How to Make the Most of Your GI Bill

The GI Bill is one of the most popular and well-known benefits offered to U.S. military service members; many (if not most) enlist partly to get money for college.

However, the GI Bill is a more expansive and flexible program than you may realize. According to a recent study by the American Institutes for Research® , just over half of eligible veterans (54%) personally used their benefits. In this guide, we’ll review the different versions of the GI Bill, list the lesser-known benefits that might help you get more mileage out of your tuition dollars, and explain the basic process of activating and using your benefits.

Access to Veterans Benefits

The DD-214, or Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, is one of the most important military service records a transitioning service member must retain after leaving. It's important for transitioning service members to retain this certificate for their records as it serves as the official proof of military service and contains critical information such as dates of service, discharge status, awards and decorations, and job specialties. Ensuring that this document is safely stored and easily accessible is essential in proving eligibility for GI Bill benefits.

Which Version of the GI Bill Do You Have?

With one exception, you don’t choose which version of the GI Bill you get when you enlist—it depends on a few factors:

• Whether you serve on active duty or in the National Guard/Reserves
• Whether you buy into the Montgomery version during or shortly after enlistment
• Whether you inherit GI Bill benefits from a spouse or parent

Let’s go over the different versions of the GI Bill, the basic benefits of each, and the circumstances under which you might have it or get it.

Forever/Post-9/11 GI Bill

Also known as the Chapter 33 GI Bill, the Post-9/11 GI Bill is what you get if you sign up for active duty today and fulfill the minimum eligibility criteria. Legislation passed in 2017 made several major changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill; the term “Forever GI Bill” came from that legislation. Although “Forever GI Bill” is not officially a renaming of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the term is commonly used to differentiate the two versions.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill (hereafter referred to as the Forever GI Bill) offers the greatest total amount of tuition assistance and is the most flexible in terms of how and where you can use the money. Wondering how much the GI bill covers? Here’s a summary of the most important aspects of the Forever GI Bill:

• To be eligible, you must serve at least 90 days on active duty on Title 10 orders after September 10, 2001 (some National Guard Title 32 duties also count).
• You must be discharged honorably.
• In 2019, the previous 15-year time limit was removed. If you were discharged on or after January 1, 2013, then your GI Bill benefits, once earned, are now available for life. (The 15-year limit still applies if you were discharged before that date.)
• If you attend a public, in-state school, your tuition should be covered for up to 36 months of full-time enrollment in most cases. If you attend a private and/or out-of-state school, there is an annual cap on benefits ($29,920 as of 2025).
• The Yellow Ribbon program can help cover costs above this cap if you attend a school that participates in that program.
• As of a 2024 Supreme Court ruling, you can receive up to 48 total months of benefits if you have both the Forever GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill.
• You may or may not receive extra money for books, supplies, and/or housing. The exact amount will depend on your benefit tier, enrollment status, and how you’re attending school (e.g., in person vs. online).

Montgomery GI Bill

The Montgomery GI Bill comes in active-duty (MGIB-AD) and Reserve (MGIB-SR) versions. The latter is essentially a “lite” version of the former, which makes sense; Reservists commit less time and energy to the military, so they receive fewer benefits in return. The MGIB-SR is more like a stipend than a tuition payment. Here are the main benefits and major differences between the two versions:

• The MGIB-AD requires you to “buy in” at the time of your enlistment or shortly after, but the MGIB-SR does not. The most common MGIB-AD buy-in amount is $1,200, which means that a total of $1,200 will be deducted from your military paychecks in several installments.
• Unlike the Forever GI Bill, which pays the actual cost of your tuition, the Montgomery GI Bill provides a fixed monthly payment that depends on several factors. In most cases, it won’t cover all your education expenses if you’re attending a traditional college or university, but it may cover the entire cost of a trade school or apprenticeship program (more on these options later). This is especially true of the MGIB-SR, which provides less money than the active-duty version.
• You can use benefits for up to 36 months of full-time enrollment.
• You must be honorably discharged (MGIB-AD) or currently serving in good standing (MGIB-SR).
• The MGIB-AD can be used while you’re serving, but the monthly payout is lower during active service, so most veterans wait until they’re discharged to start using MGIB-AD benefits. These benefits expire 10 years after discharge.
• The MGIB-SR can be used while you’re serving in the Reserves, but it expires 14 years from your original eligibility date, and benefits end immediately when you leave the Reserves.
• The MGIB-AD can be combined with the Forever GI Bill for up to 48 months of full-time enrollment benefits (if you have both), but the MGIB-SR cannot.

