• Tuition Assistance
• Isakson & Roe Section 1018 Requirements

Guide to Department of Defense (DoD) Tuition Assistance (TA)

Who do I contact at UofL for questions about TA?

The UofL Center for Military Connected Students has dedicated staff that process TA requests for all branches and they can be reached at miltuition@louisville.edu or (502) 852-6444. They are UofL’s POC for service members using TA. They are not Military Education Counselors or University Academic Advisors.

What is the process to use TA at UofL?

Students should register for any classes that they wish to take through ULINK, then request TA for each of those classes through their Branch of Services’ Education Portal. Once a student has an approved TA Form(s), they need to email the approved form(s) to our Military TA Staff at miltuition@louisville.edu for processing and to the Bursar’s Office at bursar3p@louisville.edu for invoicing. Once approved TA Forms are sent to us, we will verify student registration in ULINK and the accuracy of the information on the TA Form; if TA Forms are correct, the Bursar's Office will place a note in the student financial account that we expect a Military Tuition Assistance payment on the student's behalf until we can invoice the Military for payment.

*Note. The window to request TA through the Military Education Portals is 60-7 days prior to any Course Start Date. Servicemembers must list the exact Course Name (ex. ENG 101) and correct Course Dates on their TA Forms to ensure the Military will pay for those classes when UofL invoices for payment. 

DoD TA Overview

DoD TA program provides financial assistance to Service members for voluntary off-duty education programs in support of professional and personal self-development goals. TA is available for courses that are offered in the classroom or by distance learning and are part of an approved academic degree or certificate program. The courses must be offered by schools that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and are signatories to the current DoD Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (DOD MOU). For list of participating institutions DoD Comparison Tool - Home Page (dodmou.com).

Each branch of service has their own policies and regulations governing TA. Please use the following links for additional information about your branch of service’s TA policies and procedures.

Policy Evaluated Degree Plans (EDP)

Each Branch of Service will require some version of an Evaluated Degree Plan (EDP) in order to use Tuition Assistance. The Evaluated Degree Plan is an official academic document provided by the Academic Institution (AI) that articulates all degree requirements for degree completion, identifies all courses required for graduation, and includes an evaluation of all successfully completed prior coursework.

Students should work with their University Academic Advisor to create an EDP for upload into their Service Education Portal that includes the following information, at minimum:

• Servicemember’s Name
• Academic Institution (AI) Name
• Name of Degree Pursing
• Classes/credits required for graduation/completion
• Evaluation of all successfully completed prior coursework (transfer credit)
• Evaluated military training and experience (JST or CCAF)
• Date EDP was completed
• Note: If you manually create this document through Word, Excel, or another application, save it as a PDF before you upload it to your Service Education Portal.

 Please contact us with any additional questions about EDP at 502-852-6444 or miltuition@louisville.edu

TA Withdrawal Refund Policy

If a servicemember stops attending due to a military service obligation, UofL will work with the member to try to identify solutions that will not result in a student debt for the returned portion.

TA is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded. To comply with the U.S. Department of Defense policy, UofL will return any unearned TA funds on a proportional basis through at least 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided.

A student’s official withdrawal date is used as the last date of attendance and to calculate earned percentage of TA. A student’s official withdrawal date is determined by using the last date of attendance that is documented and submitted to the Office of the Registrar. Once the last date of attendance has been determined, UofL will recalculate a student’s TA eligibility based on the following formula:

Number of Day Completed/Total Days of the Course = Percent of Unearned TA

The amount of TA funding that is earned is determined on a pro-rata basis. For example, if a student completed 30% of the course, s/he earned 30% of the TA funds that s/he was originally scheduled to receive. The remainder of the unearned funds (70%) would be returned to the TA program. If this results in an unpaid tuition balance, payment would be the responsibility of the student. Once a student has attended at least 60% of the period for which TA funds were approved, the student is considered to have earned 100% of the TA funds.

Upon Graduation / Transcript Holds

Once a Servicemember using Tuition Assistance graduates with a degree or certificate, they will need to get Supporting Documentation (Official Transcript or School Letter) uploaded into their Education Service Portal to avoid a Transcript/Diploma Hold implemented by the Military that would prevent them from requesting any further TA. For example, if a Servicemember using TA graduates with their Bachelor's Degree, they will not be able to request TA for any Master's Degree courses until Supporting Documentation for their Bachelor's Degree is uploaded into their Education Portal.

