Military Tuition Assistance & VA Info

Cottey College is happy to accept Military Tuition Assistance (TA) and is eligible to do so under the Department of Defense Memorandum of Understanding. The program is available to active duty, National Guard and Reserve Component service members. TA can lessen your financial concerns and may be combined with VA benefits towards tuition costs. To find out how to get started, service members need to first check with an education counselor for the specifics involving TA by visiting their local installation education office or by going online to a virtual education center. Service members must receive approval from an Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within their military service prior to enrolling.

If a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded. To comply with the Department of Defense policy, Cottey College will return any unearned TA funds on a proportional basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending.

The amount of aid earned by the student is determined as of the date of withdrawal. If the amount disbursed to the student is greater than the amount earned, unearned funds will be returned to the funding agency. The percent earned equals the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the semester.

If a service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, and the service member notifies the school of their obligation, Cottey College will work with the affected service member to identify solutions that will not result in a student debt for the returned portion.

Calculation:
When a student officially withdraws from the College, the date of withdrawal will be used as the last date of attendance. If a student stops attending, without officially withdrawing, Cottey College will determine the last date of attendance based on information received from faculty.

Tuition Assistance Returns
Days 1 – 48 of the semester – 100% of amount of aid minus percent earned by student. The percent earned equals the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by number of days in the semester (80).
Days 49 – end of the semester (80) – 0%

VETERAN AFFAIRS INFORMATION

Cottey College is approved to offer assistance to those students using the benefits of the Veterans Administration (VA) for educational purposes. All students using these benefits must contact the college VA Certifying Official in the Academic Records office at 417-667-8181, ext. 2125, or registrar@cottey.edu.

Please Note: Cottey College participates in the Acadeum consortium of schools. Acadeum classes are available to Cottey students on an ‘as needed’ basis with the approval of the student’s advisor and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. These classes are not available to students receiving Veterans Administration (VA) benefits.