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. TA funds is a source of financial aid for active duty military. Those who may be eligible are members of the Armed Forces. Participation in this program is for our servicemembers admitted to UCLA or UCLA Extension. TA funds are a source of financial aid for active duty military.
How to apply for Tuition Assistance
Each military service branch and component has their own criteria for Tuition Assistance (TA). These criteria include eligibility for the benefit, military service obligation, application process and restrictions. It is recommended you 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 on order to use TA at UCLA, you must be an admitted student. A listing of UC tuition and fees is at www.ucop.edu/operating-budget/fees-and-enrollments/index.html
Steps to Apply for Tuition Assistance
- Speak with your ESO or command to ensure you are eligible for Tuition Assistance (TA).
- Gain approval from your chain of command to attend classes. Note: To use TA at UCLA, you must be an admitted UCLA student enrolled in an approved program.
- Meet with your Financial Aid Counselor to determine if you are eligible to receive an additional tuition-and-fee specific funding.
- Meet with your UCLA Student Affairs Officer/Academic Counselor to complete an education plan.
- Once your education plan is completed, please email the education plan to vabenefit@saonet.ucla.edu in a PDF format so that the VRC can upload your classes to the respective military portal.
- Follow the military service branch and component specific instructions how to request Tuition Assistance for your course(s). Take note of the TA request timeframes (specific to your branch) and UCLA’s academic calendar.
- Submit your approved TA request (which is signed by you and your military branch) to vabenefit@saonet.ucla.edu in a PDF format. The Veterans Resource Center will process your approved TA request and work with the Student Accounting office to posts the credit to your student account. Please note that it can take 3-5 business days for a form to be processed to your account from the date it is submitted. We cannot guarantee that late forms will be processed to your account by the fee payment deadline. Any late fees assessed due to late TA form submission cannot be waived.
TA Refund Policy
UCLA Student Accounts 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 UCLA 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 automatically to the new rate and reduces the total amount that the agency is billed for the respective term
- Refunds- Link to:https://registrar.ucla.edu/registration-classes/registration-and-payment/refunds-and-reductions/refunds
- Refund Schedule- Link to: https://www.registrar.ucla.edu/Registration-Classes/Registration-and-Payment/Refunds-and-Reductions/Refund-Schedules
- Graduate Student Refunds and Reductions- Link to: https://registrar.ucla.edu/registration-classes/registration-and-payment/refunds-and-reductions/graduate-student-refunds-and-reductions
UCLA Main Campus Contacts:
- General Questions: vabenefit@saonet.ucla.edu
- Billing: thirdpartysponsors@finance.ucla.edu
UCLA Extension Contacts:
- General Question: finaid@uclaextension.edu
- Billing: billing@unex.ucla.edu