Federal Tuition Assistance


Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) is tuition-only assistance paid directly to qualifying schools. FTA is typically recommended for Soldiers pursuing education at out-of-state schools (especially online) or higher-cost programs at private schools.

  1. What you get:
    1. Tuition (not fees) up to $250 per credit paid directly to the school.
    2. Covers up to 18 semester hours each fiscal year (1 October – 30 September), totaling no more than $4500 per year (shared with Credentialing Assistance).
    3. Lifetime credit limits:
      1. 130 undergraduate
      2. 39 graduate
      3. 21 towards an academic certificate
  2. How to qualify:
    1. Be currently serving in the ARNG, officer or enlisted, in good standing.
    2. Not be flagged.
    3. Have a high school diploma or equivalent.
    4. Not using an ROTC Scholarship under Title 10 USC, Section 2107.
    5. Maintain a 2.0+ undergraduate GPA or a 3.0+ graduate GPA.
  3. How to use it:
    1. You can use FTA to fund a master’s degree or below. It cannot be used toward professional or doctoral degrees.  
    2. Cannot be used on a credential equal to or lower than one you’ve already achieved (i.e. an associate’s degree when you already have a bachelor’s).
  4. Service Obligations:
    1. Officers and warrant officers who are AGR have a 2-year active-duty service obligation that begins after their last FTA-funded course ends.
    2. Officers and warrant officers who are drilling have a 4-year active-duty service obligation that begins after their last FTA-funded course.
    3. Enlisted members have an expiration term of service (ETS) 14+ days after completion of an FTA-funded course.
  5. How to apply:
    1. All FTA requests need to be approved 8 days before the course start date with no exceptions. Requests can be submitted up to 60 days prior to beginning courses. social security number
    2. Step 1: Complete Training.
      1. Watch the ArmyIgnited 101 training.
      2. Log into ArmyIgnited. You will need a CAC reader to access the website.
      3. Create a message (Education Goal can be selected as the category) and write “I completed ArmyIgnited 101 training on this date:_____”
      4. Complete the Virtual Benefits Training by clicking Education Programs > Virtual Benefits Training.
    1. Step 2: Complete Career Interests Assessment
      1. Create an account on DANTES Kuder Journey: dantes.kuder.com.
        1. Select Army National Guard as your branch.
        2. Click Yes under “Assigned to a Joint Base?”
        3. Select Branch – Army – Army National Guard Bureau under “Region.”
        4. Your Ed Center Location is Wisconsin Army National Guard.
        5. Fill out the rest of your personal information.
      2. Complete the Career Interests Assessment, then download your One Page Summary from Kuder Journey.
      3. Return to ArmyIgnited, click on Career Path DECIDE > Create New Plan.
      4. Upload and submit your One Page Summary
    2. Step 3: Create an Education Goal
      1. Download your degree plan from your school portal. This is often called a degree audit or degree progress report.
        1. The degree plan needs to include your name, student ID, program of study, and how many credits you’ve earned towards requirements of that program.
        2. You can only upload your degree plan while creating your education goal. If you need a degree plan uploaded after creating your education goal, email it to ngwi.edu@army.mil.
      2. Log into ArmyIgnited and click on Education Goals > Create New Goal.
      3. Follow the prompts to select your degree, institution, and upload your degree plan.
      4. Wait 1-5 business days for your education goal to be approved before submitting funding requests.
    3. Step 4: Create Tuition Assistance Request (TAR)
      1. Log into ArmyIgnited and click on Active Education Goals > Apply for Funding.
      2. Verify your contact information and edit if needed.
      3. Follow the prompts to accept the user agreement and verify your education center (Wisconsin Army National Guard) and institution information.
      4. Select the correct term or input different dates.
      5. Add all information for one course.
      6. Follow any remaining prompts then click Submit.
      7. You will repeat this process for each course. Do not list multiple courses in one TAR.
    4. Common Issues:
      1. Not completing all steps in the application process. Ensure you’ve read and followed all directions above.
      2. Incorrect civilian education level in IPPS-A. Check with your unit to make sure any prior degrees are reflected correctly.
      3. Submitting a degree plan that doesn’t meet requirements.
      4. Not finding your degree program or classes in ArmyIgnited. Your school needs to add these, so reach out to your School Certifying Official for FTA point of contact. If the deadline to submit your request is coming up quickly, reach out to the Education/Incentives Office for help.
      5. Not monitoring your email and ArmyIgnited messages. If there’s an issue with your tuition assistance request, someone will reach out to you - make sure you’re keeping an eye out for messages.
Other Things to Know:
  1. Can I use other benefits?
    1. Yes. You can typically combine FTA with your Montgomery GI Bill – Chapter 1606 or Chapter 30. It cannot be used as the Wisconsin GI Bill. But, you can combine FTA with other tuition-paying benefits if your tuition isn’t fully covered because you attend a private school or an out-of-state school. FTA is commonly combined with the Wisconsin National Guard Tuition Grant, Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private/Non-Profit Colleges, or the Post 9/11 GI Bill at less than 100%.
  2. When do my grades need to be updated?
    1. Your school should update grades for all completed courses no later than 30 days after the course end date. If your grades haven’t been updated, check with your school or submit an unofficial transcript to ngwi.edu@army.mil. 
  3. Can FTA funds be recouped?
    1. Yes. You will be subject to recoupment if you:
      1. Receive a failing grade – D or F for undergraduate degrees, and C, D, or F for graduate degrees.
      2. Receive an incomplete for the course and not complete requirements within 180 days
      3. Withdraw from a course without an approved recoupment waiver. Recoupment waivers must be submitted in ArmyIgnited within 30 days of your school post a “W” or “Withdrawal” grade.
      4. You do not complete your service obligation.
    2. If you receive two recoupments in the same fiscal year, your access to FTA may be suspended.