Prompted by sequestration cuts, the Marine Corps has halted new enrollments in its tuition assistance program.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced Saturday that one of the immediate consequences of sequestration would be the ceasing of new U.S. Marine Corps enrollments in voluntary education tuition assistance.
Stars and Stripes reports the announcement also affects Marines now enrolled in the program:
Marines already using the program said they were informed that their assistance also would be cut off after the current semester and that they should meet with guidance counselors for information about scholarships and grants.
Tuition Assistance (TA) provides active-duty Marines with funding to help pay for "High School completion, Vocational Certificates, Associate, Bachelor, Master and Doctorate Degrees."
Veterans of Foreign Wars spokesman Joe Davis told Military.com he worries the sequestration cuts will affect tuition programs in other branches of the military, too:
"It's just the beginning in the curtailment or even the ending of the 'people programs' that the military provides.
"It's an unfortunate reality right now. The military preaches higher education from day one – it's a right of passage for higher rank – and now they're cutting the programs."
