, the school you are interested in, or for clarification, or call a staff member at 731-3531.