PRIA Logo™
Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-110

§9414 United States Air Force Institute of Technology: Degree Granting Authority; Faculty, Reimbursement and Tuition; Acceptance of Research Grants

Title 10 › Subtitle D — Air Force and Space Force › PART III — TRAINING › CHAPTER 951 — TRAINING GENERALLY › § 9414

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The commander of Air University may award degrees to students who finish the United States Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and meet the school’s requirements, when the AFIT faculty recommends it and under rules set by the Secretary of the Air Force. Degrees can only be given if the Secretary of Education recommends approval under the federal policy for degree-granting by agencies and if AFIT is accredited by the civilian accrediting agency the Secretary of Education names. The Secretary of Defense must send the Armed Services Committees copies of AFIT’s self‑assessment sent to the Department of Education’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity and then the Secretary of Education’s recommendations and reasons. If degree authority is changed, the Secretary of Defense must report the reasons and the Secretary of Education’s response. The Secretary of Defense must also report if an accrediting body refuses to accredit AFIT for any degree. The Air Force may hire civilian faculty as needed within DoD limits, and the Secretary will set their job titles, duties, and pay (pay rules may differ from normal civil service but must follow the cap in 5 U.S.C. 5373). The Secretary must assign Space Force members as instructors in support of Space Force missions, and each year the number of Space Force instructors must be at least (total Space Force members ÷ (total Space Force members + total Air Force members)) × total AFIT instructors. The Army, Navy, and Department of Homeland Security must pay for instruction for their people they send to AFIT. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard members may attend only if there is space. Enlisted members from those services who attend will be charged only fees the Air Force finds appropriate. Civilian employees from other military departments, other DoD parts, or other federal agencies must pay tuition, which their sending agency must cover. AFIT keeps and records tuition and other payments to cover instruction costs. The Secretary of the Air Force may let the AFIT Director accept competitive research grants from nonprofits, schools, or similar groups for work done by AFIT professors or instructors for scientific, literary, or educational purposes. The Secretary will set up an account to manage grant funds, allow appropriated funds to cover some grant-seeking costs as allowed by funding laws, and make rules to run this program.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §9414

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authority.—
Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Air Force, the commander of the Air University may, upon the recommendation of the faculty of the United States Air Force Institute of Technology, confer appropriate degrees upon graduates of the United States Air Force Institute of Technology who meet the degree requirements.
(b)Limitation.—
A degree may not be conferred under this section unless—
(1)the Secretary of Education has recommended approval of the degree in accordance with the Federal Policy Governing Granting of Academic Degrees by Federal Agencies; and
(2)the United States Air Force Institute of Technology is accredited by the appropriate civilian academic accrediting agency or organization to award the degree, as determined by the Secretary of Education.
(c)Congressional Notification Requirements.—
(1)When seeking to establish degree granting authority under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives—
(A)a copy of the self assessment questionnaire required by the Federal Policy Governing Granting of Academic Degrees by Federal Agencies, at the time the assessment is submitted to the Department of Education’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity; and
(B)the subsequent recommendations and rationale of the Secretary of Education regarding the establishment of the degree granting authority.
(2)Upon any modification or redesignation of existing degree granting authority, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report containing the rationale for the proposed modification or redesignation and any subsequent recommendation of the Secretary of Education on the proposed modification or redesignation.
(3)The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report containing an explanation of any action by the appropriate academic accrediting agency or organization not to accredit the United States Air Force Institute of Technology to award any new or existing degree.
(d)Civilian Faculty.—
(1)The Secretary of the Air Force may employ as many civilian faculty members at the United States Air Force Institute of Technology as is consistent with the needs of the Air Force or the Space Force and with Department of Defense personnel limits.
(2)The Secretary shall prescribe regulations determining—
(A)titles and duties of civilian members of the faculty; and
(B)pay of civilian members of the faculty, notwithstanding chapter 53 of title 5, but subject to the limitation set out in section 5373 of title 5.
(e)Space Force Faculty.—
(1)The Secretary shall detail members of the Space Force as instructors at the United States Air Force Institute of Technology to provide instruction in areas that support the mission of the Space Force.
(2)The number of members of the Space Force detailed by the Secretary to the United States Air Force Institute of Technology as instructors during an academic year shall be equal to or greater than the product of—
(A)the total number of members of the Space Force divided by the total number of members of the Space Force and the Air Force; and
(B)the total number of instructors at the United States Air Force Institute of Technology.
(f)Reimbursement and Tuition.—
(1)The Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of Homeland Security shall bear the cost of the instruction at the Air Force Institute of Technology that is received by members of the armed forces detailed for that instruction by the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Homeland Security, respectively.
(2)Members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard may only be detailed for instruction at the Institute on a space-available basis.
(3)In the case of an enlisted member of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard permitted to receive instruction at the Institute, the Secretary of the Air Force shall charge that member only for such costs and fees as the Secretary considers appropriate (taking into consideration the admission of enlisted members on a space-available basis).
(4)(A)The Institute shall charge tuition for the cost of providing instruction at the Institute for any civilian employee of a military department (other than a civilian employee of the Department of the Air Force), of another component of the Department of Defense, or of another Federal agency who receives instruction at the Institute.
(B)The cost of any tuition charged an individual under this paragraph shall be borne by the department, agency, or component sending the individual for instruction at the Institute.
(5)Amounts received by the Institute for the instruction of students under this subsection shall be retained by the Institute. Such amounts shall be available to the Institute to cover the costs of such instruction. The source and disposition of such amounts shall be specifically identified in the records of the Institute.
(g)Acceptance of Research Grants.—
(1)The Secretary of the Air Force may authorize the Director and Chancellor of the United States Air Force Institute of Technology to accept qualifying research grants. Any such grant may only be accepted if the work under the grant is to be carried out by a professor or instructor of the Institute for a scientific, literary, or educational purpose.
(2)A qualifying research grant under this subsection is a grant that is awarded on a competitive basis by an entity referred to in paragraph (3) for a research project with a scientific, literary, or educational purpose.
(3)A grant may be accepted under this subsection only from a corporation, fund, foundation, educational institution, or similar entity that is organized and operated primarily for scientific, literary, or educational purposes.
(4)The Secretary shall establish an account for administering funds received as research grants under this section. The Director and Chancellor of the Institute shall use the funds in the account in accordance with applicable provisions of the regulations and the terms and condition of the grants received.
(5)Subject to such limitations as may be provided in appropriations Acts, appropriations available for the Institute may be used to pay expenses incurred by the Institute in applying for, and otherwise pursuing, the award of qualifying research grants.
(6)The Secretary shall prescribe regulations for the administration of this subsection.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 9314[Uncodified].Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1151, 68 Stat. 1006.

