Tutoring Assistance

Making the transition from military to civilian life can be tough. Dealing with the demands of a full academic load can be just as hard. Tutorial assistance can lighten that load.

If you're attending Mason with VA benefits, you might have access to funds to help pay for tutoring through a supplement to your regular education benefit. Tutorial assistance of up to $100 per month, up to a maximum of  $1,200 per year, is available if you get VA educational assistance at the half-time or greater rate.

There might be an entitlement charge after the first $600 under the Montgomery GI Bill. There is no charge for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, or Survivors and Dependents Education Assistance (DEA).

You'll need certain documentation to certify an application for individualized tutorial assistance, which can only be for a deficiency in a course that's necessary to complete an approved degree program.

  • Ask your instructor to send a tutorial request stating that you are “deficient in the course and that individual tutoring is required to correct the deficiency.” No other wording is acceptable.
  • Ask a representative from the department (including, but not limited to, a professor, advisor, department chair, etc.) to recommend a tutor. The department representative will need to submit a request identifying the tutor they have recommended, the course name and number, and the agreed hourly tutoring fee. The request must also state that the agreed hourly tutoring fee does not exceed the usual charges for a tutor of that educational level.
  • Once the department has submitted its documentation, you'll need to submit VA Form 22-1990t.

If you need help filling out the forms or have any questions, contact the Office of Military Services at 703-993-1316.

Lauren Paige, a PhD candidate in Mason's clinical psychology doctoral program, did a PTSD assessment on an armed services veteran who had previously been denied government benefits. "All I ever wanted to do was help people," said Paige. "Along the way, I can make an impact on people's lives. That helps fuel me."