Air Force suspends tuition assistance

The Air Force has suspended its tuition assistance program for the remainder of the fiscal year, an Air Force spokeswoman said today.

The tuition assistance program was suspended as of 5 p.m. Monday, said Lt. Col. Laurel Tingley.

“Airmen can’t submit new requests for military tuition assistance,” Tingley said. “However, airmen who are currently enrolled in courses approved for TA aren’t affected, and they can complete their current courses.”

The Army and Marine Corps have also suspended their tuition assistance programs after a top defense official advised the services to consider “significant reductions in funding for new tuition assistance applicants,” a Defense Department spokesman told Air Force Times on March 8.

The Defense Department is facing about $46 billion in automatic budget cuts this fiscal year because lawmakers failed to reach an agreement about how to trim the deficit.