Tuition Assistance: Effect of Policy Change on Usage in the Marine Corps

Abstract

Tuition assistance (TA) is one of many voluntary education programs available to Marines to facilitate continuing their education and increase knowledge within the force. This program could thus support the Commandant of the Marine Corps’ call for preparing the force for the future by increasing knowledge management and retention. In March of 2019, the Marine Corps removed eligibility restrictions on TA to expand the opportunity of continued education to more Marines. This study determines what effect, if any, was achieved by the policy change with respect to utilization rate, type of individual TA user, and type of institutions chosen for high education. The analysis utilizes data from the Total Force Data Warehouse (TFDW), the Navy College Management Information System (NCMIS), and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). As intended, the 2019 policy change increased TA usage. Specifically, the rank most impacted by the policy is E3, which showed a significant increase in TA usage; however, the policy also resulted in a decrease in overall course success and an increase in the use at for-profit institutions. This study recommends further investigation of this topic covering a longer time frame, with data capable of accounting for potential selection bias, and a comparison between different branches of service.