To get your Supporting Documentation uploaded, UofL students may email a request of Verification of Degree Letter to the Registrar's Office at regoff@louisville.edu including student Name, Date of Birth, and Student ID#. Students need to also indicate that they would like this verification of their degree letter sent back via email so that it can be uploaded to a Military Education Portal. Students may also walk into the Registrars office during normal business hours with a photo ID and obtain a physical copy of the degree verification within minutes.  There is currently no charge for this verification letter. Students may also request an Official Transcript that can be used as Supporting Documentation as well. 

Once a student obtains their Supporting Documentation, they need to email the Verification of Degree Letter or Official Transcript to our Office at miltuition@louisville.edu and we will upload it to their Education Portal on their behalf. Students must include what Branch of the Military they are a part of so that we know which Education Portal to use.

*NOTE. The earliest a degree may be posted is the official degree date (for Fall 2023, the degree date is December 15, 2023).  This date is typically posted on the Academic Calendar available online at https://louisville.edu/calendars/academic/undergrad-grad.  The degree date is the same for all careers (Undergraduate, Graduate, Law, Medical, and Dental).  The last day for units to approve a degree is approximately 30 days after the degree date.  So the degree may not be posted for up to a month after the degree date.  We cannot provide verification of the degree until it is approved by the academic unit and posted.  Students may view their unofficial transcript through ULINK and once they see the degree posted there (it will be at the top of their transcript), they will know that they can then request the degree verification through our office. The physical diploma will not be released until all outstanding payments are made (this is a university policy and cannot be waived).  

General TA Questions

Where can I find information on the Tuition rates for Active Duty?

Military Tuition Rates can be found here: https://louisville.edu/bursar/tuition/#professional-school-program-rates 

What do I need to do to receive the $250 per credit hour Military Tuition Rate?

Please provide a copy of either your tuition assistance authorization form or current orders (greater than 180 days) to miltuition@louisville.edu. More information can be found on our Military-Connected Student Benefits page.

Does UofL approve my TA request?

TA use and approval is governed by your branch of service. Academic institutions are not involved in the TA approval process. For questions about TA eligibility and use, please contact your installation Education Center/Office, or your Unit Education Officer.

Who is your (Army/Air Force/Space Force/Coast Guard/Navy/Marine Corps) Education Counselor?

Your (Army/Air Force/Space Force/Coast Guard/Navy/Marine Corps) Education Counselor is a civilian employee of your branch of service, not a UofL employee. They are employed by installation education center’s/offices to counsel servicemembers on voluntary education. They are not your UofL Academic Advisor or UofL’s TA staff. To determine who your Education Counselor is please contact your installation Education Center/Office, or your unit Education Officer.

Who do I contact for financial issues/questions (outside of the actual TA request)?

UofL Bursar, bursar3p@louisville.edu, (502) 852-6505

Who do I contact for questions/issues registering for a class (even if an account has TA hold)?

UofL Registrar, regoff@louisville.edu, (502) 852-4662.

How do I know what classes I need to take?

Contact your assigned UofL Academic Advisor. Your Advisor works for the college or school you are enrolled in. You can determine your UofL Academic Advisor by logging into your UofL ULINK account.

What if I have grade holds in my Military Education portal?

If a student’s military education account has a grade hold, they will need to contact an Education Counselor at their installation Education Office/Center. An Army education counselor can temporarily remove this hold so TA can be requested.

What if I have a transcript/diploma hold?

Contact UofL Registrar (regoff@louisville.edu, (502) 852-4662) to obtain a Verification of Degree Letter or an Official Transcript; then email that Supporting document to miltuition@louisville.edu and we will upload it to their Education Portal on their behalf. The physical diploma will not be released until outstanding payments are made (this is a university policy and cannot be waived).

Academic Institution (AI) Portal Army TA FAQs

My TA has been approved by the Army. Can UofL invoice the Army?

TA approval and authorization to invoice the Army are separate processes. UofL can only invoice the Army once per month during the current term.

When does the Army pay academic institution for TA invoices?

The Army TA payment process is entirely under the purview of the Army. They do not inform academic institutions when they will pay.

My class already started; can I request TA?

The window to request TA through ArmyIgnitEd is 60-7 days prior to a course start date. Once the class has started students will NOT be allowed to request TA for that class.

In my AI account I cannot see the class I am currently enrolled in?

Once the class has started, the student cannot see their currently enrolled classes.