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Sgt. Alaura Gogue, a flautist for Quantico Marine Corps Band, reads a book outside the band hall aboard Quantico on April 19, 2013. As of April 8, 2013, the Marine Corps restored the Voluntary Education Tuition Assistance program, which allows degree-seeking Marines to receive a maximum rate of $250 per semester and $4,500 per year toward college courses.

Photo by Ameesha Felton

Significant tuition assistance changes impact all students

15 Jan 2015 | Sgt. Rebekka Heite Marine Corps Base Quantico

Marine Corps Base Quantico’s Voluntary Education Center employees are standing by to help Marines, civilians and their family members complete their New Year’s Resolution to complete a college degree: from the new college student working on their associates to the veteran working on their masters.

The VEC is open Monday through Friday to help new and old students understand what the new tuition assistance guidelines in Marine Administrative Message 687/14 mean for them.

Changes in tuition assistance start with a higher grade requirement.

“Undergraduate level courses now require a ‘C’ average, whereas in the past TA would still cover a ‘D,’” said Melora McVicker, director, Voluntary Education Center, Marine Corps Base Quantico. “Graduate level course require a ‘B’ average, instead of a ‘C.’ These changes put TA in line with academic standards.”

Another change is the expansion of the submission timeline from 30 days prior to a course starting to 60 days, said McVicker.

Funding remains quarterly, though, so if a class begins at the beginning of a quarter, students run the risk of not having TA.

“That’s why we always recommend students apply for financial aid, so they have a backup,” said McVicker.

The last major change to tuition assistance is the removal of funding for doctoral degrees, she said.

Submitting for tuition assistance is available online via Web-based Tuition Assistance at https://myeducation.netc.navy.mil.

“Web TA offers a transparency to the student that was not there before,” said Geneva Dooley, education technician, VEC. “The biggest thing with Web TA is the student has to give the approved authorization to their school. It is not automatically forwarded electronically.”

A growing trend that VEC employees have noticed is the number of students coming in who are planning on exiting the Marine Corps soon.

“They always say, ‘I wish I would have gotten started sooner,” said McVicker. “The degree is the starting point to get a job that: A. pays a living wage and B. has the same level of responsibility.”

— Correspondent: rebekka.heite@usmc.mil
















Marine Corps Base Quantico