Military News And Articles

That Work For You

Military Education News And Info

Stay up-to-date with news and information about your military education. You can get the information you need to make informed decisions about your online and military correspondence programs. Learn what's going on with military education and how you can make a smooth military transition. Your civilian career awaits you!

Navy and Marine Society Changes Funding Policy for Overseas Spouses

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The recession continues to move on without missing a beat, leaving banks, retailers and now even a spouse education funding program in its wake. Stars and Stripes recently reported that the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) recently changed its Spouse Tuition Assistance Program for overseas spouses, going from grants to interest-free loans.

"We’ve taken a hit," NMCRS’s Melissa Thurber told Stars and Stripes. "So instead of handing out money for grants, we’re being more responsible about the money we can give."

The NMCRS is a nonprofit organization that has helped Navy and Marine families for over a century. The new program means that the active-duty spouses of Marines and Sailors overseas will now receive an interest-free loan of $3,000 for tuition, instead of a grant. The military spouses will have two years to repay the loans.

Loans must be repaid within two years after receipt of the money. Spouses can use the money to study part-time of full-time at an accredited school online or at a traditional campus.

While the global recession has made it harder for military spouses to get loans and grants for education, there are still a number of ways that military spouses can find funds for education. One way for a spouse to receive military spouse scholarship money is by joining together with their service member spouse who is using Military Tuition Assistance (TA) to enroll at a school.

Some schools offer discounts or military spouse scholarships to the spouses of those men and women who enroll in the school using their TA funds. TA is a free benefit to service members, providing them with up $4,500 a year in education funds. Military spouses should ask their service member spouse to contact the school they are attending, and learn if military spouses receive any kind of discount or scholarship.

Military spouses whose service members spouses are not taking advantage of TA funds to go to school, should make sure their spouses know about the benefit. TA money is not a loan or a reimbursement program – it is money that a service member has earned through his or her service to the country. And the really attractive part of TA is that the military pays the schools directly, so military families do not need to pay for anything out-of pocket.

When speaking with an admission representative from an accredited school, service members should ask about military spouse scholarships or discounts. There may be an opportunity for the service member and spouse to enroll in career training programs without paying tuition.

Many people during a recession decide that additional education is a vital way to stand out in a crowded, competitive workplace. Military Tuition Assistance and related military spouse aid programs are a great way for military families to prepare for tough economic realities.

Military spouses should also check out the local military spouses/wives clubs at their local base. Many of these clubs, in an effort to promote military spouse educational opportunities, offer scholarships for the wives and husbands of active-duty personnel stationed at the installation.

A visit to the base ESO is a great place to start learning about the career and educational opportunities that are available for military spouses.

Labels: , ,

more>>

Posted by Allied Blogger Admin @ 3:43 PM • 0 comments