Does the Army pay for Colleges?
Students who are serving the army, as well as studying, have to pay only a certain amount to colleges. The members working in the U.S army are eligible for varieties of government programs and facilities through which they can pay for college. They do have to pay fees to the college but due to the facilities provided to them, they get many benefits from it. There are educational benefits provided to the members of the army. They can take advantage of the benefits to cut down the cost of college before service, during service, or even after service.
What are the facilities the army gets to pay for college?
The army is provided with several government programs which help them pay for college. They include educational benefits, loan repayment programs, college funds, and financial aid. There are other facilities as well which help them minimize the cost of college. As we all know the cost of studies has increased a lot but for a member of the army, it has become affordable. They can earn a degree even while they are serving or after they have served in the army.
What are the government programs provided to the army for education?
Many Government programs that will help the army pay for their college. Those are:
1. Tuition assistance:
Due to the rising cost of education it might be difficult to manage but with the help of the army or military tuition assistance programit has become easier for them. According to the tuition assistance program, the army has to pay only a portion of the tuition fee to the college during off duty period.
The eligible candidates for this program will get help from ACES which is the Army Continuing Education System. This will help them secure funds for graduate and undergraduate courses. This program is eligible for the soldier who is serving active duty,
Army reserve guard or army reserve despite their service status.
The benefit received from this tuition assistance is:
They get $250 per semester hours and $4,500per student every fiscal year. The tuition assistance help in paying up to 100 percent of the tuition expenses. This benefit is available to all the full-time members of the army.
2. Army education center:
It provides army support and resources that are needed for achieving educational goals. They also advise and guide the members of the army as to which career and course will be beneficial to them.
3. The post-9/11GI Bill:
A GI bill is the most powerful benefit provided to the army which helps them pay for college. There are three GI bill programs available to the army. The first is the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the most popular GI bill program.
The post-9/11 bill provides the army up to full tuition fees for college as well as money for books and housing facilities. They pay this directly to the college. For an army studying in a private and foreign college, they are given up to $2,500 per year.
4. The Montgomery GI Bill – active duty:
This program is a complete combination of government funding and own paycheckcontributions. These two combined give educational benefitsamaximum of up to 36 months. This GI bill gives the money directly into the hands of the army, unlike the post-GI Bill where the money is given to the college.
5. The Montgomery GI Bill – selected reserve:
This GI program is for selective people only. The members of the army national guard and army reserve get this benefit for up to 36 months. But in return, they are asked for a six-year service commitment. This benefit is made available during the period of their serving. So it starts once they start serving and end when they stop serving.
6. Education benefits are provided to the army before they serve:
In this case, if a person wants to complete education before joining the army then they get a benefit with which they can pay the college fees. They can take advantage of this benefit and get up to full college tuition but in exchange for this, they need to commit to serving the army after they graduate.
7. Use of the ROTC program to pay for college:
This ROTC program is a scholarship program. This program awards the candidates a merit-based scholarshipfor a two, three, or four-year basis. Through this scholarship, one can pay for tuition, room, and board. In addition to all these the army also receives a monthly stipend of $420.
8. The U.S army reserve minuteman scholarship:
This scholarship gives a chance to the students who are interested in joining ROTC which is Reserve Officers Training Corps. They get full tuition or $10,000 in boards and room. But in return, they ask for a service commitment. They give book allowance up to $1,200 and $300 – $500 living stipends per month.
9. Educational benefits provided to college graduates:
If an army member has already graduated from college and has some outstanding student loan debts then in such cases there are programs to help them.Such programs will help them either repay or cancel the loan taken.
10. Educational benefits provided while a member serves the army:
There are benefits for a member of the army who is actively serving and during the off-duty period they want to go further with their education. In such cases, the benefits given to them help them pay a portion of the fee or the whole of it.
Conclusion
Serving for the nation as an army requires courage. It is not an easy job after all. The life of an army is different than the rest of the world. An army officer works hard for the country so that a normal citizen like us can live peacefully. It requires a lot of sacrifices. So they deserve all types of benefits. Especially benefit to help them educate themselves and grow is much required and appreciated. The educational benefits provided to them are nothing in front of the life they sacrifice for us.
