After successfully completing your AmeriCorps term of service, you are eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award. You can use your AmeriCorps Education Award to pay education costs at qualified institutions of higher education, for educational training, or to repay qualified student loans. You can access the award in full and part, and can take up to seven years after your term of service has ended to claim the award.

If you successfully complete a term of service in VISTA, you are eligible to receive either an AmeriCorps Education Award or an end-of-service stipend of $1,200. The AmeriCorps Education Award option is subject to available education trust allocations to AmeriCorps*VISTA. You must select the AmeriCorps Education Award option prior to the start of service.

You can use your AmeriCorps Education Award in any of the following ways—or a combination of them.

Options for Using Your AmeriCorps Education Award

The national service legislation defines qualified student loan as a loan backed by the federal government under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (except PLUS Loans to parents of students), or under Titles VII or VIII of the Public Health Service Act.

You may also use your AmeriCorps Education Award to repay a student loan made by a state agency, including state institutions of higher education.

AmeriCorps Education Awards may not be used to repay any other type of loan, even if the loan was obtained for educational purposes. You can use your AmeriCorps Education Award to repay defaulted student loans as long as the loans meet the definition of qualified student loan.

Pay Current Educational Expenses at a Qualified School

Current educational expenses, as authorized under 42 U.S.C. § 12604(c), include:

• The "Cost of Attendance" for a degree- or certificate-granting program of study at a qualified school; and
• Educational expenses for non-degree courses offered by qualified schools, such as continuing education courses.

You can use your education award at Title IV institutions of higher education (including graduate and professional programs), as well as qualified vocational schools. An institution is considered a Title IV school, if it has an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education making its students eligible for at least one of the federally backed forms of financial assistance (such as Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, Stafford Loans, National Direct Loans, and Federal Consolidated Loans).

Your education award can also be used at a program of education approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Beginning with terms of service that started on or after October 1, 2009, you may also use your award to pay expenses incurred in enrolling in an educational institution or training establishment that is approved under the GI Bill.

To make sure the institution you want to attend is qualified, check with the financial aid office of your institution before you make specific plans.

For More Information on Your AmeriCorps Education Award

• Amount, Eligiblity, and Limitations
• Loan Postponements, Interest Payments, and Financial Aid
• Tax Implications
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Corporation is not in a position to provide advice about your income taxes or how you use your education award. However, for a discussion on how the education award may affect other financial aid and income taxes, see The Effective Education Award by National Service Fellow Brandon Rogers.

My AmeriCorps / AmeriCorps Online Payment System

Accessing and managing your Segal AmeriCorps Education Award has never been easier. My AmeriCorps provides a one-stop shop for AmeriCorps State and National, VISTA and NCCC applicants, members and alumni - presenting a wealth of information and frequently requested forms and services. By registering to use the system, you can check your award balance, access important financial forms and, most importantly, quickly and easily make payments to your educational or financial institution. The system also provides you with the ability to:

• Modify contact information (name, addresses, e-mail address)
• View and print tax statements and forms
• View and print pay statements (as applicable)
• Access customized letters certifying your term of service with an AmeriCorps program

Click here to log in to My AmeriCorps today!