Why We Should Save Tuition Assistance Programs for Active Duty Military

As partisan gridlock keeps Congress from addressing the U.S. budget deficit, automatic cuts called "sequestration" have gone into effect nationwide. The consequences have included the closure of air traffic control towers, hiring freezes and furloughs for federal employees, cuts for state fish and wildlife programs and national parks, the release of detained immigrants including criminals and deep cuts to Head Start and to schools on Native American reservations.

In response to the sequester, several branches of the Armed Forces recently decided to suspend their tuition assistance programs for active military service members. Even though scholarships for veterans take away some of the tuition burden for service members who go to college after they leave the service, many service members rely on the tuition assistance program while they are enlisted. Fortunately, a public outcry against ending tuition assistance prompted Congress to reverse the suspension of the program.

The U.S. military is an all-volunteer force, and tuition assistance is a crucial enlistment incentive. Even though the government faces difficult decisions as tuition costs rise and budget strains increase, tuition assistance for service members is one program that Washington can't afford to give up.

Tuition Assistance Basics

Currently, over 300,000 service members benefit from the Pentagon's tuition assistance program. In 2011, the average cost for an undergraduate course was $600, and the average cost for a graduate course was $750. Service members received $250 per credit hour each semester and up to $4,500 if they were actively completing bachelor's or master's degree programs.

According to the Department of Defense, the Army's tuition assistance program gave $373 million to 201,000 soldiers in 2012. Over 9,000 Army members completed degree programs last year. The Air Force provided $194 million to 104,422 service members, who took over 277,000 courses.

How Tuition Assistance Affects Recruiting

Sequestration will already cut recruiters' hours and budgets, but the loss of tuition assistance could have a devastating effect on enlistment. In fact, recruiters attribute tuition assistance and the new GI Bill as their primary incentives for attractive new recruits. Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg, who is the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, said that the loss of tuition assistance would hurt the Army's recruiting and retention efforts for years to come.

The Armed Forces provides educational incentives that benefit recruits with limited socioeconomic options. For example, the Army utilizes its GED Plus Enlistment Program, which accepts recruits who have not completed a high school diploma, to allow soldiers to earn a high-school equivalency certificate while completing their Army training.

Even recruits who have better financial options may find military tuition assistance more attractive than other financial aid programs. As financial aid becomes increasingly more loan-based than grant-based, serving in the military may seem more attractive than accumulating a large student loan debt load. Additionally, educational institutions are more likely to admit students that come with a ready-made package of educational benefits.

Tuition Assistance and Retention

Education qualifies service members for better assignments in the Armed Forces and makes promotion more likely. To become a National Guard officer, for example, members have to complete a bachelor's degree. Also, many higher-level ranks require service members to have master's degrees. If tuition assistance is suspended, then service members have fewer promotion opportunities, which limits their assignment options and their earning potential. When faced with limited options, members are more likely to leave the Armed Forces.

In some cases, tuition assistance can negatively affect retention. Several studies commissioned by the Department of Defense from the RAND Corporation have shown that some service members quit after their first enlistment term to take advantage of their military tuition benefits and the GI Bill in the civilian world. At the same time, the Armed Forces do not compromise their education expectations for officers, so educational incentives help to ensure that the military has a highly qualified pool from which to pick its top officers.

The military needs tuition assistance programs to attract volunteers of the highest quality. Tuition assistance also ensures that career enlistees have education of the highest caliber.