If your on your way out of the military to continue school, have some fail-safes in place.
- Have a rainy day fund in place if your not going to work part time. Reason being that the VA takes roughly 2 months after you enroll in classes to start payment. A Student loan should be a last resort.
- Fresh out the military we don't qualify for FAFSA (If you start school in the same tax year, should apply anyway).
- Some schools partake in the Yellow Ribbon Program, funding may be limited to quantity or a cap on funding1.
- Army Reserves offer a $4000 Tuition Assistance provide that you have a good GPA2.
- Scholarship(s) there are many veteran friendly groups out there, especially for those who have been deployed. Try Military.com for sources.
- Take advantage of DANTES and CLEP exams, they save you a lot of time and money if you know your stuff.
- Weigh your options closely some colleges/universities accept MOS and militray professional development training for college credit, such as DeVry and University of Phoenix and some not as much like Cal State University San Jose or City College San Francisco...
In my opinion, the system is broken
so don't apply for that $3,000 emergency check if its still available3. Convert your Montgomery GI Bill to the Post 9/11 GI bill if you still have time left or haven't used the bill yet.
VA is like any other government run agency slow and imbecile. If your are deployed currently or still Active Duty, and are lucky enough to get classes done,
DO IT NOW, its free and might as well chisel away classes as early and quickly as possible.
I miss Active Duty, but not its shenanigans and the idiosyncrasy that come with it.
As a friend I did a tour recruiting preached to me, "
Don't let college/(and/or the military)
get in the way of your education", most cases its mainly you and sometimes them
4.
Footnotes:
1 Depends on school and agreement with the VA, DeVry has $10,000 per fiscal year per student so it seems, whereas Academy of Art University is $4,000 per year.
2 You may not be eligable if you are enrolled in Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill)
3 The $3,000 emergency check is not offered anymore, regardless the VA is slow to process anything and very quick to ask for it back.
4 I am in no way responsible for how you chose to live or are living, the decision and actions all depend on you and yourself.
Helpful links (maybe?):
Reserve Tuition Assistance found on Military.com
GoArmyed.com
WEBS for
Army Reservists