GI Bill 102: More Benefits For Higher Education
By Sean-Michael Green
Summer 2005
Many servicemembers don't think much about college. After all, they already have good jobs, are developing strong skills and have other responsibilities to consider. Why think about higher education?
College enhances the quality of a person's life. It is a challenging experience and an opportunity to explore new interests. It can boost job proficiency and open opportunities in transitioning to new jobs. It is a chance to make a big change in your life similar to the change you made when deciding to serve in the military.
College also is about money. Let's face it: We tend to measure success and happiness in terms of dollars.
Many civilian jobs require college degrees, and those jobs tend to pay more than jobs that require only a high school diploma. Even with your military training and experience, you may hit a roadblock without a college degree. You may be capable of performing many jobs but find yourself unable to get hired because you lack the proper credentials.
Off-duty education helps you move up the military rank structure. It is a way for an E-7 to separate himself from the pack when it comes time to consider a promotion to E-8.
Finally, an important reason for servicemembers to think about college is their unique access to a variety of resources to help pay for school.
The Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) program is optional, but more than 95 percent of enlistees opt to participate in it. If you enrolled in the program while in the Reserve, you needed to obligate yourself for six years; if you signed on for the MGIB while on Active Duty, you needed to pay $100 per month for the first 12 months of your service. In either case, you needed to complete the proper paperwork. If you are in the MGIB program, you probably know it.
Not only is MGIB a popular benefit, it is a powerful benefit. A person in the Active Duty version of the MGIB program now enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited school earns $1,004 per month for up to 36 months - money paid directly to the servicemember or veteran to spend as he or she pleases in furthering an education.
But MGIB is not the only game in town when it comes to paying for college. Servicemembers and veterans have access to an entire arsenal of lesser-known benefits ready to fund their education.
Tuition Assistance
The military's Tuition Assistance (TA) program pays the cost of tuition, enrollment fees and certain other higher education expenses. The money is not a loan - it is free money to use for education. Although each branch of the military covers up to 100 percent of tuition and fees, the individual branches have their own rules and restrictions for using TA.
The Air Force, Army, Coast Guard and Marine Corps offer similar programs in terms of the payout. The program pays $250 or $166 per credit, depending on whether your college courses last a semester or a quarter. The maximum amount you can receive each fiscal year is $4,500. At $250 per semester credit, TA enables a soldier, airman, guardsman or Marine to take 18 credits per year.
Although the Navy also pays $250 per semester credit and $166 per quarter credit, the cap is set at 12 semester hours per fiscal year. Thus, a sailor can receive a maximum benefit of $3,000 per year.
Program eligibility differs among each branch of service. The Marine Corps provides TA only to Marines on Active Duty. The Army and Navy make TA available to members on Active Duty and Reserves who have been activated and are serving on Active Duty. The Air Force TA covers Active Duty personnel and Reservists. The Coast Guard offers TA to its Active Duty, Selected Reserve and civilian employees.
Of course, college is expensive and TA may not cover the entire cost. If your education costs exceed the amount available from TA, you can use your MGIB to "top off" the amount you receive. You would receive the total cost of your tuition and fees up to the maximum amount of your TA, plus your MGIB.
ACE Credit Recommendations
Millions of people who have never attended college actually have college credits. Those in the military, including veterans, fall within this category.
The American Council on Education (ACE) works with the military to help servicemembers receive college credit for their military training. They examine military courses and training programs, comparing the skills developed to those developed in a traditional classroom. Based on those comparisons, ACE makes credit recommendations to reflect the course's content.
When a new recruit attends basic training, for example, he or she earns recommended credits. The recruit may receive a recommendation for three credits in physical education, two in first aid and one in hygiene. Those credits appear on a military transcript - SMART transcripts for Marines and sailors, AARTS transcripts for soldiers, CCAF transcripts for airmen - and the transcripts are available online or through your command.
Of course, a recommended credit isn't the same as an actual credit. ACE does not issue college credits; it suggests how many credits a college should award for your previous training. Some 1,200 colleges and universities have agreed to accept ACE credit recommendations "when appropriate."
The individual servicemember must fight for the maximum number of credits. When you apply to a school, present your military transcript to a transfer counselor and try to negotiate how many credits the college will award. The more training you receive in the military, the more credits you may receive in college.
Thanks to your military transcript, a college may award you enough credits to skip a few courses, a semester or even a year. You may be a college sophomore and not even know it! And every credit you receive is one that you don't have to pay for.
DANTES
Examinations are another way of obtaining college credits while still in the military. That's where the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support (DANTES) comes in.
The most popular credit-by-examination vehicle is the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). Nearly 3,000 colleges and universities reward students who have successfully completed CLEP tests. Moreover, DANTES' own exam, the DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST), covers a variety of courses generally required by college programs, and each test earns between two and six credits.
Military members and sometimes family members can take these tests, as well as other standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT assessment tests, at no cost because DANTES picks up the tab. DANTES provided funding for an estimated 111,000 credit-by-examination tests in fiscal year 2004.
Every credit earned through testing means you can reduce your college costs and earn your degree faster.
Federal And State Aid
Despite these financial advantages, servicemembers still may be eligible for traditional student aid. In fact, military personnel and veterans have two distinct advantages over the general population when it comes to financial aid.
First, the federal government counts military members and veterans as "independent students." As a result, servicemembers and veterans are not required to disclose their parents' financial information. A traditional student is awarded aid based on the value of the student's and parents' combined assets and liabilities. Military service removes this burden, often resulting in more aid.
Second, many states offer special grant programs. In some states, all servicemembers and veterans are qualified to receive additional funds; some states offer special money for those who participated in certain campaigns. Check with your state or the financial aid office in the school you plan to attend to find money available to military personnel and veterans.
A Final Word
Your military service provides unique access to financial resources for education, and that puts you in a powerful position. You don't need to listen to every sales pitch that comes your way. Choose your school carefully. Do your research in advance and make sure you are choosing a program that suits your goals.
No one gave you these education benefits - you earned them by serving your country. Consider carefully before you let someone take it away.
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Sean-Michael Green is a consultant and speaker on higher education and the military. A former enlisted Marine, he is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University. He is the author of " Marching to College: Turning Military Experience into College Admissions" (Random House 2004). For more information, visit SeanMichaelGreen.com.