National Guard Waivers

1. Am I eligible for a National Guard tuition waiver?
2. I am eligible for the National Guard tuition waiver. What must I do to have it credited to my OSU Bursar account?
3. I don't have a military ID card. May I still use the National Guard tuition waiver?
4. What is the deadline by which I must turn in my National Guard tuition waiver request form?
5. The semester is over. May I still submit a National Guard tuition waiver request form to pay for it?
6. For what, exactly, does the National Guard tuition waiver pay?
7. How long may I use the National Guard tuition waiver?
8. What is the maximum number of hours for which the National Guard tuition waiver will pay?
9. What is the minimum number of hours in which I must enroll for the National Guard tuition waiver to pay?
10. I am a nonresident student but I am in a National Guard unit in Oklahoma. Am I eligible for the National Guard tuition waiver?
11. I am a nonresident student in a National Guard unit in another state. Am I eligible for the National Guard tuition waiver?
12. May I use the National Guard tuition waiver to pay for an Outreach course?
13. May I use the National Guard tuition waiver to pay for an Independent Study course?
14. May I use the National Guard tuition waiver to pay for a Correspondence Study course?
15. May I use the National Guard tuition waiver to pay for auditing a course?

Special Note:

The process by which OSU is notified that a guard member is to receive the National Guard tuition waiver may change significantly starting with the Fall 2006 semester.

Details are still being worked out, but the Oklahoma Military Department in Oklahoma City may send an electronic list to OSU (and other state institutions) each semester with the names of guard members eligible to receive the National Guard tuition waiver that semester. Guard members whose names do not appear on that list will be considered ineligible.

We expect this change will become effective with the Fall 2006 semester. We further expect that the Oklahoma Military Department will publicize this change to the state's Army and Air National Guard units starting in early 2006.

However, until such time as this new process is fully implemented and you have been notified by the Oklahoma Military Department or your guard unit to stop doing so, you should be prepared to continue bringing a completed and signed National Guard tuition waiver request form to the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid.

Am I eligible for a National Guard tuition waiver?

The National Guard tuition waiver program is governed by Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE) policy. OSRHE's requirements to be eligible for the National Guard tuition waiver include:

1. Being a bona fide member of the Oklahoma National Guard at the beginning of the semester for which the member is applying for the tuition waiver or by the deadline determined by the institution
2. being certified as a member in good standing by the Adjutant General
3. being an Oklahoma resident
4. not having previously earned a baccalaureate or graduate degree
5. being eligible for all admission and retention requirements of the institution.

I am eligible for the National Guard tuition waiver. What must I do to have it credited to my OSU Bursar account?

First, you must meet the eligibility requirements for that waiver as determined by the State Regents. If you meet those eligibility requirements, you must bring a completed National Guard tuition waiver request form (OKARNG/ANG Form 60) to the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid in 213 Student Union or 119 Student Union early in the term for which you are requesting payment of the National Guard tuition waiver. You must also bring your military ID card.

I don't have a military ID card. May I still use the National Guard tuition waiver?

No. The National Guard tuition waiver request form (OKARNG/ANG Form 60) requires OSU to verify that each soldier or airman meets the following four requirements:

1. has established Oklahoma residency
2. meets the minimum enrollment requirements of three credit hours for the semester
3. meets the program requirements by not having earned a baccalaureate degree
4. presented military identification.

When turning in your National Guard tuition waiver request form, you must be prepared to present your military ID card. (If you mail your waiver request form to us, include a photocopy of your ID card.) If you cannot present a military ID card, we cannot pay your guard tuition waiver.

If you do not have an ID card, you may be able to get one at the Oklahoma Military Department at 3501 Military Circle in Oklahoma City. (You should call first, at 405-228-5645, to check your eligibility and determine what documents you must bring.)

What is the deadline by which I must turn in my National Guard tuition waiver request form?

The deadlines for turning in a National Guard tuition waiver request form are October 1 for fall term, March 1 for spring term, and July 1 for summer term. (If the turn in date falls on a weekend, the date for that term will be extended to the next normal workday.)

The semester is over. May I still submit a National Guard tuition waiver request form to pay for it?

No. State Regents policy is very clear on this point: "A student may not receive a waiver for courses completed in a prior semester; that is, a student must apply for the waiver during the semester in which he is enrolled by the deadline determined by the institution."

At OSU, the turn-in due dates that have been established are October 1 for fall term, March 1 for spring term, and July 1 for summer term. In any event, we must have it before the end of the term of enrollment; that is a State Regents requirement that OSU cannot waive.

For what, exactly, does the National Guard tuition waiver pay?

The National Guard tuition waiver pays for undergraduate tuition only. It does not pay for fees.

How long may I use the National Guard tuition waiver?

You may use the National Guard tuition waiver for up to six years from the date of first application or until you complete the requirements for a baccalaureate degree, whichever comes first.

What is the maximum number of hours for which the National Guard tuition waiver will pay?

State Regents' policy limits the National Guard tuition waiver to paying for no more than eighteen (18) credit hours in any fall or spring term and for no more than nine (9) credit hours during the summer term.

What is the minimum number of hours in which I must enroll for the National Guard tuition waiver to pay?

State Regents' policy established a minimum of three hours of enrollment in fall or spring semester and three hours enrollment in summer term for the National Guard tuition waiver. The student may meet this minimum enrollment requirement either at a single state institution or more than one in the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. It is the student's responsibility to provide both institutions with a copy of the National Guard tuition waiver request form.

I am a nonresident student but I am in a National Guard unit in Oklahoma. Am I eligible for the National Guard tuition waiver?

No. By OSRHE policy, nonresident students are ineligible for the National Guard tuition waiver. This applies even to nonresident students who are members of an Oklahoma National Guard unit.

I am a nonresident student in a National Guard unit in another state. Am I eligible for the National Guard tuition waiver?

No. By OSRHE policy, nonresident students are ineligible for the National Guard tuition waiver.

May I use the National Guard tuition waiver to pay for an Outreach course?

No, the National Guard tuition waiver may not be used to pay for outreach course enrollment. However, you may be able to use the Federal Tuition Assistance Program to pay for such enrollment. You should contact the State Guard Bureau or your guard unit to inquire whether you would eligible for that program.

May I use the National Guard tuition waiver to pay for an Independent Study course?

No, the National Guard tuition waiver may not be used to pay for independent study course enrollment. However, you may be able to use the Federal Tuition Assistance Program to pay for such enrollment. You should contact the State Guard Bureau or your guard unit to inquire whether you would eligible for that program.

May I use the National Guard tuition waiver to pay for a Correspondence Study course?

No, the National Guard tuition waiver may not be used to pay for correspondence study course enrollment. However, you may be able to use the Federal Tuition Assistance Program to pay for such enrollment. You should contact the State Guard Bureau or your guard unit to inquire whether you would eligible for that program.

May I use the National Guard tuition waiver to pay for auditing a course?

No, the National Guard tuition waiver may not be used to pay for auditing a course. The intent of the National Guard tuition waiver program is to assist Guard members toward earning a college degree. Auditing a course does not result in the Guard member earning any hours of academic credit that would allow the Guard member to progress toward a degree, thus the National Guard tuition waiver may not be used to pay for auditing a course.