The Marine Corps announced on Oct. 17 that, effective immediately, TA has been cut by 75 percent for service members taking college classes during off-duty hours.

This drastic cut reduced the Department of Defense’s TA standard of $3,500 per year, which still remains for other services, to an annual cap of $875 for the Marine Corps.

The new policy provides TA for only five credit hours each year. With these restrictions, it would take about 26 years for a Marine to obtain a traditional 120-credit bachelor’s degree relying solely on tuition assistance.

According to the Marine Administrative Message 616/11, signed by Lt. Gen. R. E. Milstead Jr., deputy commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, the Marine Corps TA analysis claims that most TA users take an average of four to five semester hours per year.

“This change is directed to more specifically focus the tuition assistance utilization in the Marine Corps to first-term Marines interested in initiating higher educational pursuit,” according to the MARADMIN. “Maximizing educational opportunities or the greater number of Marines demands that we adjust the scope of the Marine Corps TA program.”

However, with these new restrictions, Marines will now be limited to what equates to less than two classes per year. Previously, many Marines were afforded the opportunity to attend school as a full-time student, ranging from two to four classes per semester. With the new funding provisions in place, students will be forced to find alternative measures to pay for their tuitions.

In addition to the reduced allowance in education, Marines who are just entering the fleet must have at least one year on their current duty station to be eligible for tuition assistance. Combined with recruit and combat training, and military occupational specialty school, many first-term Marines will be unable to enhance their education during the first half of their initial enlistment.

“Tuition assistance is very popular among the Marines on base,” said Pat Jeffress, branch manager for Camp Pendleton’s Joint Education Center. “We have gotten a lot of calls since [Oct. 17] from recruiting commands voicing their concerns about their ability to recruit new Marines.”

The Marine Corps spent $52.2 million on tuition assistance in 2010, compared to the Army who spent $211 million, according to Department of Defense statistics cited in the Oct. 24 issue of Marine Corps Times.

Between Palomar, Central Texas, Saddleback and Mira Costa Community Colleges alone (all community colleges offered to active-duty personnel on Camp Pendleton), Marines registered for nearly 2,000 classes, said Jeffress, and nearly 15,000 classes were taken across the Marine Corps in 2010.

The new MARADMIN insists that funding options are available to Marines for their education, and the Post 9/11 GI Bill has created a greater number of choices in the academic institutions they can choose to attend. However, many Marines have relied solely on TA to get a head start on their education before exiting the Corps.

“I’m only ten credits away from receiving my associate’s degree,” said Cpl. Chris Galliher, a postal clerk with Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and frequent user of TA and financial aid. “Luckily for me, I qualify for grants and financial aid, but that’s not necessarily the case for Marines who receive [basic allowance for housing], so they will be forced to activate their GI Bill.”

Those who do choose to activate their GI Bill while still on active duty will not receive BAH and will only receive the amount to cover the cost of tuition.

For those who do not wish to active their GI Bill while on active duty, there are other outlets to ease the burden of the new TA restrictions. These can include applying for student loans, qualifying for a Pell Grant or Board of Governors waiver, or applying for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

More information about financial assistance is available at the JEC locations on Mainside, School of Infantry and South Mesa Club. The JEC also provides information about the GI Bill, free counseling for service members thinking about attending school and other educational information.