Baker College Return of Unearned Military Tuition Assistance Policy

Table of Contents

 
 

Return of Unearned Military Tuition Assistance Funds (TA)

Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is given with the expectation that you'll stay enrolled for the entire course. If you withdraw from a class, you may lose eligibility for some, or all, of the TA funds you were originally awarded. 

How Tuition Assistance is Earned

  • TA is earned gradually as you attend your courses.
  • If you stop attending before 60% of the course is completed, Baker College must return the unearned portion of your TA.
  • Returned funds go back to your military branch.

What this Mean for You

If you withdraw early, you may end up owing a balance to the College because your TA will be reduced based on how much of the course you completed.

Withdrawing Due to Military Orders

Baker College recognizes the commitment our student service members make to the armed forces, and we understand that deployment may occur while you are enrolled in courses. 

If you are deployed during a semester, Baker College will work with you to ensure that the returned portion of your TA funds will not result in a student debt. For additional details regarding deployment during a semester, please review the knowledge base article, Military Deployment.

Schedule for the Return of Unearned TA Funds

To remain in compliance with the Department of Defense’s policy, Baker College returns any unearned TA funds through at least 60% of the semester on a prorated basis. The amount of unearned TA that is returned is based on the date of withdrawal from the course.

  • After 60% of the semester has passed, TA will not be evaluated for a return to the DOD.
  • Baker College will not bill the DOD until after 60% of the billing period has passed, in an effort to reduce the amount of incorrect TA funds being disbursed by the DOD to Baker College.
  • We only bill for the amount the student earned given his or her enrollment.

Bold type identifies the 60% completion point

16 Week Course: Withdrawal Submitted

Table 1: The schedule for the return of tuition assistance funds upon withdrawal from a 16 week course
16 Week Return of TA Schedule
Before or during week 1
 100% return
During weeks 2 – 4
75% return
During weeks 5 – 8  
50% return
During weeks 9 – 10   
40% return (60% of course is completed)
During weeks 11 – 16   
0% return
Note: Semester weeks are defined as 7 days, Monday through Sunday.

8 Week Course: Withdrawal Submitted         

Table 2: The schedule for the return of tuition assistance funds upon withdrawal from a 8 week course
8 Week Return of TA Schedule
Before or during week 1  
100% return
During week 2   
75% return
During weeks 3 – 4 
50% return
During week 5
40% return (60% of course is completed)
During weeks 6 – 8
0% return
Note: Semester weeks are defined as 7 days, Monday through Sunday.

6 Week Course: Withdrawal Submitted 

Table 3: The schedule for the return of tuition assistance funds upon withdrawal from a 6 week course
6 Week Return of TA Schedule
Before or during week 1
100% return
During weeks 2 – 3   
50% return
During week 4
40% return (60% of course is completed)
During weeks 5 – 6
0% return
Note: Semester weeks are defined as 7 days, Monday through Sunday.

4 Week Course: Withdrawal Submitted 

Table 4: The schedule for the return of tuition assistance funds upon withdrawal from a 4 week course
4 Week Return of TA Schedule
Before or during week 1  
100% return
During week 2
50% return
During week 3  
40% return (60% of course is completed)
During week 4
0% return
Note: Semester weeks are defined as 7 days, Monday through Sunday.

Other Course Lengths

To determine the amount of TA that needs to be returned:

  • Calculate the number of days you were enrolled in the course (start date of the course through the withdrawal date).
  • Divide the number of days enrolled by the total number of days the course is scheduled to meet. 
  • The result is the percentage of TA you earned.
  • Any remaining percentage is the unearned TA, which must be returned to the Department of Defense (DoD).

Example:

  • You withdrew from a course on day 15
  • The course is 5 weeks (35 days) in duration.
  • 15 days enrolled divided by 35 days the course is scheduled to meet equals 42.9%.
  • You earned 43% of the TA authorized, leaving 57% of what was authorized to be returned to the DOD.
    • ​​​​​​​Alternatively, the DoD will only be billed for 57% of the original authorized TA funds.
​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Date of Implementation:   Immediately
Date of Adoption:   7/17/19

 

For additional questions regarding military tuition assistance benefits email billing@baker.edu or click the "Submit a Ticket" button.

Submit a Ticket Print Article

Related Articles (1)

Information on the active military tuition assistance programs at Baker College.

Related Services / Offerings (1)

Submit questions about an account balance, payments, recent account activity, or residence hall charges.