Paying for College — Today's Military (2024)

Education & Training

The Military offers many educational benefits that service members can take advantage of during or after service. From financial aid and college funds to loan repayment programs, there have never been more ways for service members to afford and further their education.

On This Page

  • Tuition Assistance
  • The Post-9/11 GI Bill
  • College Fund Programs
  • Loan Repayment Programs

Transcription

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The Many Education Benefits of Military Service

Length 5:56

Joining the Military means you’ll have access to programs like the post 9-11 GI Bill and Montgomery GI Bill, which can make an education accessible and affordable.

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F1:​There are many great benefits to military service, and one of those benefits is the actual benefits. Today, we’re going to talk about the great education benefits offered under the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill. Each of these programs is designed to cover future education costs, and while they are similar in many respects, they also have some significant differences. You’ll want to understand each program so that you’re aware of the potential benefits they might be able to provide you in the future, but it’s also important to understand each program to help you with a decision you’ll have to make very soon: specifically, whether or not to stay enrolled in the Montgomery GI Bill. We’ll talk about that decision in a few minutes, but for now let’s look at each program from the following perspectives. We’ll start with the service requirement necessary to earn each benefit. For the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you typically begin earning benefits once you served at least 90 days on active duty, at which point you’ll be eligible for 50 percent of the maximum. Once you hit six months, you’ll have earned 60 percent. It then continues to increase as shown, until you’ve completed 36 months and earned 100 percent of the benefit. TheMontgomery GI Bill is a little different. To earn this benefit, you’ll typically need at least three years of continuous active duty service, or two years if that was the length of your agreement. You can also earn the Montgomery GI Bill under the 2 by 4 Program if you enter the Selected Reserve within a year of leaving active duty and serve four more years. Now, let’s examine the cost of each program. The Post-9/11 GI Bill doesn’t cost anything. The Montgomery GI Bill costs $100 per month for your first 12 months of service. You can also choose to increase the benefit by paying up to an additional $600. Next, let’s cover what you can actually receive under each program. Both GI Bills provide up to 36 months of benefits. The Post-9/11 GI Bill also pays a monthly housing stipend if not on active duty, and an annual stipend for books and supplies. These stipends are not payable under the Montgomery GI Bill. As for how the benefits are paid, let’s focus on the Post-9/11 GI Bill first. Tuition costs are paid directly to the school, and the monthly housing stipend and annual books and supplies stipend are paid to the student. Payments under the Montgomery GI Bill work very differently. Here, a set amount gets paid directly to the student each month, regardless of how much the school costs. We’ve covered a lot of material up to this point,so this is a great time to pause and reflect on what we’ve learned so far. Now, let’s continue and look at transferability. For the Montgomery GI Bill, it’s pretty straightforward: it’s not permitted. For the Post-9/11 GI Bill, it is, as long as you meet the criteria shown on the screen. Now, let’s look at how long the benefits are good for. Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits never expire for service members who leave the military on or after January 1st, 2013. However, that is not the case for those to whom you might transfer your entitlements. Children must use the benefits by age 26, and spouses have 15 years from the time you separate from active duty. Montgomery GI Bill benefits expire ten years from your last day of active duty. And remember, they’re not transferable. Finally, let’s look at an area in which the two plans are very similar: the types of education for which they can be used. As you can see, both programs can be used for a wide variety of educational opportunities. Now that you understand the basics of each program, let’s revisit the Montgomery GI Bill decision we touched on earlier. In short, will you stay enrolled in the Montgomery GI Bill, or disenroll and forego the benefits it might provide you in the future? Here are a handful of additional points that might help with your decision. One, participation in the Post-9/11 GI Bill isautomatic and does not require you to sign up, so if you disenroll from the Montgomery GI Bill you will still have the Post-9/11 GI Bill available, as long as you fulfill the service requirements to earn it. Two, a decision to disenroll from the Montgomery GI Bill is final, meaning you cannot change your mind later. Three, staying enrolled in the Montgomery GI Bill may give you the opportunity to receive some level of benefits from both programs in the future. However, there are a number of additional factors that will impact whether this will be true for you. Four, those eligible for more than one VA education program can only receive a maximum of 48 months of benefits combined. And finally, if you stay enrolled in the Montgomery GI Bill and later decide to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill instead, the $1,200 you paid for the Montgomery GI Bill may be refunded to you in some situations. So there you have it: two great programs to help pay for advancing your education, and the opportunity to choose how you want to use them.

Tuition Support in the Army National Guard

Length 1:07

Tuition Support in the Army National Guard

Enlistment bonuses and tuition reimbursem*nt are just a small part of the potential education benefits available in the National Guard.

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F1:​ If somebody’s kind of on the fence of going into a recruiting office or just reaching out to a recruiter, I would absolutely encourage it, if anything just for the information.

HUNTER:​ We have a lot of enlistment bonuses out there right now, upwards to about $20,000. If you’re in college or you plan to be, this is a great choice for you, because our organization, we look for students whowannago to college. We also have educational benefits, where we pay up to a hundred percent of tuition.

