The South Dakota National Guard helps you get an education and prepares you for life. Joining the Guard gives you more than just the pride that comes from serving your country. You can earn benefits to help pay for your education and expenses, and you can complete your education while you serve. The National Guard offers many programs for every type of student, whether you're still in high school, attending college or working toward a vocational certification.

South Dakota Army National Guard – Education Office Step by Step Process for Applying for Federal and State Tuition Assistance

Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) - Army IgnitEd - https://armyignited.cce.af.mil/student/public/welcome

All students that are eligible for Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) must use FTA in their first semester of the current fiscal year before they can utilize State Tuition Assistance (STA). The current only exceptions for STA and no FTA are as follows; students pursuing degrees above a master's degree, ROTC scholarship cadets on a 4-year Dedicated Scholarship commonly called the Minuteman Scholarship, Soldiers that already have a degree at or above the degree they are now pursuing, and Soldiers that have maxed out their credits for their current degree program in Army Ignited or have maxed out their lifetime FTA credits up to 130 credits of undergraduate coursework, 39 credits of graduate coursework , or 21credits towards an academic certificate.

Step 1: You must request your Joint Service Transcript and have it sent to your school. You can request directly from the JST website and have it sent directly to your school via the following link. https://jst.doded.mil/

Your JST and any other college credits must be applied to your evaluate degree plan before you upload it to Army Ignited.

Step 2: You must complete the Army IgnitEd 101 Training via link below and either send a message in Army Ignited or email MAJ Tipton and PFC Ridley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Ksr6dF5sc

Step 3: You must complete the Decision Support Tool in Army Ignited by  completing  Career Path Decide, https://www.careerpathdecide.org/profile-work-type, Kuder Journey, https://dantes.kuder.com/landing-page, or O-net, https://onetinterestprofiler.org and past the link in the Decision Support Tool section Army Ignited.

Step 4: You will now be able to create your Education Goal in Army Ignited. When you go to create your Ed Goal you must upload your evaluated degree plan under Supporting Documentation to Army Ignited. Your evaluated degree plan can be found on your school's student portal under degree works for South Dakota Universities or look for Advising Worksheet for Tech Schools in the student portal.

Step 5: You will need to complete the Virtual Benefits Training in Army IgnitEd before you are able to apply for funding

If the APPLY for FUNDING button is grey, then there's at least one funding blocker for you to resolve. Read the tiny text just above that button to see the issue(s). Then resolve the issue.

Step 6: Now you can apply for your FTA funding. Select your Education Goal in Army Ignited and click on APPLY FOR FUNDING to apply for your classes. You will not receive your FTA unless you complete this step. The application window for FTA is 60 days prior to the course start date and the window closes 8 days prior to the start date. Input each Tuition Assistance Request (TAR) one course at a time. Be sure to use accurate TERM start and end dates for each class, inputting incorrect dates will make you financially responsible for your own tuition payments.

If you need assistance from the SDARNG Education office, please send a message in Army Ignited or email the office. Please include a copy of your current schedule in every email so we can best support you.

STA Instructions on back – Turn Over

State Tuition Assistance - MV90 Website https://apps.sd.gov/mv90tuitionassistance

All students that are eligible for Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) must use FTA in their first semester of the current fiscal year before they can utilize State Tuition Assistance (STA). The current only exceptions for STA and no FTA are; students pursuing degrees above a master's degree, ROTC scholarship cadets on a 4-year Dedicated Scholarship commonly called the Minuteman Scholarship, and Soldiers that already have a degree at or above the degree they are now pursuing.

You must fully utilize FTA until you max out at $250 per semester hour, up to 18 SHs for a total of $4,500 per fiscal year (Max Tuition Assistance and Credentialing Assistance) before you are allowed to use STA.

If you are attending a South Dakota public university or technical university and your classes are more than $250 per credit hour, you can apply for STA to cover the cost above $250 before maxing out at 18 credit hours per fiscal year of FTA.

If you are attending one of the four South Dakota Non-Profit universities your FTA application will cover all tuition costs up to 18 SHs. You will not be allowed to apply for STA for the same credits you are applying for FTA as FTA has already covered all costs per the SD Codified Law:33-6-5. 5.

Reminder the following South Dakota Non-Profit universities are eligible for SD STA: USF(Bach & Masters), DWU(Bach Only), MMU(Bach Only), AU(Bach Only).

The US Federal Fiscal Year is from 1 October to 30 September, and the class start date determines which fiscal year the FTA request will be applied to.

Even if you think you will not qualify for a PELL grant, you should also always submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on www.studentaid.gov. In addition, many schools have internal scholarships and grants that you cannot access unless you have submitted a FAFSA.

The application window for STA is 60 days prior to the course start date and the window closes 7 days after the start date of the course. You must have fully maxed out FTA at 18 SHs before you will be allowed to apply for STA unless you have an exemption as stated above.

If you are using your GI Bill while in school, you will need to submit an application at: https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits and notify your school VA Certifying Official at your school so they can certify your enrollment, and you will need to verify your enrollment each month via text message, email, or calling 1-888-GIBILL1 (1-888-442-4551)

Please apply for State Tuition Assistance on the MV90 website. https://apps.sd.gov/mv90tuitionassistance

For STA, please upload your schedule via PDF with your name on it, the course numbers, course name, and add your student ID if it is not on your schedule when submitting your STA application.

I will not approve any STA request unless you have already applied for FTA this upcoming Semester or have an authorized exemption as listed above.

You are responsible for understanding the materials provided. I would recommend reading the above message twice before starting the application process. If you have questions or need additional information, use the ArmyignitED message tool, or contact MAJ Tipton, your SDARNG ESO at travis.d.tipton3.mil@army.mil, 605-737-6520 or PFC Makayla Ridley, 605-737-6065,  makayla.j.ridley2.mil@army.mil