Section 137 National guard education assistance program
Section 137. There is hereby established a Massachusetts national guard education assistance program. Said program shall be administered by the board of regents which shall have the authority to issue a certificate of exemption from the matriculation fee and tuition to any member of the Massachusetts army or air national guard who is enrolled at any state institution in a program the cost of which is borne by the commonwealth and who is qualified as hereinafter provided. Said certificate shall remain in effect one full academic year and shall be renewed after the student has completed a full academic year of work equal to thirty semester hours, in accordance with regulations prescribed by said board: one certificate may therefore be in effect for more than one year.
To receive benefits from the program, the member shall be a member in good standing of the active Massachusetts army or air national guard at the beginning of each semester that benefits are payable and shall remain a member in good standing of the active Massachusetts army or air national guard throughout the entire semester for which benefits are payable.
Assistance shall continue for the benefit of said member only during such time as he remains a student in good standing at the institution in which he is enrolled and in no event shall any student receive the benefits for more than one hundred and thirty semester hours.
Enrollment of a member in a course at said institutions shall be dependent on the availability of seats. Availability of seats for the purposes of this section shall mean vacancies that exist in a course after the enrollment of all tuition paying students, and all students who are enrolled under any scholarship or tuition waiver provisions.