Troy University offering scholarships to those impacted by Military Tuition Assistance halted during shutdown – Alabama Daily News
WASHINGTON — A key program that helps service members pay for higher education has been paused during the federal government shutdown, leaving some students in limbo in Alabama.
At Troy University, the suspension of the Tuition Assistance Program, which offers financial aid to service members in all branches of the military, will impact about 800 students. So, the university is offering those military students a scholarship during the shutdown to ensure their classes aren’t interrupted during the federal funding lapse.
“It’s very important for the student, because a lot of students would not be able to continue with their education plans without this,” Scot Brumbeloe, director of military and veterans affairs at Troy, told Alabama Daily News.
On Monday, Troy started term two, and military students enrolled in classes for the term that runs through mid-December will not receive previously approved funds from the Tuition Assistance Program during the shutdown. The assistance for the term was cancelled by all service branches, according to the university. That’s where Troy’s new scholarship comes in.
“We don’t want any interruptions to the student based on government shutdowns or anything like that, and so we are encouraging them to continue with their plan,” Brumbeloe told ADN.
The scholarship offered to students will be up to $250 per credit hour, which is the Department of Defense’s cap for the federal program. Troy’s current in-state undergraduate tuition is $424 per credit hour.
Troy University already offers military students a Military and Family Scholarship that covers other tuition expenses, which means the new scholarship will ensure that no military students who use Tuition Assistance have any out-of-pocket tuition expenses for the term.
“As a Marine, I learned you never leave anyone behind on the battlefield,” Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr, said in a statement. “This is a time of uncertainty, but Troy University won’t let our military students face this challenge alone.”
The cost of offering the tuition scholarship for military students to replace the federally funded Tuition Assistance Program is up to about $1 million, according to Troy officials. Troy spokesman Clif Lusk said the university will be able to fund the scholarships as a direct result of “stewardship” by senior administration officials at the university. The scholarship shows Troy’s commitment to military students, he added.
Data on how many students across the state use the federal program is not available. Jim Purcell, executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, praised Troy’s efforts and said other schools may also use emergency relief funds to address the gap in federal money.
“I wouldn’t doubt that there are others addressing it that way,” Purcell told Alabama Daily News.
The federal government shutdown is in its third week, after the Senate returned Tuesday and, for the eighth time, failed to advance the Republican-led short-term spending measure.
If the federal government does not reopen during Troy’s current term, Brumbeloe said military students who use Tuition Assistance at Troy will not be liable to pay anything back for their classes.
Alabama Daily News’ Mary Sell contributed to this report.
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