Choice Act | Thomas Edison State University

Advisory regarding Southern California wildfires

On behalf of everyone at Thomas Edison State University, we hope that students affected by the wildfires in Southern California remain safe. The University is offering accommodations to students affected by the wildfires:

Students who are directly impacted by the fires and who are currently registered in courses for the November 2024, December 2024 and January 2025 terms have the option of receiving a free eight-week course extension without mentor approval; or, a 100% tuition credit for their course(s) to a future term. Affected students should submit a Request for Course Extension Form or a Request for Course Withdrawal Form indicating “Southern California wildfires” as the reason for the request. Please note that TECEP exams in these terms cannot be extended, nor credited for tuition after the exam has been taken.

Impacted students who are currently on a course extension for the September 2024 and October 2024 terms can request a second eight-week extension on their current term at no additional cost.

Request an Accommodation: Students affected by the wildfire and evacuations who need an accommodation should contact the Office of the Registrar by email at registration@tesu.edu or by phone at 609-777-5680. Accommodation requests should be submitted by January 24th. Requests after that date can be accommodated if the student provides documentation of the reason for the late request.

In accordance with section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 and the Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act of 2021, all covered individuals living in New Jersey, using the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33), Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (Chapter 30), Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Program (Chapter 31) and Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) at Thomas Edison State University (TESU) will qualify for the in-state Per Credit Tuition Plan, regardless of their formal state of residence. Covered individuals will remain eligible for in-state tuition as long as they reside in New Jersey. Once covered individuals move outside the state of New Jersey, they are no longer considered covered, and no longer qualify for in-state tuition rates.

Covered individuals are defined as follows:

A veteran who lives in the state in which the institution of higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence).
A spouse or child using transferred benefits who lives in the state in which the institution of higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence).
A spouse or child using benefits under the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship who lives in the state in which the institution of higher learning is located (regardless of his/her formal state of residence).

Covered individuals must submit the following documents to qualify for in-state tuition:

Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
Veteran Benefit Information Sheet (VBIS)

Under certain circumstances, other tuition options may also be available. Please contact the University’s veteran affairs office at va@tesu.edu to learn more, and see if you qualify for alternate tuition plans. Determining whether or not a student using VA educational benefits will have any out of pocket expenses depends on which chapter of the GI Bill they are using and the percentage covered. Some chapters pay the educational benefit directly to the veteran, while other chapters pay the educational benefit directly to the University. If you have detailed questions about your specific educational benefits, you should contact the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs at (888) 442-4551.

GI Bill^® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.