Arizona National Guard State Tuition Reimbursement

Arizona reimburses a member of the Arizona National Guard up to $250 per semester hour for tuition, capped at $5,250 in a state fiscal year. The word reimbursement is the operative one. The member pays the institution and is repaid, rather than having the bill covered up front. That cash-flow pattern catches people out, and a Guard member without the money to front a semester should ask the unit education office about alternatives before enrolling. The $5,250 annual cap is not a coincidence. It matches the federal limit on employer-provided educational assistance that can be excluded from income under section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code, which is why so many tuition programs land on that figure. The state program sits alongside federal Guard tuition assistance and the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve under Chapter 1606. They are separate pots and a Guard member should ask the unit education officer how to sequence them, since using the wrong one first can waste entitlement. There is no disability rating requirement. This is a benefit of current service. A Guard member who is medically discharged should look at the separate tuition waiver Arizona provides for medically discharged Arizona National Guard members, which is a different program with different terms. Apply through the Arizona National Guard education office. Funding is appropriated, so submit early in the fiscal year rather than late.