NAVADMIN 195/07 (CNO 061710Z AUG 07) - View source document

Graduate Education Service Obligation:

Sister Services:  Obligation is determined and tracked by service-member’s service as per two following dictates:

• Title 10, U.S. Code—Armed Forces; Subtitle A, Part III, Chapter 101, Sec 2005 states “The Secretary concerned shall determine the period of active duty to be served by any person for advanced education. . . .”

• DODDIR 1322.10 requires Secretaries of military departments ensure officers who have received a fully-funded or partially funded graduate education serve in return on active duty for a minimum of least three years or three times the length of the program if the program was less than one year.  Additional service obligation can be prescribed by the service.

Naval Officers:  The most relevant and current policy is that put forth in NAVADMIN 195/07 (CNO 061710Z AUG 07):

• “Active duty officers participating in Navy-funded graduate education on a full-time, part-time or off-duty basis will incur an active duty obligation of three years after completion of or withdrawal from education . . . [to be] served concurrently with any other obligation.”  This service obligation applies to all Navy-funded education, regardless of whether the degree is obtained in-residence or through distributed learning.

• This service obligation specifically DOES NOT apply to certificate/certification programs. This will be addressed in a future NAVADMIN (which has still not been released as of October 2008).

• NAVADMIN 195/07 specifically DOES NOT pertain to education obtained by means of Tuition Assistance (TA), Veterans Education Assistance Program (VEAP), Montgomery GI Bill, Naval Officer health or theology disciplines, law education program, or the Permanent Military Professor (PMP) Program, all of which are covered by separate guidance.

• Service Obligation for fellowships, scholarships, and training with industry is generally three times the length of the program to be served concurrently with any other service obligation.  Effective 1 January 2008, newly commissioned officers participating in Immediate Graduate Programs will have a service obligation of five years for programs less than 20 months long and six years for programs 20 months or more.  This service obligation commences upon completion/withdrawal from the Graduate Program and is served concurrently with any other service obligation.

• Service obligation for PhD students:  effective 1 January 2008, unless otherwise specified, officers participating in Navy or government funded PhD programs, whether in residence or through distance learning, incur a service obligation of a period of three times the length of the program up to a maximum of five years. The obligation will be served concurrently with any other service obligation and will commence upon completion of or withdrawal from the PhD program.

• Service obligation for War College/Intermediate Senior Service College/Senior Service College attendance (to include any advanced degrees earned in conjunction) is two years to be served concurrently with any other service obligation.

• It is the responsibility of the service member and detailer to disclose and track service obligation.

• NAVADMIN 195/07 cancels NAVADMIN 058/02 regarding Officer Graduate Education Service Obligation as well as CNO policy decision memorandum 002-06 of the same subject line.  NAVADMIN 195/007simplifies and supersedes paragraph 4E of OPNAVINST 1520.23B, which outlined the old system of computing service obligation (obligation of three times the length of education through the first year and one month for each month thereafter). 

DoD Civilians:  Service obligation for DoD Civilians is promulgated in 5 CFR Ch 410.309, but normally consists of a 3:1 payback and is usually specified in a Contract Service Agreement (CSA).  The service obligation is computed in return for educational contact time (actual class time).