We Honor Your Service and Support Your Academic Goals
At American Public University (APU), we understand the unique challenges you face as you strive to fulfill your military service obligations while pursuing higher education. Our classes are online with no set login times and our classes start every month, so you can begin on your schedule. We 're also committed to saving you time and money by awarding transfer credit for your prior college coursework and life experiences.
A Few Reasons Why We Are #11 APU Removes Barriers
With Preferred Military Rate4
*There is also a technology fee of $85 for master's level courses.
1Based on FY 2019 Department of Defense tuition assistance data, as reported by Military Times, 2020.
2A $100 fee is required for all doctoral applications.
3Ebooks are provided at no cost to all undergraduate, doctoral, and Preferred Military Rate-eligible master’s-level students. A hard-copy textbook is provided at no cost if an ebook is not available.
4All U.S. active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, Reservists, and military families, (parents, spouses, legal partners, siblings, and dependents) are eligible for the Preferred Military Rate of $250/credit for undergraduate and master’s-level courses. The Preferred Military Rate, which is applied automatically, supersedes all other university grants and special rates, and cannot be combined with any other special promotions. Please note that a technology fee applies to master’s-level courses.
Find Your Local Military Education Manager
If you cannot find a representative in your area, please email [email protected] or call
877-755-2787
Mon - Thurs: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ETFri: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET
Sat: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET
Sun: Closed
Preferred Military Rate
American Public University's Preferred Military Rate of $250 per credit hour for both undergraduate and master's-level courses is available to all U.S. active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, Reservists and military families, including parents, spouses, legal partners, siblings, and dependents.
To further minimize education costs, APU also offers $0 cost ebooks for all undergraduate, doctoral, and Preferred Military Rate-eligible master’s-level courses
The Preferred Military Rate, which is applied automatically, supersedes all other university grants and special rates, and cannot be combined with any other special promotions.
Additional Resources
We are committed to helping our military students find additional savings beyond the military TA. We help you limit out-of-pocket costs by offering low tuition rates, a tuition grant, an undergraduate and master's-level book grant, and much more.
Each military branch has specific methods they use to document military training that the American Council on Education (ACE) has evaluated for college credit. You may be eligible to apply your documented military training, prior education or non-academic experience to your degree program at APU.*
*The University reserves the right to accept or deny credits according to the policies outlined on these transfer credit webpages. Actual time to completion will be based upon transfer credit evaluation and eligibility.
You can return to your program if you submitted a request to place your program on hold prior to a military deployment or if you did not make any progress on your academic program for a full year.
Steps to Get Started
Complete Admissions Requirements
After you submit your admissions application, review the undergraduate or graduate admissions ecampus tutorial and relevant tuition checklists (financial aid). An admissions coach will walk you through the follow-up steps you need to get started.
Admissions Info by Branch
Servicemembers, military family members, and veterans follow the same general admission requirements as all other undergraduate or graduate students. Here is additional branch-specific information just for you:
Air Force
Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) Graduates
CCAF graduates can complete certain bachelor's degrees in 60 semester hours or less through the Air University's Associate-to-Baccalaureate Cooperative Program (AU-ABC).
The CCAF General Education Mobile (GEM)
APU is proud to be one of a select few academic institutions invited to participate in the CCAF GEM program, allowing Airmen to complete CCAF's 15 semester hours of general education requirements from a selection of APU courses. If you are enrolling here to transfer credits back to CCAF, select "Undergraduate Individual Courses" when you complete the admissions application.
ID Verification
Undergraduate Airmen are required to submit a government-issued CCAF transcript. Graduate Airmen will submit a legible copy of a government-issued photo ID
Please note: Military ID cannot be accepted.
Tuition Assistance
Air Force tuition assistance (TA) is offered to active-duty Airmen and Reserves on extended active duty. TA is paid up to $250 per credit hour for a total of $4,500 per fiscal year.
Army
ArmyIgnitED
If you are a current student and an active-duty soldier, Army National Guard member, or Army Reservist who plans to use Tuition Assistance (TA) or Credentialing Assistance to pay for school, you must create a student account in ArmyIgnitED.
If you are not yet a student, you must first apply to APU.
All Army servicemembers interested in requesting TA or CA can learn about next steps and get your questions answered by visiting our ArmyIgnitED webpage.
Questions?
Should you have any questions or need additional assistance, please contact us at [email protected].
ID Verification
The university will automatically submit a government-issued joint services transcript (JST) for all applicable servicemembers.
Tuition Assistance
All soldiers, including Army Reserve and Army National Guard on active duty, are eligible for TA for up to $250 per credit hour with a $4,000 cap per fiscal year.