F2:​ Sometimes people join and don’t know. They don’t have a specific career path. They don’t know what they want to do with their life. And sometimes it provides that structure and that support. That process, you may find something that you love.

RODRIGUEZ-NELSON: ​My recommendation would be do your research. Know what you’re looking for. Is it something that is gonna benefit you? Is it something that you feel will help you in the long run? Because it’s a commitment: you’re committing to your state, you’re committing to the countryyour hundred-percent effort. It’s a big responsibility, and it’s an awesome step in life, and I definitely recommend it.

Paying for College — Today's Military (1)

Senior Airman | Morgan Eckert Air National Guard

Tuition Assistance

The rising cost of tuition can be hard to manage, but the Military’s Tuition Assistance program provides service members the opportunity to enroll in courses at:

  • Accredited colleges
  • Universities
  • Junior colleges
  • Vocational-technical schools

Each Service branch has unique programs that can help with tuition for anything from professional certifications to a graduate degree.

To qualify, there are usually conditional requirements, such as having a minimum amount of time remaining on your service contract and a cap on credit hours (or dollars) per year.

Good to Know: Some Tuition Assistance programs, such as the Coast Guard’sCollege Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative, require that you attend a school from a designated list.

Tuition Assistance pays for up to 100 percent of the cost of tuition or expenses, up to a maximum of $250 per credit and a personal maximum of $4,500 per fiscal year per student. This program is the same for full-time members in all Military Services. Selected Reserve and National Guard units also offer Tuition Assistance programs, although the benefits may vary from those of the Active Duty program.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill

The Post-9/11 GI Bill became effective on August 1, 2009, and has the most comprehensive education benefits package since the original GI Bill was signed into law in 1944.

Post-9/11 GI Bill at a Glance

Available to veterans who have served after September 10, 2001, with at least 90 days of continuous service.

Reserve and Guard members who have been activated for more than 90 days since 9/11 have access to the same benefits as their active-duty counterparts.

Tuition and Fee Reimbursem*nt

The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays all public school in-state tuition and fees. The full benefit amount an individual can receive is calculated from these numbers:

  • Tuition and fees payment (not to exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition and fees in each state)
  • Living stipend (equivalent to basic housing allowance in that ZIP code for an E-5 with dependents)
  • Allowance for books and supplies ($1,000 per year)

The actual benefit amount will vary based on an individual’s total length of service. For example:

  • Those who have served at least 36 months or 30 continuous days prior to discharge for a service-connected disability can get maximum tuition and fees, a monthly housing stipend, and an annual stipend for books and supplies.
  • Those who have served at least 90 days, but less than six months, receive 50 percent of the maximum benefit.

Yellow Ribbon Program

Colleges and universities that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Programcontribute additional funds toward educational costs that exceed the maximums allowed by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Institutions may set the amount they wish to contribute, which is matched by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This can be very beneficial for students at private colleges and universities, graduate programs or those attending with out-of-state status.

Sharing Benefits with Family

In exchange for an additional service commitment, a service member may be able to transfer all or part of his or her earned benefits to spouses and children (including stepchildren). This is a first for the GI Bill and opens up new opportunities for service members and their families.

For examples and maximum allowances state by state, visit theVeterans Affairssiteorspeak with a recruiter.

Paying for College — Today's Military (5)

Sergeant | Tri Phu Army National Guard

College Fund Programs

College Fund Programs are offered to service members when they first join the Military. Also called the GI Bill “kicker,” they offer an additional amount of money that can be added to the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

  • With the exception of the Navy and Air Force, each Service branch has College Fund Programs.
  • Incentives and amount received vary by Service branch.
  • A high school diploma is required.
  • Applicants must be enrolled in the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
  • The Air Force doesn’t have a College Fund Program, but it does have a community college.

Depending on your Service branch, test scores and occupation, there may also be additional requirements. Talk to a recruiter to find out if you are eligible and to ask for an application.

Loan Repayment Programs

The Army and Navy offer loan repayment programs to help enlisted personnel pay off college loans accrued prior to service. While each program has unique processes and requirements, they’re all enlistment incentives designed to help recent college graduates manage education debt.

Army

In the active-duty Army, Soldiers can qualify to have their loans repaid by the Military at the rate of one-third of the loan or $1,500, whichever is greater,for each year of full-time duty served (maximum loan repayment is $65,000). The Army even helps Soldiers pay off student loans they’ve taken out, provided they attended schools on approved Perkins, Stafford or other Department of Education–guaranteed student loans.

Navy

In the active-duty Navy, a Loan Repayment Program of up to$65,000 is also available. Qualifications include no prior military service, a high school diploma and a loan that is not in default. This program is available currently to eligible personnel in the delayed entry program who will enlist as active duty Sailors.

Additional Resources and Support

For even more information about educational opportunities and financial assistance for service members and their families, check out the Department of Defense’s Military OneSource. Here you’ll find a comprehensive list of programs, services and organizations that are focused on making a quality education accessible and affordable.

More in Education & Training

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