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Guard Tuition — 100%, Not 50%, and 128 Credits of It

A serving Guard member pays no tuition at a state university for up to 128 undergraduate credits, 32 graduate credits, and one approved programme at a technical college. Widely-circulated summaries still say fifty percent. The department's own education page says the reduction is a hundred.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

What it's worth: 100% tuition reduction — up to 128 undergraduate credits and 32 graduate credits at the state universities, plus one approved programme at a technical college

Membership must be held throughout each semester or programme for which the reduction is claimed.
Required initial active duty training must be complete, and a minimum 90% attendance at scheduled drills and annual training is stated.
Federal tuition assistance has to be used first; the state reduction sits behind it.
The reduction covers tuition. Fees and books are not described as covered.

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

1Get the form signed by your commanding officer before the term, not during it. The reduction is granted on proper notice at registration, and a form arriving mid-semester is the common way a term gets paid for out of pocket.
2Use your federal tuition assistance first. The state reduction is written to sit behind it, and a claim that skips the federal step invites a recalculation later.
3Count your credits against the ceilings deliberately — 128 undergraduate, 32 graduate. A member who drifts through elective credits can arrive at the final year with the ceiling spent.
4Budget separately for fees and books. The reduction is stated against tuition, and on a technical programme the non-tuition charges can be the larger share.
5Watch your drill attendance as a financial matter, not only a military one. A minimum 90% attendance is stated in the eligibility, and a bad year can cost a semester.
6If you are enrolling in a technical college programme, ask the education office whether the programme you want is the one approved course of study — the entitlement there is described as one programme, not unlimited.

Form: SDNG Form 56 — application for state tuition assistance, approved by your commanding officer
File with: The institution, at or before registration, through the Guard education service office
Each term: Claimed per academic term.

CorrectionA great many guides still print fifty percent. That figure traces to an older statutory formula. Both the veterans department and the higher education board publish the reduction at a hundred percent, and a member who budgets for half will over-borrow.

Worth knowingThe graduate ceiling of 32 credits is enough for most one-subject master's programmes and short of a research degree. Anyone planning graduate study should map the whole programme against that number before enrolling.

Known gapNeither page states a service obligation attaching to the benefit or what happens if membership ends mid-semester. Both are the questions that decide whether a term becomes a debt, and the Guard education service office is the place to get them in writing.

Sources

authority · published policyDepartment of Veterans Affairs — State Education Programs, reduced tuition for National Guard members (citing SDCL 33-6-5 to 33-6-8.1)
operating · published policyBoard of Regents — reduced tuition programmes for military, National Guard tuition assistance

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