The My Career Advancement Account Scholarship is a workforce development program that provides up to $4,000 of tuition assistance to eligible military spouses. The scholarship assists military spouses in pursuing licenses, certificates, certifications or associate degrees necessary to gain employment in high-demand, high-growth portable career fields and occupations. Spouses may use their My Career Advancement Account Scholarship funds at any academic institution approved for participation in the scholarship. The My Career Advancement Account Scholarship provides a maximum tuition benefit of $4,000 with an annual fiscal year cap of $2,000 to assist eligible military spouses who need professional credentials to meet their portable career goals. Annual cap waivers are available for licensure and certificate programs if there is an upfront tuition cost that exceeds $2,000 (up to the maximum education benefit of $4,000).
Spouses of service members on active duty in pay grades E-1 to E-5, W-1 to W-2 and O-1 to O-2 who have successfully completed high school and have the ability to request tuition assistance while their military sponsor is on Title 10 military orders are eligible. Spouses married to members of the National Guard and reserves in these same pay grades are eligible.
Those who are not eligible include the following:
- Spouses who are married but legally separated (or under court order or statute of any state or U.S. territory) from a member of the armed forces on Title 10 orders
- Spouses whose National Guard or reserve military sponsor is in a warning orders or alert, post-deployment, demobilization or transition status
- Spouses married to a member of the Coast Guard
The My Career Advancement Account Scholarship pays tuition costs for education and training courses and examinations leading to an associate degree (excluding associate degrees in general studies, liberal arts and interdisciplinary studies that do not have a concentration). The scholarship also covers the costs for obtaining a license, certificate or certification at an accredited college, university or technical school in the United States or approved testing organization that expands employment or portable career opportunities for military spouses.
The My Career Advancement Account Scholarship will NOT pay for the following:
- Tuition for courses and examinations not included in the spouse’s Education and Training Plan and courses already started or completed by the spouse
- Reimbursements of any kind
- Books, supplies, equipment, uniforms, computers and electronic devices of any kind
- Student activities, events and entertainment
- Prepayment or deposits for future courses, unless costs are part of a block of study
- School or college level entrance examinations, comprehensive exams and related preparatory courses
- Courses, tests or fees normally paid by an employer as part of a job training program
- Fees of any kind, including but not limited to registration fees, technology fees, parking fees, etc.
- Nonacademic credit or ungraded courses, including courses taken on an audit basis or as an internship, practicum, apprenticeship or clinical supervision; also, nonacademic credit or ungraded orientation programs
- Courses taken more than one time, unless the My Career Advancement Account Scholarship has received a full refund from the school
- Academic credit by examination tests
- General studies, liberal arts and interdisciplinary associate degrees that do not have a concentration
- Personal enrichment courses (excluding academic credit or graded electives in an approved My Career Advancement
Account Scholarship Spouse Education and Training Plan
- Transportation, lodging, child care and medical services
- Course extensions (except for approved hardship waivers)
- Study-abroad programs (excluding programs of study offered by participating My Career Advancement Account Scholarship schools on overseas military installations)
- Private licenses (For example, a private pilot’s license would not be covered because it is for recreational use, but a commercial pilot’s license would be covered because it would be used for an occupation.)
- High school completion programs, including online high school completion programs
- Continuing education credits to maintain a standing in a professional organization
Spouses can visit the My Career Advancement Account Scholarship Spouse Portal online at https://mycaa.militaryonesource.mil/ and provide the required Spouse Profile information. All scholarship participants are required to use DS Logon to access their accounts. Military spouses enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, or DEERS, are eligible for a DS Logon account. For more information, visit https://mycaa.militaryonesource.mil/
Contact the Wallace College Financial Aid Office once MyCAA approval has been issued each semester.