Your User’s Guide to Military Education Benefits for the National Guard Servicemember

As a military servicemember, you haveaccess to several programs to support your educational goals. However, it canbe challenging to decipher your earned rewards and to use them in the mosteffective manner. We hope this guide will make everything clear and simple

Tuition Assistance for National Guard
As a NationalGuard servicemember, you may be eligible for the Tuition Assistance program;however, the guidelines, application procedures and eligibility guidelinesdiffer between the Army Guard and the Air Guard. To learnmore, visit your local Education Officer.

How the ESC Can Help You
The Army NationalGuard’s Education Support Center (ESC) is the main site to handle alleducational benefits for ARNG servicemembers, their dependents, and allcivilian employees of the Guard. The services that the ESC provides includeG.I. Bill eligibility analysis, educational counseling, degree planningservices, and more. Additionally, the ESC provides counseling to Guardservicemembers and civilian workers who attend resident classes and who visitthe Professional Education Center, located in Arkansas, for conferences.

If you havequestions about your benefits or need counseling, the ESC is the best place tofind answers and help. They routinely help Guard members with questions about Active Duty, Reserve, and REAP G.I. Bills; the ARNG G.I. Bill Kicker; Work Study programs; Federaland Active Army Tuition Assistance; state-funded programs; Reserve OfficerTraining Corps scholarships; and the Student Loan Repayment Program.

The ESC and Testing Services
Youmay be looking to begin a degree or have your military experience transferredinto educational credits. If this is the case, ESC is a great resource for alltesting support programs such as the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP),college entrance exams such as Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Graduate RecordExamination (GRE), and Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT),certification and licensing exams, as well as test preparation programs. Theyalso administer the General Educational Development (GED) test to new recruits.

The ESC and Special Programs
Ifyou are interested in one of the special programs available to servicemembersincluding Troops to Teachers, Spouses to Teachers, Servicemembers OpportunityColleges (SOCGuard), eDISCOVER, Army e-Learning, and ACE Army RegistryTranscript System (AARTS), the ESC is a great place to learn more and guide youthrough the process.

Other Benefits for Guard Servicemembers
Youmay be eligible for special benefits, depending on your service background inthe Guard, such as scholarships, college funds, and other education assistanceprograms. Take a look at the links below to learn if you qualify and if thesebenefits will help you reach your educational goals.

• Montgomery G.I. Bill for Selected Reserve
• Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP)
• Army Voluntary Education Programs
• Air Force Voluntary Education Programs

Themost popular educational program available to Guard members is the TuitionAssistance program. However, you may be eligible and want to take advantage ofother benefits available to you. Here is a breakdown of the most commoneducational benefits:

Tuition Assistance
Definition: Military benefit that pays for tuition costs aswell as some extra fees.
Eligible Recipients: Most servicemembers; however, eachbranch has slightly different eligibility criteria. Note: Some Guard membersmay be eligible for State Tuition Assistance.
Benefit: Up to 100% of tuition covered; fees are not toexceed $250 per semester credit hour and $166 per quarter credit hour. Yearlycap is $4,500. (The Navy has a 16 credit hour annual limit.)

Montgomery G.I. Bill—SelectedReserve
Definition: A tuition payment program that pays for up to 36months, which is four regular school years, of education for the following:college, technical or vocational courses, correspondence courses,apprenticeship or job training, or flight training.
Eligible Recipients: Guard and Reserve servicemembers who haveagreed to a six-year contract.
Benefit: Up to $297 per month for full-time education.

Montgomery G.I. Bill—Active Duty andVeteran
Definition: A tuition payment program that pays forup to 36 months, which is four regular school years, of education for thefollowing: college, technical or vocational courses, correspondence courses,apprenticeship or job training, or flight training.
Eligible Recipients: There are two categories of eligibleservices members:

• Servicememberswho were in active duty for at least two years before joining the Guard orReserve.
• Guardor Reserve services members who both served in active duty for two consecutiveyears and chose to pay the $1,200 contribution.

Benefit: Up to $1,075 per month for full-time education.Note: Benefits must be used within 10 years of the date of discharge or releasefrom active duty.

Reserve Educational Assistance Program(REAP)
Definition: Monetary support for Reserve or Guard who servedover 90 days in support of OEF/OIF.
Eligible Recipients: Participants must meet all of thefollowing:

• Be a member of a Reserve component that was on active duty on or afterSeptember 11, 2001 under title 10 U.S. Code for a contingency operation
• Served at least 90 consecutive days
• Are eligible for chapter 1607

Benefit: Depending on the amount of time a Reserve or Guardmember has served, 40%, 60%, or 80% of the G.I. Bill for Active Duty will beissued.

State Tuition Assistance
Definition: Tuition assistance programs provided by selectstates to members of the National Guard.
Eligible Recipients: Varies depending on the state.
Benefit: Varies depending on the state.

Federal Student Aid
Definition: Low-interest federal loans and grants designed tohelp students finance educational costs.
Eligible Recipients: Basically everycitizen who falls within certain income levels is eligible for this benefit.
Benefit: Loans are issued for different amounts depending onlevels of financial need. Each year the government determines a different cap.

Scholarships
Definition: Money, vouchers or waivers issued to supporteducational goals—does not need to be repaid.
Eligible Recipients: Each scholarship is different.
Benefit: Can range from less than $100 in vouchers or waiversto full payment of tuition, room and board.