State tuition benefits for National Guard members

The state holds this money

Because the Guard answers to the governor in peacetime, each state designs its own education benefit for members. It may be a tuition waiver at public colleges, a grant paid toward tuition, or a mix of both, and the state legislature sets the budget.

The education services office of your state's Guard runs the benefit and keeps the current rules. That office can tell you which colleges take part and whether private colleges in the state are covered. Rules change when budgets change, so check them again at the start of each school year rather than relying on what a fellow member used last year.

What members are asked to do

States usually require members to be in good standing, attend drills, and keep a set grade average and credit load. Many also ask members to serve for a set time after using the benefit, and a member who leaves early may have to repay it.

Most states ask for an application before each term, often weeks ahead of classes. Missing that date can mean paying the term yourself, so put the deadlines on a calendar as soon as the office publishes them.

Combining state and federal help

Guard members may also use federal Tuition Assistance from the Army or Air National Guard and education benefits through the VA, such as the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve. Each source has its own rules about combining with the others, and some state benefits pay only after federal help is applied.

Ask the Guard education office to lay out the order in which each benefit pays. Then report the total to your college's aid office, which counts military benefits when it builds your offer. You can still file the FAFSA, since federal and state grants may cover costs that the Guard benefits leave unpaid, such as books, fees or housing.