Western Carolina University

All active-duty Air Force personnel may be eligible to receive Air Force Tuition Assistance (AFTA).  This program covers 100 percent of the cost of tuition and fees for classes taken during off-duty hours within the cap limits set by the Air Force: $250 per semester credit hour $166 per quarter credit hour $4500 per fiscal year In order to take advantage of this program, a student needs to apply using the Air Force Virtual Education Center located within the  Air Force Portal. Once a student has completed

 the application, been approved for AFTA, and registered for classes, the student may drop or change course as long as the student notifies the institution he or she is attending and his or her base education center.

If the student drops a course after the institution's drop/add date, the student is responsible for the cost of tuition (unless the student qualifies for a Waiver of Tuition Assistance Reimbursement) and the will need to contact both your school and your base's education center.

If the student receives a grade of "incomplete," the student must complete all missed work before the end of the following semester to clear the incomplete from the student's record. However, if the student is unable to provide a grade to clear that incomplete, the student is responsible for re-paying that tuition.

Please note that AFTA is not available for post-masters degree course work or degrees and is not authorized for courses leading to a lateral or lower level degree than the student already possess.

Students are not be eligible for AFTA if:

• They are missing grades over 60 days from a course end date.
• They have suspense dates that have expired
• They are missing personal data in their education record.
• They are requesting AFTA for courses that begin more than 30 days before the request date.
• They are requesting AFTA for courses that have already began.
• They are requesting AFTA for lower level courses from the highest education degree they hold.
• They have no degree plan in their record.

Exceptions:

• AFTA will be provided for a Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) degree regardless of a student's education level.
• AFTA will be provided for a civilian college associate degree even if the student has a CCAF associate degree provided the student does not possess a civilian associate or higher degree.

While students are no longer required to obtain their supervisor's signature on the AFTA form, they are expected to discuss their schedule with him or her to ensure participation has their support.