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 UCSB.

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Veterans in class

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 in order to use TA at UCSB, you must be an admitted student. You can also view a listing of UC tuition and fees here.

Steps to Apply for Tuition Assistance

  1. Speak with your ESO or command to ensure you are eligible for Tuition Assistance (TA).
  2. Gain approval from your chain of command to attend classes. Note: To use TA at UCSB, you must be an admitted UCSB student enrolled in an approved program.
  3. Meet with your Financial Aid Counselor to determine if you are eligible to receive an additional tuition-and-fee specific funding.
  4. Meet with your UCSB Student Affairs Officer/Academic Counselor to complete an education plan.
  5. Once your education plan is completed, please email the education plan to veteransbenefits@sa.ucsb.edu  in a PDF format so that the VRC can upload your classes to the respective military portal.
  6. 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.
  7. Submit your approved TA request (which is signed by you and your military branch) to veteransbenefits@sa.ucsb in a PDF format. Your approved TA request will be processed we will 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

UCSB 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 UCSB 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.  Please refer to this link for more information regarding refunds. https://www.ucop.edu/operating-budget/fees-and-enrollments/other-fee-information/payment-refunds.html.

Readmission Policy for Service Members

Readmission for Service members and reservists must follow the leave of absence process established by the university.  The policy can be found here https://registrar.sa.ucsb.edu/registration-enrollment/registration-enrollment/leaves-of-absence 

In addition, a student whose enrollment is interrupted with active duty in a current military conflict will be given a full refund of fees regardless of the date of withdrawal. A copy of the student's official orders is required and must be presented to the VA Certifying Official. Students will be dropped from all classes and a message will appear on their transcript which states: Compulsory withdrawal for active military duty "date". Readmission procedures will be streamlined, waiving readmission fees. Financial Aid loans will continue in deferred status. Students living in University-owned housing will be accommodated on a case by case basis.  

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