Learn more about tuition assistance
Credentialing Assistance (CA)
As a CA provider we offer on-demand courses that support your pursuit of in-demand industry credentials available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Coast Guard
ID Verification
The university will automatically submit a government-issued joint services transcript (JST) for all applicable servicemembers.
Tuition Assistance
Coast Guard tuition assistance (TA) is offered to uniformed personnel who are on active duty (including Reservists on Active Duty Operational Support (ADOS) or Extended Active Duty (EAD) contracts. The Coast Guard is now offering 100% tuition assistance not to exceed $250 per credit hour and $4,500 per fiscal year.
Marine Corps
CBIRF
Marines and sailors in the Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF), at the Naval Support Facility in Indian Head, Maryland can receive college credit at APU for their extensive training in emergency and disaster response. CBIRF students completing the Basic Operations Course can receive up to 15 transfer credits toward one of five associate and bachelor’s degree programs offered at APU.
Eligible CBIRF Programs
- B.A. in Emergency and Disaster Management
- B.A. in Homeland Security
- B.S. in Public Health
- A.A. in Weapons of Mass Destruction
- A.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies
ID Verification
The university will automatically submit a government-issued joint services transcript (JST) for all applicable servicemembers.
Tuition Assistance
Marine Corps tuition assistance (TA) is offered to active-duty Marines up to $250 per credit hour for a total of $4,500 per fiscal year.
Navy
Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership
This program allows all active, retired, or reserve members of the U.S. Navy to pursue rating-relevant degrees in the Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership (NCPDLP) in associate and bachelor degree programs. Please contact one of our regional education coordinators located near you.
ID Verification
The university will automatically submit a government-issued joint services transcript (JST) for all applicable servicemembers.
Tuition Assistance
Navy tuition assistance (TA) is offered to active duty sailors and selected Reservists on active duty for 120 continuous days who have completed a minimum of three years of service (Cannot be waived). Additionally, TA is capped at eighteen (18) semester hours per fiscal year and you can be reimbursed up to 100% of the course cost, not to exceed $250 per semester hour. Sailors can only use TA to fund two courses each quarter of the fiscal year. Active duty enlisted Sailors under 16 years of service and reservists on active duty orders must have 12 months or more remaining on their current enlistment or extension as of the course start date.
Military Families
Military family members include parents, spouses, legal partners, siblings, and dependents of active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, and Reservists.
These family members qualify for these benefits at APU:
- Preferred Military Rate of $250/credit for undergraduate and master's-level courses.
- Ebooks provided at no cost to military family members enrolled in undergraduate and master's-level programs.
Military spouses are also eligible to participate in the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Scholarship program.
Benefits of Using MyCAA
- The scholarship provides military spouses with up to $4,000 of financial assistance for qualified programs.
- APU waives its $85 course technology fees when using the scholarship to pay for courses.
Eligibility
You can apply for MyCAA if you are the spouse of a servicemember on active duty in pay grades E-1 to E-5, W-1 to W-2, and O-1 to O-2, and you can start and complete your coursework while your spouse is on Title 10 military orders. This includes spouses married to members of the National Guard and Reserve Components in these same pay grades.
Visit the MyCAA Spouse Portal online to apply. A real-time eligibility check will confirm if you meet MyCAA eligibility requirements.
Visit our MyCAA Scholarship page for details on using your MyCAA benefits here at the university. You can also call an admissions representative 877-755-2787 or email [email protected] for more help.
Veterans
You served our nation. Now it’s time for us to serve you.
As a veteran, you might be searching for “veteran friendly” colleges to advance your education. At APU, we honor our veterans and their families by offering a tuition grant for undergraduate and master’s-level programs. Veteran family members include parents, spouses, legal partners, siblings, and dependents.
It also means we have military veterans on our faculty and staff, and a dedicated veteran's support team. Here you'll find:
- Individual help activating your veterans benefits, as well as academic and career support.
- Flexible, online course schedules that let you study whether on a rotating work shift, business trip or a re-activation.
- A school that participates in the GI Bill Yellow Ribbon program.
- 70,000+ other veteran and military students just like you.
Additional Resources
Visit our Veterans Benefits page to learn how you can use your benefits to pay for school.
Check out the VA GI Bill comparison table to understand which benefits are right for you.
Complete your GI Bill application on the VA Benefits website. Note: Enrollment verification cannot be submitted until the university receives a copy of your completed VA paperwork and you have successfully enrolled in a class. Once your paperwork is processed and you have started classes, the VA Certifying Official will electronically submit your Certification of Enrollment (22-1999).
Join the 45,000-member strong Student Veterans of America chapter.
