Tuition & Fee's
Tuition and Fees If you are eligible, VA will pay your tuition & fees payment directly to the school. The tuition & fees rates at a state operated college or university (Institution of Higher Learning) will cover up to the full amount depending on your number of months of active service since Sept. 11, 2001.Unlike the Montgomery GI Bill®, the Post-9/11GI Bill® requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay your tuition and fees directly to the school. This payment rate is capped at the tuition and fees rate for the most expensive in-state public college undergraduate tuition and fees for the state of enrollment - the school's state not yours.
Recent changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill® mqake it much easier to determine how much of your tuition and fees will be paid.
As of August of 2011 the following new rules apply to how college tuition and fee payments are determined:
Recent changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill® mqake it much easier to determine how much of your tuition and fees will be paid.
As of August of 2011 the following new rules apply to how college tuition and fee payments are determined:
- Pays all public school in-state tuition and fees;
- Private and foreign school costs are capped at $17,500 annually;
- Tuition and fees rates now apply to active duty members and their transferees.
Monthly Living (Housing) Stipends
Monthly Living (Housing) Stipend As an eligible veteran or member of the National Guard or Selected Reserve you may receive a monthly housing allowance (living stipend) based on the ZIP code of the location of the school you are attending - not your home ZIP code. This stipend currently averages $1,368 a month, but can exceed $2,700 depending on where you go to school.
This stipend is based on the DoD's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) an E-5 with dependents. This stipend does not require students to live on campus.
NOTE: Servicemembers currently on active duty and veterans (and eligible family members) and those taking courses on a half-time basis do not qualify for the monthly housing stipend.
Students taking 100% of their courses online are eligible for a monthly stipend equal to half of the national average stipend, which is $684 for 2012.
This stipend is based on the DoD's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) an E-5 with dependents. This stipend does not require students to live on campus.
NOTE: Servicemembers currently on active duty and veterans (and eligible family members) and those taking courses on a half-time basis do not qualify for the monthly housing stipend.
Students taking 100% of their courses online are eligible for a monthly stipend equal to half of the national average stipend, which is $684 for 2012.
One-time relocation allowance
One-Time Relocation Allowance You may also receive a one-time rural relocation benefit payment of $500.00 to help cover the cost of relocating from a rural location to attend school.
To qualify you must:
To qualify you must:
- Be an otherwise eligible veteran.
- Reside in a county with 6 persons or less per square mile (as determined by the most recent decennial census) and:
- Either physically relocate at least 500 miles to attend an educational institution
- or - - Travel by air to physically attend an educational institution if no other land-based transportation exists.
benefit transferability
Benefit Transferability The Department of Defense (DoD) is authorized to allow individuals who, on or after August 1, 2009, have served at least 6 years in the Armed Forces and who agree to serve at least another 4 years in the Armed Forces to transfer unused entitlement to their Spouse. Once the member has reached their 10 year anniversary they may choose to transfer the benefit to any dependent(s) (spouse, children). The Department of Defense may, by regulation, impose additional eligibility requirements and limit the number of months transferable to not less than 18 months.
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Public Health System (PHS) personnel are now eligible to transfer their entitlement to eligible dependents.
NOTE: DoD must provide VA with eligibility information before the VA can make payments under this provision. The ability to transfer benefits is limited to those currently serving in the military with some limited provisions for those retiring over the next few years. While the Post-9/11 GI Bill® offers a very generous post-service education benefit, a special provision of the program allows career service members the opportunity to share their education benefits with immediate family members. The Post 9/11 GI Bill® is the only one which allows transferring education beneftis.
Allowing career service members to transfer their GI Bill® benefits to family members has long been one of the most requested items among military family readiness and advocacy groups.
GI Bill® UPDATE: When initially implemented, the Post 911 GI Bill® education transfer program was phased in to enable servicemembers nearing retirement to accept a 1-, 2-, or 3-year active-duty service commitment. That phase-in period expired July 31, 2012 and all active-duty now incur a 4-year ADSC.
Eligible Individuals
Any member of the Armed Forces (active duty or Selected Reserve, officer or enlisted) on or after August 1, 2009, who is eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, and
Eligible Family Members
An individual approved to transfer an entitlement to educational assistance under this section may transfer the individual's entitlement to:
An eligible Servicemember may transfer up to the total months of unused Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, or the entire 36 months if the member has used none.
