Scholarships & GI Bill

At a prior assignment, I was the Education Counselor at Hanscom AFB. One of the mistaken assumptions folks made were that scholarships are for Freshman only, unless the student was fortunate enough to obtain a multi-year scholarship up front. This is not true. In fact, there are many scholarships that become available once a college semester or two have been completed. The website: www.fastweb.com is a SUPER resource to narrow down the scholarships available based on your zip code, major, completed semester hours, age, military status, etc. There's also a search engine for graduate scholarships. Don't overlook the school's alumni scholarships that usually become available after the Freshman year has been successfully completed!

If your military spouse hasn't explored his/her eligibility for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, do it today! Even if he/she wasn't eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill, more than likely, he/she is eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. For more details, visit the website: http://www.gibill.va.gov. Unlike the Montgomery GI Bill, education benefits may be transferred to a spouse or dependents. For 100% of the benefits offered, you need to have served a minimum of 36 months of active duty service, after September 11, 2001. (exceptions and exclusions apply).

The Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits expires 15 years after the date of separation. For Dependents, benefits need to be used before the age of 26 years. Check out the details of the "Yellow Ribbon Program" to offset the cost of the difference between the highest in-state school tuition and private tuition.

I hope you find this information helpful, Katie H.