The GI Bill rarely covers everything. Tuition above the cap, a program that runs longer than your benefit, out-of-state charges, the months between terms when housing money stops — the gap is normal, and it is the thing to plan for rather than discover.
These are the ways to close it, roughly in the order worth trying.
1. Make the gap smaller first
Before looking for money, remove the cost. A year of credit for your service cuts a quarter of a four-year degree. In-state tuition rather than out-of-state can halve the bill at a public school. A Yellow Ribbon place at a private one can close the gap entirely.
Every dollar removed this way is worth more than a dollar found, because it is certain and it recurs.
2. Scholarships written for veterans
There is a substantial amount of money set aside specifically for veterans, military spouses and children of service members, and much of it goes unclaimed because the pools are small and nobody applies. Service organizations, state veterans departments, branch associations and individual foundations all run them.
The VeteransDirectory.org scholarship listings are organized by who runs them and who qualifies, so you can work through the ones you’re actually eligible for rather than reading a list of a thousand.
Small awards are where the odds are. A $2,000 scholarship with eleven applicants beats a $25,000 one with four thousand, and three of the former is a term.
Applying is a skill and most people do it badly. Here is how to do it well — the packet to build once, the three essays that cover almost every prompt, and the deadlines that matter.
3. Your state
Many states offer tuition waivers or reduced rates at their public universities for resident veterans, and several extend it to dependents. These are among the most generous benefits available and they are also among the least publicized, because they come from the state rather than from VA.
Search for your state’s department of veterans affairs by name and look for education benefits. It takes ten minutes and occasionally eliminates the gap outright.
4. The school itself
Ask the financial aid office what institutional aid exists for veterans beyond Yellow Ribbon. Many schools have funds that are never advertised because the people who ask are few. Ask the veterans office the same question separately — they frequently know about money the financial aid office forgets to mention.
5. Your employer, now or later
Tuition assistance is common and underused. If you are working while studying, check what your employer offers before taking on anything else. If you are not yet working, it is worth weighing: an employer who pays for school changes the arithmetic entirely, and some will hire you specifically to do that.
Employers who actively want military experience are on the job board, and plenty of them have tuition programs.
6. Federal aid you may still qualify for
Filing the FAFSA costs nothing and takes an hour. GI Bill housing payments are not counted as income on it, which surprises people, and veterans are generally treated as independent students regardless of age — both of which tend to work in your favor. Grant money found this way does not have to be repaid.
Two federal grants are worth knowing by name, because neither is widely asked about:
The Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
For a student whose parent or guardian died as a result of military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, and who was under 24 or enrolled in college at the time of that death. It pays even to a student whose income would otherwise rule out a Pell Grant. The eligibility rules are on studentaid.gov.
The TEACH Grant
Up to a set amount a year for someone training to teach a high-need subject in a school serving low-income families. The catch is real and worth reading twice: teach four years within eight of finishing, or the whole grant converts to a loan with interest backdated to the day it was paid. The conditions are on studentaid.gov.
State grants for veterans and their dependents sit separately, by state, on StateVeteranBenefits.org.
What not to do
Don’t take a private loan to cover a gap at a school you haven’t checked. If the arithmetic only works with borrowed money, the question is whether the school is right, not where to borrow.
Don’t pay anyone to find you scholarships. Every legitimate award is free to apply for, and services that charge to search are selling you a list you can read yourself.
Don’t burn benefit on a program you’re unsure about. Months used are gone. A term at a community college while you decide costs almost nothing by comparison.
Work out your number first
Run the calculator and get the actual figure. Looking for money is much easier when you know how much you need.
Free to use — for veterans, active duty, spouses and families.
Donate