The Active-Duty Montgomery GI Bill

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The Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB AD) provides up to 36 months of education benefits for:

  • College, business, technical or vocational courses
  • Distance learning including correspondence courses
  • Certification tests
  • Apprenticeship/job training (veterans, Guard, and reserve only)
  • Flight training

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 $2,358 a month in fiscal year 2024 to cover your education, including high-tech or vocational-technical programs. The total of this benefit adds up to over $84,000, and these benefits adjust every year. But don't wait to use the Montgomery GI Bill. These benefits are usually only good for up to 10 years after you separate from the military unless you left the service after Jan. 1, 2013. 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 

Whether you need a guide on how to use your GI Bill, want to take advantage of tuition assistance and scholarships, or get the lowdown on education benefits available for your family, Military.com can help. Subscribe to Military.com to have education tips and benefits updates delivered directly to your inbox.

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GI Bill Benefits