SERVICES OFFERED
The Education Technicians at Lifelong Learning can assist personnel in starting or completing their journey towards their college degree. Any forms needed to use a service are provided in the appropriate service section. Questions on any area should be directed to the education center staff.
Core Services:
*Military Tuition Assistance ~ for personnel on station as well as personnel deployed
*Military Academic Skills Program (MASP)
*SMART Transcripts and DD-295 Corrections
*Information on SOC Program
*Information on VA Programs
*Apprenticeship Program (see separate link)
*Military and Civilian Testing (see separate link)
We look forward to assisting our customers with these and any other educational needs.
MILITARY TUITION ASSISTANCE
More and more military members are using tuition assistance to enroll in an increasing number of courses annually. A strong voluntary education program aids in recruitment and retention, enhances the skills and value of our personnel while on active duty, and assists separating military members in their transition into civilian life.
All personnel, whether embarking upon their college degree or working to complete their degree, must visit the education center and speak with an Education Technician. HQMC has implemented a screening process to ensure all personnel are prepared to start college level courses.
Funding of TA is authorized for study toward a diploma, credentials, certificates, or degrees at an academic level higher than that currently held by the service member. The hierarchy of academic levels is defined as high school equivalency, Vocational Technical Diploma, Vocational Technical Certificate, Associates, Baccalaureate, Masters, First Professional, and Doctorate.
Once you have completed twelve (12) semester hours at a particular level, you cannot lower the level of the degree you are seeking. Service members using TA can only pursue one education goal at a time.
Each fiscal year, there are funding caps set by Headquarters Marine Corps. The current fiscal year caps are listed below:
• Cannot exceed $4500 per fiscal year
oCap per semester hour is $250
oCap per quarter hour is $166.67
oCap per clock hour is $16.67
• Sailors are limited to 16 semester hours per fiscal year
In order to utilize tuition assistance, the military member must be on active duty with a valid ID card. Enlisted reservists that have been activated must provide a copy of their orders and their end of active service date must be after the course end date. Reserve officers are not eligible for tuition assistance. It is the military member’s responsibility to request tuition assistance for each term.
All military members must request tuition assistance prior to the school term start date. The request form for TA is LLN MCBLEJ 1056/4. This is only a request for tuition assistance. The military member is not authorized tuition assistance until the request has been processed and approved by the appropriate education center or other authorized location.
The following conditions apply to all requests for TA:
A. The request MUST BE TYPED, NOT HANDWRITTEN
B. All sections on the form must be filled in completely.
C. All TA Request forms require a certain number of signatures based on the Marine or Sailor’s rank.
� For E-5 and below – The military member’s SNCOIC, OIC, and CO
� For E-6 and above (enlisted) – The military member’s OIC and CO
� For Officer’s – The military members Commanding Officer.
� For Sailors – only an E-7 or above can sign TA request forms.
All military tuition assistance requests MUST be received and processed PRIOR TO the term start date. Students may submit TA Requests as early as thirty (30) days prior to the term start date, but absolutely no later than the Education Center office business day prior to the term start date.
Occasionally mission requirements force students to miss the TA submission deadline. Students may submit a Late Submission Waiver Request due to the circumstances listed below. The request must be made to the Education Service Officer (ESO) within five days after the term start date or it will not be considered.
A. The student missed the submission deadline due to a MILITARY COMMITMENT or an ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR due to their command.
B. An example of the late submission letter is available from the form link or from our office.
The military student is responsible for the fiscal commitment they make when utilizing tuition assistance. In most cases, a student will repay the government for TA if they
• Voluntarily withdraw from a class (resulting in a “W” grade)
• Fail the class (grade of “F”)
• Receive an incomplete that is not finished within 6 months of the original end date on the original TA authorization. (grade of “I”)
If the student does not voluntarily send in payment to the government, their pay will be checked for the full amount in one lump sum. There are no payment plans to repay the government. Please remember that money that is paid back for withdrawals, failures, and incompletes do not go back into the education budget ~ it is lost money!
Due to mission requirements, students are sometimes forces to withdraw due to duty-related circumstances. In these instances, a student can request a waiver so they do not have to repay the government. If this happens to you, please do the following:
• Follow your schools established withdrawal procedures in a timely fashion
• Obtain a ‘W’ grade report for each class
• Submit a letter requesting a waiver of reimbursement (completed by the student and signed by his/her command). An example is available from the form link or at the education center.
• Not all waivers are approved.
MILITARY ACADEMIC SKILLS PROGRAM (MASP)
Many adult students who start college after being out of school for a few years feel a bit rusty in the basic subjects such as math and English. Many schools have assessments tools, such as placement testing, to help students gauge whether they need to sharpen their skills in certain areas. The longer students have been out of school, the more they will benefit from the opportunity to refresh their math, language, English, and reading. Service members who are interested in an on-duty option might want to consider the Military Academic Skills Program (MASP).