Family member use of transferred educational benefits is subject to the following:
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Public Health System (PHS) personnel are now eligible to transfer their entitlement to eligible dependents.
NOTE: DoD must provide VA with eligibility information before the VA can make payments under this provision. The ability to transfer benefits is limited to those currently serving in the military with some limited provisions for those retiring over the next few years. While the Post-9/11 GI Bill® offers a very generous post-service education benefit, a special provision of the program allows career service members the opportunity to share their education benefits with immediate family members. The Post 9/11 GI Bill® is the only one which allows transferring education beneftis.
Allowing career service members to transfer their GI Bill® benefits to family members has long been one of the most requested items among military family readiness and advocacy groups.
GI Bill® UPDATE: When initially implemented, the Post 911 GI Bill® education transfer program was phased in to enable servicemembers nearing retirement to accept a 1-, 2-, or 3-year active-duty service commitment. That phase-in period expired July 31, 2012 and all active-duty now incur a 4-year ADSC.
Eligible Individuals
Any member of the Armed Forces (active duty or Selected Reserve, officer or enlisted) on or after August 1, 2009, who is eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, and
- Has at least 6 years of service in the Armed Forces on the date of election and agrees to serve 4 additional years in the Armed Forces from the date of election.
- Has at least 10 years of service in the Armed Forces (active duty and/or selected reserve) on the date of election, is precluded by either standard policy (service or DoD) or statute from committing to 4 additional years, and agrees to serve for the maximum amount of time allowed by such policy or statute, or
- Is or becomes retirement eligible during the period from August 1, 2009, through August 1, 2013. A service member is considered to be retirement eligible if he or she has completed 20 years of active duty or 20 qualifying years of reserve service.
- For those individuals eligible for retirement on August 1, 2009, no additional service is required.
- For those individuals who have an approved retirement date after August 1, 2009, and before July 1, 2010, no additional service is required.
- For those individuals eligible for retirement after August 1, 2009, and before August 1, 2010, 1 year of additional service after approval of transfer is required.
- For those individuals eligible for retirement on or after August 1, 2010, and before August 1, 2011, 2 years of additional service after approval of transfer are required.
- For those individuals eligible for retirement on or after August 1, 2011, and before August 1, 2012, 3 years of additional service after approval of transfer required.
- Is or becomes retirement eligible during the period from August 1, 2009, through August 1, 2013. A service member is considered to be retirement eligible if he or she has completed 20 years of active duty or 20 qualifying years of reserve service.
Eligible Family Members
An individual approved to transfer an entitlement to educational assistance under this section may transfer the individual's entitlement to:
- The individual's spouse.
- One or more of the individual's children.
- Any combination of spouse and child.
- A family member must be enrolled in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS) and be eligible for benefits, at the time of transfer to receive transferred educational benefits.
- A child's subsequent marriage will not affect his or her eligibility to receive the educational benefit; however, after an individual has designated a child as a transferee under this section, the individual retains the right to revoke or modify the transfer at any time.
- A subsequent divorce will not affect the transferee's eligibility to receive educational benefits; however, after an individual has designated a spouse as a transferee under this section, the eligible individual retains the right to revoke or modify the transfer at any time.
An eligible Servicemember may transfer up to the total months of unused Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, or the entire 36 months if the member has used none.
Family member use of transferred educational benefits is subject to the following:
- Spouse:
- May start to use the benefit immediately.
- May use the benefit while the member remains in the Armed Forces or after separation from active duty.
- Is not eligible for the monthly stipend or books and supplies stipend while the member is serving on active duty.
- Can use the benefit for up to 15 years after the service member's last separation form active duty.
- Child:
- May start to use the benefit only after the individual making the transfer has completed at least 10 years of service in the Armed Forces.
- May use the benefit while the eligible individual remains in the Armed Forces or after separation from active duty.
- May not use the benefit until he/she has attained a secondary school diploma (or equivalency certificate), or reached 18 years of age.
- Is entitled to the monthly stipend and books and supplies stipend even though the eligible individual is on active duty.
- Is not subject to the 15-year delimiting date, but may not use the benefit after reaching 26 years of age.
- Spouse:
