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NDSP Sponsor Orientation

View the NDSP Sponsor Orientation to become familiar with

  • Program eligibility
  • Education options provided by the NDSP
  • The Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) Education Allowance
  • The overseas screening process for students with special educational needs
  • Authorized and unauthorized expenses
  • Education expenses that require pre-approval
  • The NDSP registration process
  • Contact information for the NDSP teams

Eligibility for Non-DoD Schools Program (NDSP)

Eligibility and approval must be obtained from the NDSP prior to enrolling dependents in a non-DoD school.

The following conditions must exist to establish eligibility for Non-DoD Schools Program support:

  1. Sponsor must be a military service member serving on active duty and stationed overseas on Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense who is employed on a permanent full-time basis, assigned overseas, and is either a citizen or a national of the United States.
  2. Sponsors must be authorized to transport dependents (Who is the child, stepchild, adopted child, or ward of a DoD sponsor, residing with the sponsor, and is eligible for other command sponsorship services, postal services privileges, and meets the minimum age criteria *) to or from an overseas area at government expense, and
  3. Sponsors must be provided an allowance for living quarters in that area.
  4. Sponsors must be assigned to and reside in a location outside the commuting area of a DoDEA operated school.

Eligible dependents must meet the following age criteria:

  1. For Northern Hemisphere calendar schools (Aug – July) Dependents must turn four years old on or before 30 September of the enrollment year. For families assigned to locations with schools that commonly follow a Southern Hemisphere calendar schedule (Jan/Feb to December), a child must be at least three years, eight months old by the beginning of the selected educational institution’s school year. If enrolling in Prekindergarten (PK), the selected school must offer both kindergarten and a U.S. equivalent of first grade.
    • For dependents between the ages of three and four with special education needs identified through Child Find, or with an established and active Individual Education Plan (IEP) requiring PK services
  2. Dependents who have not completed secondary school and will not reach their 21st birthday by September 1 of the current school year (or February 1 in the southern hemisphere)

Initial Registration

It is recommended that you complete the  Family Budget Planning Tool annually to ensure knowledge regarding the current DSSR, allowable costs, and costs to the sponsor. We have prepared a  Family Budget Planning Tool Tutorial  to guide you along your way.

If you have any difficulty accessing the portal, please send an email to NDSP Management.

Registration Quick Guide

Upon receipt of assignment orders to an overseas location where there is no DoDEA school:

  • Review the NDSP Sponsor Orientation
  • Start the application process by visiting the Student Online Registration (SOR) portal. *Gather the required documents for creating an SOR Sponsor Profile.
    • Include:
      • Overseas Assignment Orders with dependents listed,
      • Requests for Orders (RFO) cannot be substituted for a PCS order,
      • If dependents are not included on your accompanied tour orders, you must provide a memorandum signed by your servicing HR/Personnel Office OR Command confirming command sponsorship of dependents.
      • USAF military personnel orders must also include an AF-973 Amendment confirming overseas screening clearance.
      • USMC military personnel must provide Final Orders prior to final approval.
      • Passport or Birth Certificate for rising PK, kindergarten, or first grade students,
    • Gather additional documents as needed.
      • upload school calendars
      • fee schedules
      • Individualized Education Program (IEP) and/or 504 plan documentation.
    • **Select a school option for your child:
      • At Post – Private or Public School
      • Away from Post – Boarding School
      • Home Study / Virtual School

*Note: If you have the documents, please upload, if not you can provide them later via the Sponsor Portal. Keep in mind that tuition payments and/or reimbursements may not be available until documents are received. Contact the NDSP Management Team with any questions.

**Note: You do not have to select a school for your children to register for the NDSP. You can make that decision when you arrive in country and have time to review available options. Exercise due diligence in your research, as you vet schools to select a school that best suits your child’s educational needs. The NDSP Liaison at your new assignment can provide further information about the schooling options. Once you select a school, please notify the NDSP Management Team so that information can be updated in the NDSP student profile, and tuition payments / reimbursements can occur.

Locating a School

Selecting a school prior to creating an application and completing program registration is not required.

  • Visit our Interactive NDSP School Map site
    • The school listing is not exclusive; sponsors are not limited to the schools on the school map site
    • The NDSP does not endorse, nor does it certify schools
  • NDSP Student Online Registration (SOR) Quick Start Guide: The SOR Quick Start Guide provides guidance on how to use the application. The application is used when applying to NDSP the first time, adding a dependent, or when moving to a new NDSP duty location.
  • Family Budget Planning Tool: This tool will help you understand what educational expenses the NDSP will pay for and what expenses you are expected to cover. It is recommended that you use this tool annually. For help with this tool, use the following guide: Family Budget Planning Tool Parent Guide

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