Pierce College - Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Military Tuition Assistance is a benefit paid to eligible members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Congress has given each service the ability to pay up to 100% for the tuition expenses of its members. Each service has its own criteria for eligibility, obligated service, application process and restrictions. This money is usually paid directly to the institution by the individual services.

Army

1. Connect with your local education center to learn about Tuition Assistance (TA), set up your ArmyIgnitEd account, and build your Education Path. For the education center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, please call253-967-7174.
2. Thank you for choosing Pierce College at JBLM! Next, follow the Get Started steps to enroll. Your Army education counselor will approve your Education Path before it comes back to Pierce College.
3. Go to the Pierce College Registration Page to register for your classes, and use the Simple Pay app to let us know you will be using TA.
4. Go back into your ArmyIgnitEd account to approve TA for your classes.

Other Services

Each Service has its own process and website/portal, but using TA generally starts with contacting your Service’s education center. We support students from all Services and will gladly assist you! Please contact us at 253-964-6567.

To begin your education at Pierce College at JBLM, follow the Get Started steps to enroll. Once you have an approved degree plan in your Service’s TA system, you can go to the Pierce College Registration Page to register for your classes. Please use the Simple Pay app to let us know you will be using TA.

Pierce College Foundation

The Pierce College Foundation awards additional grants and scholarships every year to currently enrolled Pierce College students. For more information and to learn how to apply, visit the Foundation Scholarships web page.

Pierce College Military Affiliated Scholarships

Pierce College offers several scholarships for military members and their families. For more information, visit the Scholarships web page.

Horst and Carol Marschall Scholarship

This scholarship is for active-duty members (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard and active duty Reserves) and family members enrolled in a class at Pierce College during the quarter applying.

Jennifer Jamison Textbook Scholarship

The Jennifer Jamison Textbook Scholarship provides $204 for textbooks for military-affiliated students at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Application is open to veterans, active duty military personnel and their family members, with preference going to those who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Qualified applicants must be enrolled in at least 10 credits at Pierce College and have a minimum 3.3 GPA at the time of application. Funds will be made available to winners for winter quarter and spring quarter.

Scholarships From Other Organizations

The community scholarships below are not affiliated with Pierce College and are posted here as a resource for students seeking additional funding. If you have any questions about these scholarships, please follow the links to visit the corresponding websites. Pierce College and Pierce College Financial Aid staff do not have any additional information regarding these scholarships.

For Servicemembers

• Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association (AFCEA)
• Pat Tillman Education Scholarship
• ThanksUSA Scholarship Program

For Dependents (Spouses and Children)

• Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association (AFCEA)
• Pat Tillman Education Scholarship
• ThanksUSA Scholarship Program
• JBLM Family Member Scholarship Fund
• The National Military Family Association’s Spouse Scholarships
• Army Emergency Relief
• FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program
• The Daughters of the Cincinnati Scholarship Fund

Find a Scholarship

• Pierce College Scholarships Homepage
• Scholarships for Service
• Washington Scholarship Coalition

Fee Installment Plan (FIP)

The Fee Installment Plan (FIP) is designed to give you flexibility in meeting your financial obligation to Pierce College at JBLM. It makes college more financially accessible to students by allowing them to pay their course fees in up to three payments rather than all at once. The payments are reduced to two payments when you start the course(s) close to the second payment due date. There is a $25.00 non-refundable enrollment fee due when you sign-up for the plan. A $30 charge is assessed for any late payments.

For more information on FIP, please contact us at 253-964-6606 and request to speak with a member of our fiscal team.

Tuition Installment Plan (TIP)

The Tuition Installment Plan (TIP) is the same as the FIP explained above, except that it is used to meet financial obligations for courses taken on the Pierce College campuses at Fort Steilacoom (Lakewood) or Puyallup. As with FIP, it makes college more financially accessible to students by allowing them to pay their tuition and fees in three equal payments rather than all at once. The payments are reduced to two payments when you start the course(s) close to the second payment due date. There is a $25 non-refundable enrollment fee due when you sign-up for the plan. A $30 charge is assessed for any late payments.

For more information, please contact the cashier team at Fort Steilacoom at 253-964-6700 or Puyallup at 253-840-8405 or visit the Tuition Installment Plan web page.

Note: If you are taking courses at both Pierce College at JBLM and Fort Steilacoom or Puyallup, your payment plan will be established at the location where you initially register.