As of 2015, about 8.5% of the enlisted force have a bachelors degree. That is surprisingly low in my mind given how much money is available for us. But, I also know that in the beginning of your career you’ll have upgrade training and busy schedules. So, keep that in mind when you are selecting your job!
Well, let’s talk education for a second. There are many education benefits available for the enlisted member, such as state, reserve, guard, scholarships, etc. These are going to be a little out of the scope of this article. Also, remember that nearly every school as a Veterans representative to help you out if you have questions. From my experience, these folks will bend over backwards for you so be sure to look them up as well.
So with that, I’ll quickly go over the Post 9-11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) and the Air Force Tuition Assistance program.
Post 9-11 GI Bill
This is a sweet benefit and worth it’s weight in gold. You can find a ton of detailed information at the Education portion on the VA webpage, but here is the gist.
This benefit will cost you nothing but Active Duty (AD) time. This means Reservists/Guard members on Active Duty orders are eligible as well. Once you have at least 90 days of AD time you are vested…which means you get some amount of education benefits. Once you hit the 3-year mark, you are golden at 100%. See the chart for more specific rates.
So what is covered?
Tuition (paid to the school)
- If you are going to a state school as an in-state student, then all tuition is covered.
- If you are going to a private or foreign school, the cap as of 2015 is $21,084.89 per year
- If you are going to a state school as an out of state student and tuition exceeds the cap amount then you could be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program. More on that below.
- If you are going online school then the same cap applies and anything above that could be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Living Expenses (paid to you)
This is a huge benefit. You are paid BAH at a SSgt (E5) with defendants at the zip code of your school, known also as Military Housing Rate (MHR). Your actual rank has nothing to do with this portion of the benefit. To learn more about BAH, check out this post on military pay.
For foreign schools, online schools, and going to school while still on AD, check out the chart for more specifics.
Books and Supplies (paid to you)
Book and supplies stipend up to $1000 per year. From experience, this portion of the benefit is a little short of reality. My books were way more than what I received, but no fear. Once you get past your first semester, you can sell your books and use that money to offset the cost a bit.
NOTE: As with more things money, rates always change, so be sure to check out the most current info at the VA webpage.
Yellow Ribbon Program
If your tuition and fees are more than the yearly cap of $21,084.89, because you opted for a private school or your public school classified you as out of state (jerks), then your school could participate in this program. This is when your school pays for half of what is left over past the cap, and the VA pays the other half. I’ve never used it, but it sounds legit in theory. So, if you have your sights on Harvard, then this could be a solution for you! More info for you here.
Air Force Tuition Assistance
This benefit is going to be a great one for going to college while on AD. This benefit is directly dependent on if the AF has money for it or not. There was one year where it wasn’t available because of budget cuts, but it doesn’t happen that often.
The Air Force will pay 100% of tuition and some fees up to $4,500 a year and up to $250 a credit hour. That is free money people! I wish I would have take advantage of this benefit when I was in. Here is the one down side though. It is a reimbursement benefit, which means you pay for it then once you do the paperwork you’ll get paid back.
Well, I hope that this helped clear up some of the fog for you. As always, shoot me a note or comment below if you have questions and I’ll see if I can get you pointed in the right direction!