APSU creates military tuition assistance scholarship to help students impacted by Federal Government shutdown

Clarksville, TN – Last Friday, Austin Peay State University officials distributed an email to their active duty military students, letting them know plans were being put in place to keep them in school regardless of the temporary shutdown of Tuition Assistance (TA), a benefit provided by the military to cover tuition expenses incurred by active duty military pursuing college credit.

On Monday, after notification was sent stating the federal budget had not passed, APSU president Tim Hall initiated an effort to implement a scholarship to offset the shutdown of TA.

“Our military students are such a strong part of who we are as an institution,” APSU President Tim Hall said. “About 20 percent of our students have a military connection, and these individuals enrich our campus life daily. They’ve committed themselves to serving our nation, so we’re committed to serving them. That’s why we’ve developed this emergency scholarship, allowing them to continue pursuing a degree, should the government shutdown continue.”

Students who are active duty military planning to attend Austin Peay’s Fall II term, an eight week term offered through the University’s Fort Campbell campus that begins on October 19th, will be able to enroll and receive the scholarship in the event that the federal budget is not resolved prior to the start of that term.

The scholarship is designed as a stopgap measure, covering tuition that military students would otherwise have to pay out of pocket due to the disruption of tuition assistance, covering up to two classes for a maximum of seven credit hours.

Should TA benefits be reinstated prior to the start of the semester or become retroactive, students taking advantage of the scholarship will be required to register and apply through www.GoArmyEd.com within the time allotted by the Army. If TA benefits are not restored, students will not be expected to repay the scholarship and will only be required to reimburse the University if they fail to comply with the terms of the scholarship.

Active duty military wishing to find out more can contact the Austin Peay Admissions Office located in the Ellington Building on the main campus located in Downtown Clarksville, by calling 800.844.APSU or emailing admissions@apsu.edu

For more information, please contact Bill Persinger by email at persingerb@apsu.edu or Charles Booth at boothcw@apsu.edu, or by phone at 931.221.7459.