Army Ignited

1. CAC Card Reader
2. Go to: https://public.cyber.mil/pki-pke/end-users/getting-started/#toggle-id-1
3. Follow instructions per your OS.

1. Go to: www.armyignited.army.mil
2. You can only use a CAC card for login.

1. Log into myPNW account
2. Find my PNW plan to access
3. Save my PNW plan to the computer to make it easily recognizable
   1. i.e. SP23 Degree Plan
4. Return to Army Ignited, click on Educational Goals or Create New Goal
5. Select educational goal type
6. Enter your Purdue University Northwest into the Academic Institution and select from the drop-down menu.
   1. Purdue University Northwest Main Campus.
7. Select Degree Program – If you cannot find your correct program, contact us!
   1. Veteran Services
   2. Hammond SCO
   3. Westville SCO
8. Upload my PNW Plan to Army Ignited as your Degree Plan
9. Enter total required credits for your degree – typically 120
10. Your Credit hours are semesterly, not quarterly. Do not check the box.
11. Click Submit Goal: Review usually takes about 10 minutes, possibly longer.
12. Take a break while Goal is being reviewed.

1. From ArmyIgnitED Dashboard, locate “Active Education Goals” and then select “Apply for Funding.”
2. Verify “Contact Information” – use yellow pencil icon to update as needed.
3. Click “Verify and Proceed.”
4. On the User Agreement, check ALL boxes, then click “I Agree Continued.”
5. Verify “Education Center” – If pre-filled, typically leave it.
6. If you are not deployed – click “Next.”
7. Verify “Education Institute” – input PUID – click “Next.”
8. Start and end dates should automatically be filled in when the semester is selected.
9. Have Course schedule ready with CRN – Title – and credit hours.
10. Click “Add Course”
11. Select course from drop box.
12. Add your desired Course by clicking “Add Course.”
13. Add all classes for semester.
14. After all courses were added, click “Submit.”
15. You will receive confirmation that your TA request was submitted.
    1. Please note your “TA Request ID.”
    2. Screen print and save confirmation for your records i.e. SP23 TA confirmation.
    3. Click “Finish.”

Prior to submitting their Education Goal in ArmyIgnitED, soldiers MUST completed ArmyIgnitED 101 Training by reviewing the ArmyIgnitED 101 Training slides or the YouTube video below.

At the conclusion of their training, soldiers must go to their ArmyIgnitED account, click on “Messages,” create a new message, copy the statement listed below and submit the message.

“I reviewed the ArmyIgnitED 101 slide presentation and completed my required training on DD/MMM/YYYY.”

Soldiers must upload their Career Path Decide (CPD) results directly into their ArmyIgnitED account.

1. Copy your session link, which can be found in the box below.
2. Log into your ArmyIgnitED Portal.
3. Click on the “Career Path Decide” tab.
4. Click on the “Create New Plan” button.
5. Enter the Plan Title as “Career Path Decide Goals Report (Date).”
6. Input your return link (found below) in the “Reference URL” field
   1. https://careerpathdecide.org/goals-report?returnToken=(youruniquenumberhere)

After submitting the ArmyIgnitED 101 message to their ArmyIgnitED account and linking their Career Path Decide results, soldiers must submit their Education Goal as soon as possible!

Ensure a copy of their Evaluated Degree Plan is attached. A page out of the school catalog will not suffice.

• Provides access to Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) and Credentialing (CA) for AD, ARNG and USAR Soldiers.
• Automates FTA and CA online enrollment, 24/7, eliminating wait times and reducing time away from duty.
• Allows online visibility of student record to view FTA balances, class grades, current course enrollments, including the ability to submit and cancel FTA/CA requests.
• Provides access to virtual messaging tools to connect with their Education Center.