The MASP is an educational program with overall objectives of improving the competencies of active duty enlisted personnel in the academic skills of reading, mathematics, communications, and writing. A service member that successfully completes MASP will return to his or her MOS better prepared to perform the Marine Corps or Navy mission. Additionally, the sermember will be better prepared to retake the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Batte(ASVAB) and begin exploring higher educational alternatives.
• MASP (Daytime)
o Four-week class.
o Monday through Friday.
o 0730 to 1630
o Marines with a GT score below 100 or a Test for Adult Basic Education (TABE) score of 11.4 or below. All applicants are required to take a pre-enrollment Test for Adult Basic Education (TABE).
o Communication Skills runs from 0730 to 1130
o Math runs from 1300 to 1630
• Nighttime MASP
o Six-week class
o Monday through Thursday.
o 1700 to 2100
o Marines with a GT score below 100 or a Test for Adult Basic Education (TABE) score of 11.4 or below. All applicants are required to take a pre-enrollment Test for Adult Basic Education (TABE).
o Communication Skills runs Monday and Wednesday
o Math runs Tuesday and Thursday
An application packet can be picked up at the Lifelong Learning Education Center in building 202 on Camp Lejeune or building AS-212 on MCAS New River. Active duty personnel must have command approval to attend these courses.
SMART TRANSCRIPTS/DD-295 CORRECTION
SMART is an official document certifying military training and education for Marine Corps and Navy personnel for recommended college credit and is recognized by the American Council of Education (ACE).
ACE makes credit recommendations to assist educational institutions in awarding proper credit for extra institutional learning while maintaining academic standards. Credit may be awarded towards vocational certificate, lower division, and graduate degree categories as appropriate.
In order to have a school evaluate your SMART Form, an “Official SMART Transcript” must be sent to the school. A service member should not send an official transcript to a school unless they have already been admitted to the school. There are two ways an official transcript can be sent:
• The Lifelong Learning Center can process your request during working hours. A request is sent online directly to NETPDTC in Pensacola, Florida. It takes between three days to six weeks before the school receives the transcript.
• The service member can fill out the Official SMART Request Form and mail it to Pensacola, Florida for processing. The form is available at the SMART website on the sign-in page. Depending on the mail service, it can take up to eight weeks for the school to receive the transcript.
A service member can access their SMART from any computer. It is recommended that he or she view the information contained on the SMART form to ensure that all the information is correct and up-to-date. To access the SMART website, follow the instructions listed below:
1. Pull up the web site https://smart.navy.mil
2. Follow the instructions on screen to log into the system
3. Use the tabs across the top of the screen to view the different sections of your SMART transcript.
The student should review the information contained on their SMART transcript. Make sure all the schools, MCI's, etc. that they have completed are listed within the transcript. If courses are missing, please verify the items have been run on the student's unit diary. If there are errors on the SMART transcript, come into the education center for assistance in making corrections.
SOC PROGRAM
Servicemembers frequently move from place to place, causing them to have trouble completing college degrees. The Service members Opportunity Colleges is a consortium of more than 1,800 public and private colleges and universities, as well as higher education associations established to assist Marines and Sailors in earning a college degree despite geographic and institutional obstacles. Within each curriculum or degree network, member colleges agree to accept each other's credits in transfer.
A home college is the SOC college where you begin your studies and complete the minimum academic residency (i.e. the number of their courses needed to qualify for their degree). The home college evaluates your military and other learning experiences, combining them all into a SOC Student Agreement that serves as your contract-for-degree.
For more information, visit the SOC website. The link is available under the “Links” page on this website.
VA PROGRAMS
There are many programs available for military members through the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to assist in funding their education. It is recommended that the military member meet with a Veteran’s Affairs Counselor for specific information regarding VA programs.
Information on education programs available through the Veteran's Administration can be accessed by calling or using the Internet.
• Website - http://www.gibill.va.gov
• General VA Information - 1-800-827-1000
• Education Benefit Information - 1-888-442-4551
The education center can provide booklets detailing the MGIB and how to use your benefits. Our office can also provide information on the Marine Corps College Fund and how it is tied into your MGIB benefits.
MGIB Top-Up Program. Under the 2001 Defense Authorization Act, military members can now use the MGIB to pay any portion of tuition not covered by military tuition assistance. The legislation permits the VA to issue payments to an individual for all or any portion of the difference between the Tuition Assistance amount paid by the military component and the total cost of tuition and related charges.
• You must be on active duty at least two years before you can participate
• This money comes out of your MGIB
• Can only be used in conjunction with Tuition Assistance
The VA-22-1990 form is used to apply for your MGIB benefits. Questions regarding the VA-22-1990 form should be directed to your local VA office or prospective school's financial aid office. This form can be accessed on the Veteran's Administration website or a staff member at the education center can send an electronic copy of the form to you.
MGIB Buy Up. Per MARADMIN 208/01, participants already enrolled in the MGIB can contribute an additional $600 to their current MGIB. If the student elects to participate, their monthly MGIB payment will increase by $150. Please read the administrative message pertaining to this program for more information. Students will need to complete the DD-2366 to contribute the additional monies to their MGIB. Questions regarding this form and an individual’s eligibility to participate in this program should be directed to the military unit’s finance section.
