Tuition Assistance

To apply for tuition assistance, you must keep the following three things in mind.

1. You must work through your ESO. In most cases, it is the Fort Drum ESO, Mr. Joseph Agresti (315) 772-6878 or the New York National Guard, ESO, Ms. Donette Deigh (518) 992-5701. 
   
   You can apply for acceptance to SUNY Potsdam, but Course selection cannot occur until approved through your ESO, which in turn approves you for use of your Tuition Assistance funds.

   
   Active Duty Soldiers receive 16 credit hours per fiscal year (any class starting on 1 October – 30 September) at a maximum of $250/per semester hour.  The Army sets TA at the number of semester hours.  So, some Soldiers will use $4000 per fiscal year if the college charges $250 per semester hour and other Soldiers will use less.  EVERYONE is stopped once they get to 16 credit hours used.

   SUNY Potsdam Tuition is set by New York State SUNY leadership.

   The SUNY Potsdam per credit hour tuition charge is $295.00

   Two things you need to know. First, currently you would be responsible for any uncovered charges. You can accomplish this through other financial aid, student loans or personal payment. Second, SUNY is reviewing their military tuition rates.  They may or may not adjust their rates however it is requested to reflect the DoD TA rate of $250 per credit hour.  More information will follow as it becomes available.

2. You must have set-up an account in ArmyignitED
    
3. You must provide the SUNY Potsdam Veteran and Military Support Services Coordinator a signed Request for Benefits Form. You can find a video about how to fill out the form here.
   
   Service members identified as eligible DoD TA recipients.

The following document is available in Adobe PDF format.

• Soldier Process for Requesting Blanket Exception to Policy Tuition Assistance

As of 15 June 2021

A. Since I can’t request TA in ArmyIgnitED, how do I use TA to enroll in classes?

1. Soldiers should contact an Army Education Center/Office, either in person or online via the Education Center/Office’s website, if they are interested in taking college classes. Army Education Counselors can advise on classes to take and selection of an educational institution (EI).
2. Soldiers will receive instructions about requesting and completing exception to policy (ETP) TA at the education center. See FAQ B below for more information about the ETP process.
3. Soldiers will enroll directly with the EI once they select the college class they want to take. Soldiers must be eligible for TA IAW Army TA policy, e.g., no flags, GPA holds.
4. For all eligible Soldiers, the Army will pay up to $250/SH for each class up to the 16 SH/FY limit.

B. How do I enroll using the Exception to Policy (ETP) Tuition Assistance (TA) process?

Step 1 - Enroll in your class at your educational institution (EI), either in person or online.

• ETP TA will retroactively fund all classes with start dates of 8 March 2021 or later.
• TA funding limits are still in effect (250 per semester hour, 16 semester hours per FY).
• Soldiers must be TA eligible (e.g., not flagged, no TA GPA hold) to receive ETP TA.

Step 2 - Create an ArmyIgnitED account at https://armyignited.com and submit an Education Path request.

• Your Education Path (formerly known as home school and degree plan) must be approved by an Army Education Counselor and your EI.
• You must have an approved Education Path before you can receive TA.
• If you need assistance with submitting an Education Path, contact your Army Education Center/Office directly or submit an ArmyIgnitED ServiceNow (SNOW) helpdesk case by clicking the “Create a Case” button on the Support tab in your ArmyIgnitED account. If you do not have an account, you can create a case as a Guest at https://armyignitedprod.servicenowservices.com/ignited.

Step 3 - Contact your EI’s TA Point of Contact (POC).

• Request that your EI TA POC submit an ETP TA request on your behalf.
• Your EI TA POC will have to electronically upload your course enrollment file to ArmyIgnitED before the ETP request can be processed.
• Your EI TA POC can contact the Army School Support Team with questions about the ETP process.
• If your EI does not plan to submit an ETP TA request for you, contact your Army Education Center/Office directly or submit an ArmyIgnitED ServiceNow (SNOW) helpdesk case by clicking the “Create a Case” button on the Support tab in your ArmyIgnitED account. If you do not have an account, you can create a case as a Guest at https://armyignitedprod.servicenowservices.com/ignited.

C. What happens after my EI submits my ETP TA request and course enrollment file?

1. ArmyIgnitED will begin generating ETP TA requests once most EIs have been able to upload their course enrollment files to ArmyIgnitEd.
2. The ETP TA requests will route to your Army Education Center’s ArmyIgnitED queue for review and approval.
3. Soldiers and EIs will receive notification through ArmyIgnitED after a course has been approved for TA.
4. Your EI can invoice the Army for payment after your TA is approved. It may take several months for all invoices to be paid, depending on where your EI is in the queue for processing.

