State Tuition Reimbursement for the Guard — and for Spouses and Dependants Too
Reimbursement of tuition and fees after a completed semester, for a bona fide member of an Arizona army or air national guard unit — and, on their own terms, for a spouse, a legal dependant registered in DEERS, or an employee of the state military department.
Verified August 23, 2026
What this benefit is
Reimbursement of tuition and fees after a completed semester, for a bona fide member of an Arizona army or air national guard unit — and, on their own terms, for a spouse, a legal dependant registered in DEERS, or an employee of the state military department.
What it's worth: Reimbursement of tuition and fees for a completed semester — books and housing excluded
- The statute sets no dollar cap of its own. The adjutant general allocates the funds based on personnel needs, and unexpended money reverts to the general fund 90 days after the fiscal year closes.
- Books and housing costs are not reimbursed.
- Because the appropriation reverts, the size of an award in any given year depends on how the adjutant general has allocated the pot — ask the education services office for the current cap.
Who is entitled to it
- You are a member of an Arizona army or air national guard unit.
- You are the serving guardsman.
- Spouses and legal dependants of an eligible guardsman have their own route in the statute.
- You are studying, or about to.
- Your home is in Arizona.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
Deadline: After the semester is completed- 1Finish the semester first. Reimbursement follows completion, so this is a claim made backwards rather than an award granted in advance.
- 2Check the veterans-benefits disqualifier before you count on the money. § 26-179(B)(5) requires the guardsman to lack eligibility for veterans’ benefits for the same period.
- 3Hold the attendance standard. The statute requires satisfactory completion of initial active duty service, duty performed on return from initial active duty training, and a minimum of 90% attendance on scheduled drill dates and annual training.
- 4Keep the grade average at "C" or better for each semester. That condition applies to the guardsman, to a spouse or dependant, and to a department employee alike.
- 5If you are a spouse or dependant, confirm you are registered in the defense enrollment eligibility reporting system — the statute names it as a condition.
- 6If you work for the department, check subsection D: you need a "meets expectations" or equivalent job performance rating, and the department of administration and the adjutant general may attach further conditions including continued employment.
- 7Check the institution is inside the definition: a public or private postsecondary educational institution or a certificated vocational technical school in Arizona.
- 8Use the current application form. The department reissues it and states that superseded editions are not processed.
- Form
- State Tuition Reimbursement application to the state military department
- File with
- Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, Education Services Office
- Each term
- Claimed per academic term.
Sources
Why only one source type: The department’s own State Tuition Reimbursement information sheet refused retrieval this session, so the record is built from the statute alone rather than from an agency restatement.
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.