Active Duty

If you serve active duty you will be eligible for the post-9/11 GI Bill, a program designed to pay for college or job training for US veterans. You qualify for full post-9/11 GI Bill benefits after 1,095 days (36 months) of military service or after being discharged with an injury after at least 30 consecutive days of service. This means that if you attend a public college in the US and are eligible for in-state tuition, you will have 100% of your tuition and fees covered. You will also receive a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA). If you attend an out-of state or private school, a foreign university, or participate in certain non-college degree programs there will be a cap to your benefits which can be found here. Many schools have pledged to cover all or part of the gap between your benefits and the cost of attending through the Yellow Ribbon Program, you can search for participating schools here. If you serve for more than 30 days but less than 36 months, you will be eligible for partial Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. The exact percentage that you qualify for can be found here.

 

Reserves

There are three different groups in the US reserve forces. The largest two are the Selected Reserve and the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). Both of these groups can be called to active duty if needed, the difference is that Selected Reserve members are actively training with their units while members of the IRR have already completed training. Soldiers in the Selected Reserve have many options for financial aid depending on how they choose to serve.

 

Montgomery GI Bill

The first form of financial aid is the Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR). When you enlist in a reserve force you will make a commitment of 8 years. Of those 8 years you can commit to either 4, 6, or 8 years in the Selected Reserve, then you will serve the remaining time on IRR. If you make a commitment of at least 6 years in the selected reserve then you will become eligible for MGIB-SR benefits. MGIB-SR benefits pay out as a monthly stipend to be used to help assist with college or job training. You are eligible for 36 months of benefits and can only claim these benefits while you are serving in the Selected Reserve. The rate at the time of writing is $466/month but the award amount is updated every year to keep up with inflation. Up to date rates can be found here.

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GNG Service Cancelable Loan

The next form of financial aid is only available to all members of the Georgia National Guard (GNG), both Army National Guard and Air Guard. The GNG Service Cancelable Loan (SCL) is a loan that is given annually to GNG members attending any public university in Georgia as well as eligible private universities. The loan can either be paid back like a traditional loan with interest or paid off through service in the GNG. In order to repay the loan through service the student must maintain a 2.0 while in college and remain in the Georgia National Guard for the full duration of the time they are receiving the loan plus two years afterwards. Failure to meet these requirements will mean you have to repay the full value of the loan with interest.

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Federal Tuition Assistance

If you join the Army National Guard, in any state, you will be eligible for the Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) program. The Air National Guard does not have this program. FTA will provide $250 per credit hour up to $4500 (18 credits) a year towards any classes at an accredited college or university. There is also a maximum lifetime award of 130 credit hours. Most undergraduate degrees require 120 hours to complete so this leaves a small amount of room in case you need to retake a class for any reason.