The Montgomery GI Bill gives up to 36 months of education tuition assistance to veterans that encompasses a wide range of eligible programs. Almost any legitimate training or education program will be eligible for compensation through this program through VA. Some of the acceptable education and training programs are as follows: college, vocational courses, technical courses, correspondence courses, apprenticeships, job training, flight training, high-tech training, licensing and certification testing, entrepreneurship training and most entrance examinations. There are certain criteria that determine the amount of monthly compensation you receive through the Montgomery GI Bill. The criteria are the length of time in service, the type of training you are participating in and the category to which you are assigned. Supplemental bonuses earned from special military service, or kickers, can also have an effect on the amount of compensation you will be receiving.
Encompassing college courses at either a four-year college or university or two-year community college for either an undergraduate or advanced degree
Payment- Issued monthly, paid in arrears, or in the month following that of which the classes were attended. Based on the number of classes attended. Full-time defined as 12 hours or more; three-quarter time is 9 to 11 hours; half-time is 6-8 hours. For less than 6 hours you are reimbursed at a rate not to exceed the tuition and fees charged for the courses. For graduate programs, you are considered full-time if the institution considers you full-time regardless of hours, and are paid accordingly.
Training programs such as EMT certification, barber/beautician school.
Payment –Issued monthly, paid in arrears, or in the month following that of which the classes were attended. Based on the number of clock hours you attend the training program each month.
Training programs that require you to learn while in the field, at times as an apprentice.
Payment – Issued monthly, paid in arrears, or in the month following that in which the work was performed. You can receive a salary from your employer as well as VA benefits. You receive 85% of the full-time GI Bill rate for the first six months; 65% of the full-time GI Bill rate for the second six months; 45% of the full-time GI Bill rate for the remainder of the program.
Eligibility for this type of training requires that you already have a private pilot’s license and valid medical certification before the start of this training.
Payment – Issued after the training is completed and the school submits information to the VA. You will be reimbursed for 60% of the approved charges.
These courses are offer online, usually through colleges and universities. Course materials are provided by the institution and they are responsible for all grading reports.
Payment - Issued monthly, paid in arrears, or in the month following that of which the classes were attended. Based on the number of classes attended. Full-time defined as 12 hours or more; three-quarter time is 9 to 11 hours; half-time is 6-8 hours. For less than 6 hours you are reimbursed at a rate not to exceed the tuition and fees charged for the courses. For graduate programs, you are considered full-time if the institution considers you full-time regardless of hours, and are paid accordingly.
General consists of lessons received in the mail for which you have a predetermined amount of time to complete upon which the completed lessons are returned for a grade.
Payment – The VA will reimburse you 55% of the approved costs for this type of course. Please note: the VA’s approved costs may be less than the actual cost for the course. You will be paid quarterly after the lessons are completed.
VA allows for reimbursement of testing fees for national tests required for admission to undergraduate programs such as the SAT or ACT and graduate programs such as the GRE, LSAT or GMAT. Reimbursement is also offered for fees paid for national testing that offers course credit at institutions of higher learning such as College Level Exam Program or CLEP tests.
Payment – The VA will reimburse you for the costs of these tests after you submit proof of payment
Limited to tests specifically approved for the GI Bill but will include finial tests for career fields issuing certification of licensing in order for employment. Examples of these certifications are medical technician, jet engine mechanic, HVAC technician and the like. The only cost eligible for reimbursement is the cost of the actual test itself. Other fees required to receive the license will not be covered.
Payment – the VA will reimburse up to $2000 for the tests after proof of payment has been submitted. The test fee will still be covered if you fail the test.
The VA will pay for courses offered through the Veterans Corporation and the Small Business Development Center designed to help veterans start their own businesses or improve business already owned.
Payment – The VA will reimburse you for entrepreneurship training for courses offered by the Small Business Development Center or Veterans Corporation only.
This programs offers students attending school at least three-quarters time a way to earn extra income while getting their education. Students are allowed to receive education benefits while working at a school’s veterans office, a VA medical facility, a VA Regional Office or at an approved state employment office.
Payment – You will be paid either the state or Federal minimum wage, whichever is greater.
Co-Op Training
This program makes it possible for the student to attend classes either in the morning or evening and work at on-the-job training in a related field at the opposing time of day. This can also be arranged so the student attends courses one semester and works in the field the next.
Payment – The advantage of the co-op program is that you receive your GI benefits at the full-time rate during the entire period.
Effective August 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024
We’ll send your tuition and fees directly to your school or training program.
The amounts listed here are the maximum amounts we’ll pay this academic year for each type of school or training program. If you’re eligible for a percentage of the full benefit, multiply the amount by your percentage. This will give you the maximum amount we’ll pay this academic year.
Find out the full rate based on what type of school you’re attending:
You may be eligible for money to help pay for your housing while you’re studying. If you’re eligible for monthly housing allowance (MHA), we’ll pay you this allowance at the end of each month.
We’ll pay you a percentage of the full monthly housing allowance (called a “prorated payment”) based on these 2 factors:
Note: If you’re taking correspondence training or flight training, you’re not eligible for MHA.
We base your MHA on the monthly military Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for an E-5 with dependents. This is called the resident MHA. We use the 2023 rates to calculate the MHA you get between August 1, 2023, and July 31, 2024.
You can use the Defense Department (DOD) lookup tool on the Defense Travel Management Office website to find out how much money you may be eligible to receive for housing. You’ll need the zip code for your school to get started.
Go to the Defense Travel Management Office website
Find out how we determine your MHA
We base your monthly housing allowance on the national average.
We’ll pay you up to $967.40 (equal to half the national average for MHA). This is the maximum amount we’ll pay you each month.
Note: If you take at least one class in person while taking other online learning classes, you may be eligible for the higher resident MHA.
We base your monthly housing allowance on the national average.
We’ll pay you up to $1,934.80 (equal to the national average for MHA). This is the maximum amount we’ll pay you each month.
You may be eligible for up to $1,000 each academic year for books and supplies. We base your payment on these factors:
We’ll pay this money to you at the beginning of each term or enrollment period.
If you need to relocate from a highly rural area so you can attend school, we may give you a one-time payment of $500 to help with your moving expenses.
You may be eligible for this Post-9/11 GI Bill rural grant if the description listed here is true for you.
This must be true:
You live in a county with no more than 6 people per square mile, as determined by the most recent U.S. census.
And one of these must be true:
If your college or university tuition costs more than the maximum payment, you may be eligible for added payments through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Learn about the Yellow Ribbon Program
If you’re struggling with your coursework, you may be eligible for up to $100 per month, up to $1,200 total, for tutorial assistance.
Learn more about tutorial assistance
If you’re enrolled in a school or professional training program, you may be eligible to earn extra money through a part-time job related to VA work.
Effective August 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024
We’ll pay you up to $1,000 each academic year for books and supplies. We pay this money to you at the start of your benefit award period, and at the start of each academic year while you’re in your training program.
You may be eligible for money to help pay for your housing while you’re studying. If you’re eligible for monthly housing allowance (MHA), we’ll pay you this allowance at the end of each month.
We’ll pay you a percentage of the full monthly housing allowance (called a “prorated payment”) based on these 2 factors:
We base your MHA on the monthly military Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for an E-5 with dependents. We use the 2023 rates to calculate the MHA you get between August 1, 2023, and July 31, 2024.
You can use the Defense Department (DOD) lookup tool on the Defense Travel Management Office website to find out how much money you may be eligible to receive for housing. You’ll need the zip code for your school to get started.
Effective August 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024
Check to make sure we cover any tests before you take them. We cover only tests we approve for the GI Bill.
Learn what tests we approve for the GI Bill
We’ll pay up to $2,000 for qualifying licensing and certification test fees.
We’ll charge your entitlement at the rate of 1 month for every $2,262.59 in fees we pay for licensing and certification tests.
There’s no limit on how much we’ll reimburse you for national test fees.
We’ll charge your entitlement at the rate of 1 month for every $2,262.59 in fees we pay for national tests.