D. How do I get help in ArmyIgnitED because the helpdesk phone number is no longer active?

The helpdesk phone number is no longer listed on the ArmyIgnitED website because the number was a short-term contract to provide bridge support during the transition period. ArmyIgnitED has an integrated helpdesk system known as ServiceNow (SNOW). All requests for ArmyIgnitED assistance now need to be submitted through SNOW. You can open a SNOW case by clicking the Create a Case button on the Support tab in your account. If you do not have an account, you can create a case as a Guest at https://armyignitedprod.servicenowservices.com/ignited. You can also contact your servicing education center, and a counselor will open a SNOW case for you. Please take note of your case number and provide the number when referencing your case during follow-up.

E. How do I get reimbursed for TA when I had to pay the EI before I could enroll?

1. Soldiers should not be paying out-of-pocket but TA-eligible Soldiers who have paid out of pocket must open a ServiceNow case in ArmyIgnitED. Soldiers needing help with opening a case should request assistance from their assigned Army Ed Center/Office.
2. ACCESS will verify that enrollment with the EI and reimburse the EI.
3. The EI would reimburse the Soldier based on the EI’s reimbursement policies. EIs have different reimbursement policies in terms of when they reimburse. If Soldiers encounter problems with this reimbursement from EIs, Soldiers should notify their assigned Ed Center/Office or open a ServiceNow case in ArmyIgnitED.

F. When will I get reimbursed for the out-of-pocket tuition I paid?

1. Your EI will reimburse you for your out-of-pocket tuition payments based on their refund/reimbursement policy after HQ ACCESS provides the TA funding to your EI. The Army will pay TA for eligible Soldiers up to the semester hour and fiscal year TA limits listed in FAQ A.
2. HQ ACCESS will provide TA funding through the ETP TA process. See FAQs B and C above for the ETP process. Once the ETP TA reimbursement process starts, it may be several months before your EI receives TA payment based on where your EI is in the payment queue.
3. If you submitted a ServiceNow helpdesk case per guidance in FAQ E and haven’t received a response in 2 weeks, contact your Education Center/Office and provide them the helpdesk case number. Your Education Center/Office will provide you guidance about the ETP TA reimbursement process and close the case. Submitting a helpdesk case does not mean that you will receive reimbursement immediately.

G. Where can I go for help to enroll?

1. For AD Soldiers: Your servicing Army Education Center (AEC) is the primary source for customer service and assistance. The professionally trained Guidance Counselors can provide training on ArmyIgnitED, information on TA/CA policy, and escalate issues if they are unable to resolve. Please ensure that you are speaking to the correct personnel at the education center. You must speak with a member of the Army Continuing Education System (ACES) staff such Guidance Counselors, Education Services Specialists (ESS), or an Education Services Officer (ESO). Other workers in the Army Education Center may include Educational Institute (EI) representatives, Administrative support, Test Examiners (TEs), Army Learning Center (ALC) staff, Career Skills Program (CSP) staff, Transition Education Counselors, and Basic Skills Education Program (BSEP) instructors. These personnel provide excellent service in their area of expertise, but they are not the appropriate person to assist you with requesting Tuition Assistance (TA) or Credentialing Assistance (CA). Upon arrival at the AEC, proceed to the front desk and sign-in on the computer through the Customer Management Tool (CMT) website or talk to the Administrative staff at the front desk. Please wait in the designated waiting area until you are seen by a Guidance Counselor. If your Education Center is not open, you can contact them online through contact information listed on your installation’s website.
2. For USAR Soldiers serving in a drilling and AGR status: Your assigned Education Services Specialist (ESS) is the primary source for information and assistance pertaining to Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) and Credentialing Assistance (CA). Your assigned ESS can provide information on ArmyIgnitED, FTA/CA policy, the Blanket ETP, and escalate issues if they are unable to resolve. To reach your assigned ESS, contact your servicing education center or go to: , www.nationalguard.com or https://xtranet/usarc/g1-ssd/ED_SVC/SitePages/Home.aspx.
3. For ARNG Soldiers serving in a drilling status: Your assigned Education Services Specialist (ESS) or Education Services Officer (ESO) are the primary source for information and assistance pertaining to Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) and Credentialing Assistance (CA). Your assigned ESS/ESO can provide information on ArmyIgnitED, FTA/CA policy, the blanket ETP, and escalate issues if they are unable to resolve. To reach your assigned ESS/ESO, contact your State Education Office or go to: www.armyignited.com, www.nationalguard.com/select-your-state, or your state website