Tuition Information for Military Students

COB Graduate Tuition Rates

Many people do not know that they can use their GI Bill to get a post-graduate degree. For graduate school, the VA will pay your benefits based on your enrollment. So, if you are taking 9 graduate hours, which is considered a full-time student, that is what the VA will pay you.

  • 0-5 hours – less than 1/2 time enrollment
  • 6-8 hours – 1/2 time enrollment
  • 9 hours and above – full time enrollment

Each online 3-hour class for a NC resident is $1,242.83 inclusive of tuition and all fees. So, if your certificate program is 4 classes long, this would be a total of $4971.32.

Tuition Assistance

Military Tuition Assistance is a benefit paid to eligible members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Congress has given each service the ability to pay up to 100% for the tuition expenses of its members.

Each service has its own criteria for eligibility, obligated service, application process’ and restrictions. This money is usually paid directly to the institution by the individual services.

​Additionally, active duty members may elect to use the GI Bill “top-up” in addition to their service provided TA to cover high-cost courses.

TA is not a loan; it should be viewed as money you have earned just like your base pay.

NCTAP

The North Carolina Tuition Assistance Program is:

  • for Army & Air National Guard members ONLY.
  • a REIMBURSEMENT program.
  • NOT designed to meet payment deadlines set by schools. It is your responsibility to make payment arrangements to avoid being dropped.
  • NOT the same as GoArmyEd or GI Bill® benefits. These are 3 SEPARATE programs.

NC Residency Waiver

If you are a current military Service Member stationed in North Carolina or a dependent of a current military Service Member stationed in North Carolina and wish to be considered for the military waiver benefit for reduced tuition, please complete the Military Waiver Application and submit it, along with an affidavit on letterhead from the appropriate military authority attesting to your permanent duty station, to Chanda Johnson (contact information is listed below). You may send the original copy via postal mail.

Chanda Johnson
Administrative Support Specialist
Office of the Registrar
207 East 5th Street
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
252-328-6077
johnsonch@ecu.edu

Please note: The military tuition benefit application must be filed prior to the 5th day of class of the semester for which the benefit is sought. Once you receive military status, you will retain this benefit giving you in-state tuition, providing you maintain continuous enrollment (Fall & Spring). Should you decide to sit out a semester, a new waiver must be filed. More information can be found on the Registrar’s page. 

Yellow Ribbon Program for Out-Of-State Residents

If you do not qualify for a residency waiver, but are utilizing the Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill®, you may possibly qualify for the Yellow Ribbon Program here at ECU. The Yellow Ribbon program is a joint initiative between ECU and the Veterans Administration that is designed to bring down the cost of education for out-of-state students. Participating students receive a payment of up to $3,000 per semester (fall and spring only) to assist in offsetting the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition/fees. In order to apply for the yellow ribbon program, please complete a Yellow Ribbon Application using your ECU single-sign on. In addition to the yellow ribbon application, you will also need to complete a Request for Benefits Form.