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Government Shutdown Notification (Effective October 1, 2025)

The federal government has entered a shutdown. This affects all military education benefits, including Tuition Assistance (TA), Credentialing Assistance (CA), AF COOL, Civilian TA, and Navy NCPACE.

What This Means for You

  • No new funding during the shutdown – Requests for Tuition Assistance (TA), Credentialing Assistance (CA), AF COOL, or Civilian TA are paused during the shutdown and cannot be paid or approved for courses starting during the shutdown.
  • Retroactive funding is not guaranteed – Once a budget or continuing resolution (CR) is passed, funding may resume, but back-pay for classes that started during the shutdown is uncertain.
  • Education offices are furloughed – Points of Contact (POCs) will not be available until the shutdown ends.
  • Work directly with your DSU Military/Veterans Team – You may need to decide whether to remain enrolled and self-pay or delay until funding resumes.

Important Note: Students using VA Education Benefits (e.g., Post-9/11 GI Bill, Chapter 35, Chapter 31, etc.) should not be impacted by the shutdown, as VA funding is not subject to the same restrictions.

Branch-Specific Notes

Army

  • Includes Tuition Assistance (TA) and Credentialing Assistance (CA).
  • If your TA request is canceled, you’ll need to submit a new request for a future term once funding resumes.
  • No “historical” TA requests will be created for courses that started during the shutdown.

Air Force / Space Force

  • Includes Military TA, AF COOL, and Civilian TA.
  • Reminder: An approved TA request is not a payment guarantee.
  • All Education & Training Sections, AF COOL offices, and POCs are furloughed.

Navy / Marine Corps

  • Includes TA and NCPACE.
  • Navy College offices are closed (no phone, chat, or email support during shutdown).
  • TA/NCPACE approvals will resume when a budget/CR is passed, but courses that start during the shutdown will not be retroactively funded unless Congress specifically authorizes it.

What You Can Do Now

  • Stay in close contact with DSU’s Military/Veterans Team for guidance.
  • Consider your options: continue classes and pay out of pocket, or wait until funding resumes.
  • Monitor official updates. We will post new guidance as soon as it is available.

We appreciate your patience and flexibility. We know this is a difficult situation, and we remain committed to supporting our servicemembers and their families. DSU will continue to monitor official guidance and will post updates here as soon as they’re available.

If you have any questions, please contact any one of our team members:

Amy Kellen
DSU Military & Transfer Academic Student Advisor
akellen [at] desu.edu

Lolita Treadwell
Director, DSU@ Dover Air Force Base
ltreadwell [at] desu.edu

Devon G. Wilson
DSU Director of Veteran Affairs
dgwilson [at] desu.edu