Lake Superior College has signed the Department of Defense (DOD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and is approved to process DoD Tuition Assistance (TA) for all of our degree programs. TA benefits are available to qualifying individuals currently serving in the Armed Forces. Each service branch has specific TA policies and annual funding limits. Questions about your own TA eligibility should be directed to your unit or education office. Some helpful links are below.
Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard (ARNG) – Federal Tuition Assistance
Marine Corps Tuition Assistance
Coast Guard Tuition Assistance
Return of Tuition Assistance (Unearned TA Policy)
Students who use Tuition Assistance (TA) are expected to remain enrolled in the course for its entire duration. If a student using TA withdraws or stops attending, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of the benefit that was originally authorized. To remain in compliance with the Department of Defense’s policy, Lake Superior College will return any unearned TA funds through at least 60% mark of the course on a prorated basis. The amount of unearned TA that is returned is based on student-initiated date of withdrawal or last date of attendance noted by the instructor.
After 60% of the course has passed, TA will not be evaluated for a return to the DOD.
As an institution, we will bill the DOD after 60% of the course has passed to reduce the amount of incorrect TA funds being disbursed by the DOD to Lake Superior College. We will only bill for the amount the student earned given their enrollment.
Schedule for Returning Unearned TA
This return schedule applies to any course regardless of its duration.
Unearned TA funds will be returned on a prorated basis, depending on the length of the course and the amount of the course the student completed.
To determine the amount of TA that needs to be returned the institution will determine the date the withdrawal or date of last attendance, count the number of days the student completed and then divide that by the total number of days in the course to determine the percentage of TA that was earned by the student.
Example: The student enrolled in a course with a scheduled duration of 30 days. The withdrawal was submitted on the 14th day. The institution would perform the calculation to determine how much TA was earned by the student’s attendance:
(14 divided by 30 equals 46.6%. 47% of the TA authorized was earned by the student, which means 53% of what was authorized will be returned to the DOD)
Example: The student enrolled in a course with a scheduled duration of 120 days. The withdrawal was submitted on the 34th day. The institution would perform the calculation to determine how much TA was earned by the student’s attendance:
(34 divided by 120 equals 28.3%. 28% of the TA authorized was earned by the student, which means 72% of what was authorized will be returned to the DOD)
If the student completed more the 60% of the course, the full amount of TA authorize is considered “earned” and no refund is needed.
Information the Department of Defense (DoD) Asks Us to Share with Prospective Students
The College Scorecard is a consumer planning tool and resource to assist prospective students and their families as they evaluate options in selecting a school.
The College Navigator is a consumer tool that provides school information about tuition and fees, retention and graduation rates, use of financial aid, student loan default rates, and features a cost calculator and school comparison tool.
The Financial Aid Shopping Sheet is a model financial aid award letter designed to simplify the information that prospective students receive about college costs and financial aid so they can easily compare institutions and make informed decisions about where to attend school. For a personalized Financial Aid Shopping Sheet, log in to e-Services with your StarID and password, then click on the “Financial Aid” link. View additional information about Normandale tuition, fees, and financial aid information.
The Paying for College website contains a tool that can be used by prospective students to compare detailed financial information for up to three schools at a time. This site also includes general information about financial aid and financial literacy.
If you are receiving Tuition Assistance (TA) and are seeking access to disability counseling, contact Student Accessibility Services.
