The Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB AD) provides up to 36 months of education benefits for a single term of military service and up to 48 months for multiple terms of service. The money is for:
- College, business, technical or vocational courses
- Distance learning, including correspondence courses
- Certification tests
- Apprenticeships/job training (veterans, Guard and reserve only)
- Flight training
The Department of Veterans Affairs will phase out the Montgomery GI Bill beginning in 2030.
Current Payment Rates
If you're a full-time student enrolled in a regionally or nationally accredited college or university, you can get up to $2,438.00 a month in fiscal year 2025 to cover your education, including high-tech or vocational-technical programs. The total of this benefit adds up to over $87,000 for a service member serving a single enlistment, and these benefits adjust every year. See current payment rates for all levels of enrollment.
Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty Eligibility
You qualify for the Montgomery GI Bill if you meet the following requirements:
- You contribute $100 a month for the first 12 months you are on active duty, and
- You are honorably discharged. Discharges "under honorable conditions" and "general" discharges don't qualify, and
- You have completed high school or have an equivalency certificate before you apply for benefits, and
- You have served at least two years on active duty
However, you don't qualify if:
- You declined the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty in writing upon entry to active duty
- You were commissioned through a service academy (West Point, Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy, etc.). Exception: If you qualified for the Montgomery GI Bill because of a previous term of enlistment, you don't lose it by graduating from a service academy.
- You commissioned through a Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship and received more than $3,400 per year in ROTC scholarships. As with service academy commissions, if you fully qualify for the Montgomery GI Bill before commissioning through an ROTC scholarship, from a previous enlistment period, this doesn't apply.
Application Process
You can apply for the Montgomery GI Bill online at the VA's website. For more details, see the Military Education Benefits User's Guide.
More Information
An additional feature of the Montgomery GI Bill is the $600 Buy-up program.
Keep Up With Your Education Benefits
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