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Guard Tuition Assistance — Five Free Classes a Semester

A serving Guard member may take up to five tuition-free classes in each autumn and spring semester at the state's public colleges and university. It stacks with the federal education benefit rather than replacing it. Fees and books stay with the member, and each twelve credits taken carries a year of service obligation.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

A serving Guard member may take up to five tuition-free classes in each autumn and spring semester at the state's public colleges and university. It stacks with the federal education benefit rather than replacing it. Fees and books stay with the member, and each twelve credits taken carries a year of service obligation.

What it's worth: Up to five tuition-free classes per autumn or spring semester at the state's public colleges and university; fees and books are not covered

  • Eligibility is stated for Army and Air Guard service members, enlisted and officer, pursuing an associate, bachelor or master's degree at the state's public institutions.
  • The member must be in good standing and not flagged for adverse action.
  • A one-year military commitment beyond the end of the class is required for every twelve credits taken.
  • The member's expiration of term of service must fall after the class end date.
  • The waiver may be used alongside the federal education benefit.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are a serving member of the state Army or Air National Guard.
  • You are in this state.

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

  1. 1Go through the Guard education office, not the college financial aid office. The office certifies eligibility; the college applies the waiver once it has that certification.
  2. 2Check your expiration of term of service against the class END date before enrolling. A term of service that runs out mid-semester takes the waiver with it, and that is the eligibility rule most often tripped over.
  3. 3Do the obligation arithmetic. Every twelve credits carries a year of military commitment after the class ends, so a full-time year is a substantial commitment made a course at a time.
  4. 4Budget separately for fees and books. This waives tuition only, and at a community college the non-tuition charges can rival the tuition.
  5. 5Use it alongside the federal education benefit rather than instead of it. The office states the two can be combined, which is what makes a debt-free degree realistic here.
  6. 6Five classes is a full load. If you are working and drilling, taking the maximum because it is free is the commonest way a member ends a semester with withdrawals on the record.
Form
Application through the Guard education office
File with
The state Guard education office at joint force headquarters
Each term
Claimed per academic term.
Worth knowingFive classes a semester is unusually generous as state Guard waivers go, and it is stated per semester rather than as a lifetime credit ceiling. The limiting factor is the service obligation, not the entitlement.
CorrectionThis is not the same programme as the summer exemption, which is separate, differently limited, and needs a certificate obtained before registration. A member who claims one and assumes it covers the year misses the other.
Known gapThe office does not publish what happens to the waiver if a member is mobilised mid-semester, or whether the service obligation can be discharged by an extension already served. Both come from the education office.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.