Lesser-Known GI Bill Benefits

Many GI Bill recipients use their tuition, housing, and book benefits but aren’t aware of other benefits that may be useful to them. Here’s a quick summary of the GI Bill’s lesser-known provisions:

• The Yellow Ribbon program can help you cover private school tuition that may not otherwise be covered. Schools have to actively agree to participate in the Yellow Ribbon program, so be sure that the school you want to attend is on the list before you enroll.
• Purple Heart recipients enjoy added benefits such as a waiver of the 6-year service requirement for transfer of benefits to dependents, waiver of time-in-service requirements for Forever GI Bill eligibility, and more.
• In many cases, your GI Bill will cover cost-of-living expenses while you’re enrolled in an apprenticeship program, in which you learn valuable skills from an employer (apprenticeships are generally otherwise unpaid). U.S. Patriot has been recognized as a top employer for veterans 2 years in a row.
• If you’re working toward licensure in a profession that requires it (such as cosmetology or general contracting), the GI Bill can help you cover licensure exam fees, which can run into thousands of dollars.
• In the past, the number of trade schools at which you could use your GI Bill benefits was limited, but now, most U.S.-based trade schools are eligible.
• Rural Relocation Assistance can provide a one-time payment of up to $500 if you need to move from a rural area to attend school.
• The Tuition Assistance (TA) program is not part of the GI Bill, but it’s available to most GI Bill recipients. It can help you cover some of the additional costs of a master’s degree or PhD.
• Via tutoring assistance, you can get up to $1,200 to hire a tutor if you need extra help with classes that are part of your degree path.
• VET TEC (Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses) is a VA program that can help you receive free training in fields such as general computer science, programming, or software engineering. These benefits aren’t deducted from your GI Bill allotments, either.
• VA work study programs can help place you in a part-time job to earn additional income while you’re using your GI Bill benefits to go to school. Unlike apprenticeships, these jobs are usually menial and unrelated to your field, but every little bit helps.

If you don’t need some or all of your GI Bill benefits, you may be able to transfer them to your dependents while you’re still on active duty, provided you meet certain eligibility criteria. Separately, your family members may qualify for the DEA (Dependent Educational Assistance) program if you’re permanently disabled or killed while serving. Benefit transfers can be complicated, so it’s best to work directly with the VA if you’d like to explore this option.

Attending college has always been expensive, and costs will only continue to rise for the foreseeable future. To use the GI bill for college, make sure that you know all the benefits you’re entitled to and that you’re using them as much as possible.

Getting Started with the GI Bill: How to Use Your Benefits

Once you know which benefits you’re entitled to and are likely to use, the process of using them is mostly straightforward, although care is required because mistakes and missed deadlines can be costly.

First, you’ll need to get your certificate of eligibility from the VA. This is simple, but it can take 8–12 weeks, so plan accordingly. You’ll need to give this to your school before you can start the enrollment process. You’ll also need to reconfirm your GI Bill eligibility with the school every semester, but this process is much quicker than initial enrollment unless you change schools.

All schools that accept GI Bill payments must have at least one VA advisor; this person’s job is to guide you through the enrollment process, which is different for veterans than for other students. Sometimes, the degree path that the school would normally recommend for you can conflict with certain VA requirements, but the VA advisor should be able to help you work out these issues. VA requirements may also limit the number of classes available to you, so be sure to sign up for classes as soon as enrollment opens each semester.

If you receive a bill from the school, don’t panic. VA payments are often late, and schools know this. As long as you reconfirm your eligibility every semester, you’re not responsible for the tuition bill or any late charges. The bursar’s office will let you know if you need to do anything, but in most cases, the VA and the school will eventually work it out between themselves.

If you want to use your GI Bill benefits for an apprenticeship, a trade school, or one of the other education avenues that isn’t a traditional college or university, the VA’s website can tell you how to start that process.

Your GI Bill benefits are complex, which means that it takes some work to understand them and to use them effectively. If you use your GI Bill smartly, it can be one of the greatest financial benefits you get from the military. This guide doesn’t cover every facet of the GI Bill, but hopefully, it’s given you a clear idea of questions to ask and next steps to take.

Hunter Wood Hunter Wood is a decorated 10-year U.S. Army veteran and combat leader with deployments to Iraq.