1. Fiscal Year (FY) Limits
   1. 4,500.00 per fiscal year (October 1 to September 30)
   2. 18 Semester Hours (SH) / 27 Quarter Hours (QH) per fiscal year (FY)
   3. Up to $250.00 per SH or $165.00 per QH
   4. Funds do not roll over to next FY
   5. TA and CA use the same pot of money. For example, if a Soldier uses $2,000.00 of CA, the Soldier will have $2,500.00 remaining of TA.
2. Lifetime Semester Hour Limits
   1. Undergraduate – 130
   2. Graduate – 39
   3. Academic Certificate – 21
   4. Special Programs – 39
3. Course Grades
   1. Soldiers must pass their courses, or they will be recouped.
   2. Passing for undergraduate courses is a C- or higher.
   3. Passing for graduate courses is a B- or higher.
4. GPA Requirements
   1. 2.0 Undergraduate GPA after 15 SH
   2. 3.0 Graduate GPA after 6 SH
   3. No Recoupment Waivers for failing grades unless a “W”
   4. Waiver must be within 30 days of the “W” grade posted by the school.

1. Enrollment Timelines
   1. Enroll with your Academic Institution (AI) first and then Reequest FTA
   2. Must apply for FTA no more than 60 calendar days and no later than 14 days prior to term start date to ensure application is processed. TA requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
   3. The input of TA Requests is prevented by the ArmyIgnitED system 7 days prior to term start date.
   4. Term end date must be no less than 60 days from ETS/Separation.
   5. Must drop TA requests prior to term start date.
   6. FTA must be approved prior to class start date.

1. Not flagged IAW AR 600-8-2 Suspension of Favorable Personnel Actions (Flags)
2. Maintain a 2.0 GPA after completion of 15 semester hours (SH) for undergraduate level courses or a 3.0 GPA after completion of 6 SHs for graduate level courses.
3. An approved Evaluated Degree Plan (EDP) is required after submitting FTA requests for two (2) classes.
4. All eligibility data must be accurate (fed correctly from IPPS-A to ArmyIgnitED).
5. Service Obligation (Officers only)
   1. Active Duty Officers (AGR/Deployed) incur a 2-year Service Obligation (SO).
   2. National Guard Officers (M-Day/ADOS) incur a 4-year SO.
   3. SO calculated based on the end date of each FTA-funded class.

1. FTA is authorized for one degree at each of the following levels:
   1. Associate
   2. Baccalaureate
   3. Master’s
   4. Undergraduate or Graduate Academic Certificate (1 per lifetime)
2. FTA is not authorized for a lower level or a degree already earned
3. Special Programs:
   1. Pre-Commissioning Programs (AMEDD)
      1. Undergraduate or Graduate Program Prerequisites
   2. Host Country Courses or Strategic Foreign Language Program
      1. Must be in country or on The Army Strategic Language List
   3. College Preparatory and Remedial Courses
   4. Graduate Admission Courses

1. Soldiers can pursue one academic certificate goal in a lifetime, either undergraduate or graduate up to 21 SH credits.
2. Soldiers may not pursue the certificate concurrently with an education goal for an Associate, Bachelor or Master’s degree.
3. The lifetime limit of 21 SHs does not count against the lifetime limits for an undergraduate or graduate degree.
4. Undergraduate Certificate:
   1. Soldiers with “Civilian Education Level of High School or higher, including Soldiers with Bachelor degrees and Masters degrees, may pursue an “Undergraduate” Academic Certificate.
5. Graduate Certificate:
   1. Soldiers must have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher to pursue a “Graduate” Academic Certificate.

1. $2,000.00 max per fiscal year ($1,000.00 for select aviation credentials)
2. One credential max per Soldier, per fiscal year.
3. Three credential max for 10 years of service.
4. Must take the associated exam for the credential you are pursuing.
5. Must complete CA 101 Training (Provided by the CA Virtual Counseling Cell) (New users only)
6. Must complete MilGears* (Soldiers must complete the explore careers, Quick Explorer tool, download their report and upload it to ArmyIgnitED) (New Users Only).
7. CA and TA comes from the same pot of money. For example, if a Soldier uses $3,500.00 of TA, the Soldier will have $1,000.00 remaining of CA they could use.
8. Credentialing Assistance (CA) funding is for courses and/or exams leading to an industry-recognized professional and technical credentials.
9. CA eligibility pays up to $2,000 per FY
10. CA $1,000 FY limit for selected aviation credentials
11. The CA Program Virtual Counseling Cell provides counseling assistance to Soldiers for the use of CA funding
    1. To request counselor assistance, please visit https://www.cool.osd.mil/army/costs_and_funding/index.html?credentialingassistance.
    2. Click on the yellow “Contact An Army CA Counselor” button.

Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL)

The 5 Most Requested Credentials

1. CompTIA Security+
2. Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
3. Project Management Professional (PMP)
4. CompTIA Network+
5. CompTIA A+

1. Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) may be used at:
   1. Approved academic institutions (AIs) are listed in ArmyIgnitED
   2. Must be regionally or nationally accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and have signed the DoD MOU.
2. Credentialing Assistance (CA) may be used at:
   1. Approved training providers are listed on the Credentialing Assistance On-Line (COOL) website.
   2. Must have been vetted through ACCESS AU
   3. Army COOL – Costs and Funding

1. Drops occur before the term start date or within the Academic Institution’s (AI) drop period.
2. Withdrawals happen after the course has started.
   1. Soldiers withdraw through the AI and AI must record withdrawal in ArmyIgnitED.
   2. Results in “W” Grade.
3. Withdrawals are either Personal or Military and occur after a fee has been assessed by the school.
   1. Personal: You pay the FTA back to the Army.
   2. Military: The Army waives the recoupment for the class.

1. DA Form 7793 must be signed by your Commander and submitted in ArmyIgnitED, must be due to one of the following reasons:
   1. Unanticipated military duties
   2. Illness
   3. Unanticipated hospitalization
   4. Emergency leave
   5. Other unanticipated situations considered on a case-by-case basis
2. Reviewed by Army Credentialing and Continuing Education Services for Soldiers (ACCESS)
   1. Approved RW returns credits and funding back to Soldier’s ArmyIgnitED account
   2. Disapproved RWs = recoupment (Soldier repays the Army)

1. Repayment of FTA is required for:
   1. Course failure
   2. Grade of D and below or an undergraduate course
   3. Grade C or below for a graduate course
   4. Incomplete grades beyond 180 days of the class end date
2. School must process a drop/withdrawal or submit a failing grade in ArmyIgnitED to initiate a recoupment.
3. You may not be required to repay FTA if approved for Recoupment Waiver (but only for ‘W’ grades, recoupment waivers are not allowed for failed courses!)

• View the tutorials in ArmyIgnitED or ask your assigned Education Services Specialist (ESS) or Education Services Officer (ESO).
• Submit one course at a time (that way if there is an error, not all TA requests will be deleted).
• Do not click on ‘VA Top Up’ if using MGIB-SR/Ch 1606.
• Once your TARs are approved, print off the authorization forms (pdf) to provide to your school as proof of payment.
• Log back into ArmyIgnitED and double-check that your course information is correct, and your courses have been approved PRIOR to the start date.

1. Career Path Decide
   1. Research detailed Information on specific career/vocation outlooks.
   2. Provides information on institutions that are eligible for TA.
   3. Take skill assessments to view school options.
2. Kuder Journey
   1. Learn about interests, skills and values with research-based assessments.
   2. Plan education and career based off the assessments
   3. Use the planning tools to be successful in education/career choices

Next Step: Make an appointment with an Education Counselor to discuss your completed assessment report to determine what you will study.

1. Your JST documents of all your military training and experience.
2. American Council on Education evaluates your military training and experience and recommends college credit.
3. Colleges and Universities may or may not accept this credit toward your degree.
4. Any credit awarded toward your degree means less time in the classroom.
5. Request official JST to be sent to your college.
6. Transcript requests are free.

Login at https://jst.doded.mil/.

1. Go to your ArmyIgnitED account, click on ‘Messages’, create a new message, copy the statement listed below, and send it to your assigned state Education Office and/or Education Counselor:
   1. “I reviewed the ArmyIgnitED 101 slide presentation and completed my required training on [day/month/year]”
2. Complete Career Path Decide (CPD) found at the following link.
   1. https://www.careerpathdecide.org/career-planning/build-your-target
3. Soldiers will link their results to their ArmyIgnitED account.
4. After submitting the ArmyIgnitED 101 message and linking their Career Path Decide results, Soldiers must submit their Education Goal ASAP!
5. Contact your assigned Education Services Specialist (ESS) and/or Education Services Officer (ESO): www.nationalguard.com/select-your-state
   1. Discuss your education pathway, goal and available state and federal education benefits.
6. Submit your TA/CA request and start your education journey!