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 9414 was renumbered section 9484 of this title.

Amendments

2025—Pub. L. 119–60, § 559(a)(1), added section catchline and struck out former catchline “Degree granting authority for United States Air Force Institute of Technology”. Subsecs. (e) to (g). Pub. L. 119–60, § 559(a)(2), (3), added subsec. (e) and redesignated former subsecs. (e) and (f) as (f) and (g), respectively. 2021—Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 116–283 inserted “or the Space Force” after “needs of the Air Force”. 2019—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 116–92 substituted “Director and Chancellor” for “Commandant” in pars. (1) and (4). 2018—Pub. L. 115–232 renumbered section 9314 of this title as this section. 2008—Pub. L. 110–417, § 543(h)(1), amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section consisted of subsecs. (a) to (d) relating to conferral of degrees, civilian faculty, costs of instruction, and research grants at the United States Air Force Institute of Technology. Subsec. (e)(4), (5). Pub. L. 110–417, § 544, added pars. (4) and (5). 2006—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–163 added subsec. (d). 2003—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 108–136, § 533(b)(1), (c), inserted heading, designated existing provisions as par. (1), substituted “The Commander” for “When the United States Air Force Institute of Technology is accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation association or authority, the Commander” and “the United States Air Force Institute of Technology” for “that Institute”, and added par. (2). Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 108–136, § 533(b)(2), inserted heading. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 108–136, § 533(a), added subsec. (c). 1998—Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 105–261 substituted “section 5373” for “section 5306(e)”. 1990—Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 101–509 substituted “5306(e)” for “5308”. 1986—Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 99–661 struck out “rates of basic” before “pay of civilian”. 1985—Pub. L. 99–145, § 504(a)(2)(A), struck out “: degrees” after “Technology” in section catchline. Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 99–145, § 504(a)(1), designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of

Amendments

and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date

of 2008 AmendmentAmendment by section 543(h)(1) of Pub. L. 110–417 applicable to any degree granting authority established, modified, or redesignated on or after Oct. 14, 2008, for an institution of professional military education referred to in such amendment, see section 543(j) of Pub. L. 110–417, set out as a note under section 2163 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1990 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 101–509 effective on such date as the President shall determine, but not earlier than 90 days, and not later than 180 days, after Nov. 5, 1990, see section 529 [title III, § 305] of Pub. L. 101–509, set out as a note under section 5301 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Civilian Members of Faculty of Air Force Institute of Technology on November 8, 1985Subsec. (b)(2) of this section not applicable to persons who, on Nov. 8, 1985, were civilian members of the faculty of the Air Force Institute of Technology, were being paid a rate of basic pay under the General Schedule, and elected under procedures prescribed by the Secretary of the Air Force to continue to be paid under the General Schedule, see section 504(c) of Pub. L. 99–145, set out as a note under section 5102 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 9414

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110