Military Financial Aid For College

Having aid for college is a reason many people enlist in the United States Armed Forces. While this may be the only option for some students wishing to receive aid with college tuition, we here at Evolve:Lyfe would also like to encourage students to consider carefully the non-monetary costs of military service, which may include permanent injury and PTSD, in order to make the most informed decision possible about the best life path to higher education for themselves. For those of you who are veterans looking for information on financial aid available through the military, know we are proud of you for your service and respectfully the choices you have made; thank you for defending our country and its people!

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The Montgomery GI Bill has two branches of educational financial aid available to those of the U.S. Armed Forces: the MGIB-AD for Active Duty members, and the MGIB-SR for Select Reserve members. The Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program is also available by clicking here, although the only individuals eligible are those who entered service for the first time between January 01, 1977, and June 30, 1985. The links will take you to the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs website, where they can give you information on what the assistance can be used for and how to qualify.

Each branch of service operates its own 4-year institution of higher education. These are fully funded– every student will receive full tuition as well as a small monthly stipend for living expenses. On graduation, students will exit as commissioned second lieutenants or ensigns (depending on the service branch). The most widely known is the United States Military Academy at West Point (phone 800-822-8762). Other academies are as follows: the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis (phone 800-638-9156); the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs (phone 800-443-9266); the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London (phone 800-883-8724); the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point (phone 866-546-4778). Each branch of the Armed Forces also offers a Tuition Assistance program to its members. A good overview, as well as pages detailing specifics for tuition assistance from each branch of service, can be found here.

There are specific programs depending on which branch of service you pursue, as well. The Air Force has the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), for which you must be an active enlisted member of the Air Force to attend. This is a federally-accredited 2-year college with multiple paths to an Associate’s Degree. The Army will help repay student loans for qualified applicants, just be aware that to be eligible you must sign away the right to use funding through the Montgomery GI Bill mentioned earlier.

The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) is also a path to financial aid. There are scholarships available to members of the ROTC, in exchange for a service commitment (after graduation, you enter service as a commissioned officer) and certain educational requirements you must fulfill. There is a first-year trial basis with no commitment to service to ensure that the military is indeed the correct path for you. Each branch of service has a different phone number to call in order to get more information on the ROTC programs available to you, as the scholarships can come in one to four-year lengths. The numbers are: 800-872-7682 (Army); 800-872-6289 (Navy); 866-423-7682 (Air Force); 800-627-4637 (Marines).