
Effective 9 June 2025, Army Continuing Education System (ACES) will be CLOSED on Thursdays!
At the Bragg Training and Education Center (BTEC) at 4520 Knox Street:
ACES Counseling will be open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 0800-1630.
ACES Testing will be open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 0730-1630.
At the Soldier Support Center (SSC) at 2843 Normandy Drive:
ACES In & Out-Processing will be open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 0800-1630
For assistance, please contact the education center through ArmyIgnitED messaging or email.
Updated 11 December 2024:
Changes to the Army’s tuition and credentialing assistance programs have been announced. The updates to the policy bring the Army in closer alignment to other services and support long-term sustainability for these valuable resources.
Key changes:
Tuition Assistance
- Increase annual cap from $4,000 to $4,500
- Increase semester hours from 16 to 18
- Require Soldiers who are first time users of TA to take ArmyIgnitED training prior to requesting TA
- Require Soldiers to use the decision support tool prior to requesting TA.
Credentialing Assistance
- Decrease the annual cap from $4,000 to $2,000
- Limit Soldiers to one credential a year and a max of three in 10 years
- Require Soldiers to take associated credential exam or recoup the cost of the course work/training
- Limit Aviation credentials to $1,000 per year for all Army components.
- Require Soldiers who are first time users of CA to take ArmyIgnitED training prior to requesting CA
- Require Soldiers to use the decision support tool prior to requesting CA.
Additional details can be found in the following article:
https://www.army.mil/article/281853/army_approves_tuition_assistance...
Army Tuition Assistance
Army Tuition Assistance (TA) supports Soldiers' voluntary postsecondary education, enabling Soldiers to complete college classes and earn degrees. TA is financial assistance provided for voluntary, off-duty education programs in support of a Soldier's professional and personal development goals.
What Is Funded?
- TA funds up to 18 semester hours (SH) per fiscal year at the rate of up to $250 per SH for the cost of tuition only.
- Soldiers may complete one degree at the associate, bachelor's, and master's level within the following lifetime limits: 130 SH undergraduate credit or a bachelor's degree (whichever comes first), and up to 39 SH graduate credit or a master's degree (whichever comes first).
- Soldiers are authorized one undergraduate or graduate certificate per lifetime with a cap of 21 SH.
- Soldiers may pursue one Special Program such as USAREC-approved AMEDD programs or Specialized Chaplain Certificates, with a lifetime cap of 39 SH.
How Do I Apply?
- Soldiers must log into ARMYIGNITED with their CAC.
- Soldiers who are first time TA users must complete ArmyIgnitED TA training and use the CAREER PATH DECIDE decision support tool prior to requesting TA funding.
- Soldiers must declare an educational goal in ArmyIgnitED and upload an Evaluated Degree Plan (EDP).
- Soldiers must request TA in ArmyIgnitED up to 60 days prior to the term start date and no later than 7 days prior to the term start date.
- Soldiers must maintain a minimum TA grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 after completion of 15 SH of TA-funded undergraduate credit or a TA GPA of 3.0 after completion of 6 SH of TA-funded graduate credit.
Army Credentialing Assistance
Army Credentialing Assistance (CA) directly contributes to supporting Soldiers' professional development, retaining quality Soldiers, and preparing Soldiers for meaningful employment upon transition from military service. CA is a voluntary off-duty program that provides Soldiers with funding for more than 1,900 credentials.
What Is Funded?
- CA funds up to $2,000 and one credential per fiscal year; for aviation-related credentials, Soldiers are limited to $1,000.
- CA funds 3 credentials for every 10 years of service based on a Soldier's Basic Active Service Date (BASD).
- CA can be used for any credential listed on the ARMYCOOL website and does not have to be related to the Soldier's MOS
- CA may pay for expenses for classroom, hands-on, online/blended training and required associated materials to include: manuals, study guides, textbooks, processing fees, test fees, related fees for continuing education requirements, and recertification of credentials.
How Do I Apply?
- Soldiers must apply for CA funding in ARMYIGNITED
- Soldiers who are first time CA users must complete ArmyIgnitED CA training and use the MILGEARS decision support tool prior to requesting CA funding
- Soldiers will need to create a Credentialing Assistance Education Goal and upload a custom quote provided by the vendor
- CA requests must be submitted at least 45 days prior to the course or exam start date, but not more than 90 days from the submission date.
- The Army Credentialing Assistance Program Office (ACAPO) will review the request for funding and Soldiers will be notified via ArmyIgnitED messaging once the CA request is approved.
- Virtual Army CA Counselors are available to assist with required CA training and the CA request process using the link on the ARMYCOOL website.
In-person and virtual ArmyIgnitED 101 Briefings are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1200 at Bragg Training and Education Center, 4520 Knox Street, Fort Bragg, NC in E Wing, Room 115.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Do I have to attend ArmyIgnitED 101 briefing?
ArmyIgnitED 101 (also known as TA 101) is mandatory for all new Army TA users.
I already attended the ArmyIgnitED 101 Briefing. Do I need to attend again?
If you already attended ArmyIgnitED 101 or TA 101, but still receive a blocker on your account stating you need to attend an ArmyIgnitED 101 Brief, send a message in ArmyIgnitED to your education center. Your education center will need to review your account to determine if you need to attend the new briefing.
When are ArmyIgnitED 101 briefings?
Fort Bragg offers in-person and virtual briefings on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1200 at BTEC, 4520 Knox St., in E Wing Room 115. Contact the education center using ArmyIgnitED Messaging if you need log in information for the virtual briefing.
What is Career Path Decide?
The Career Path Decide decision support tool allows Soldiers to research information on specific career and vocational outlooks, provides information on academic institutions that are eligible for Army TA, and take skill assessments to use when exploring career fields. A Career Path Decide goals report is required to be uploaded by Soldiers into ArmyIgnitED prior to creating an Education Goal.
Are there tutorials for using ArmyIgnitED?
Tutorials are available to Soldiers by logging into ArmyIgnitED, selecting the HELP link in the upper right corner, then navigating to the Documents and Links section.