Military and Veterans: VA Educational Benefits
What Are VA Education Benefits?
VA education benefits help veterans, service members and their qualified family members to pay for college. VA benefits have different payment types and schedules and cover different parts of your education — like paying for tuition, work study or tutoring. There are a variety of education benefits for veterans available that you may qualify for.
Types of VA Education Benefits
Explore the different types of VA benefits for education available and find out what you may qualify for.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® pays tuition and fees up to 36 months. This benefit is available for individuals with at least 90 days of aggregate service on or after September 11, 2001, individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days, dependent children and spouses using benefits transferred by a qualifying veteran or service member and also Purple Heart recipients who were honorably discharged after September 11, 2001 with any amount of service.
The Montgomery GI Bill® is another veterans education benefit to help with tuition
and training costs. There are three programs available: Active Duty, Selected Reserve,
and Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP).
The Top-Up program allows you to use the GI Bill® to supplement tuition and fees not covered by tuition assistance. This is a good
option if you plan to use tuition assistance to complete your degree while on active
duty, or if you’re just taking a few courses.
This education benefit for military veterans helps with Veteran Readiness & Employment
services for veterans who have a service-connected disability of 10% and higher.
If you’re the spouse or child of a veteran or active service member who has died, is captured or missing, or is permanently or totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability, you may be able to get help paying for college or professional training through the DEA program or Fry Scholarship.
How to Apply for VA Education Benefits
How you apply for veterans education benefits will vary depending on whether you are a new student, transfer student or current student at UAF. Remember, you must request the usage of your VA education benefits every semester and be admitted to a degree program at UAF. Learn more and get started below.
Get Help With VA Education Benefits
The UAF Department of Military and Veteran Services has staff to advise you on VA educational benefits. Our expert advisors can help you determine which benefits you and your family can use, how to apply for military education benefits, complete paperwork and more.