How Military Veterans and Dependents Can Pay for College in 2025

Paying for college is tough, and for military veterans and their families, it can be even more complicated. Between navigating benefits like the GI Bill and figuring out what loans you actually need, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. But there are plenty of ways you can reduce your college-related expenses as a veteran, active-duty service member, spouse, or dependent — without drowning in debt.

Whether you're going back to school after service or supporting a loved one's education, we're breaking down what you need to know about military student loans and the programs that can help you pay them off — or avoid them altogether.

Military tuition assistance

Military tuition assistance is a key education benefit offered by every military branch, designed to help active-duty service members pay for college or vocational training while serving.

Post-9/11 GI Bill

If you're a veteran who served on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001, the GI Bill should be your first stop for help covering school and training expenses.

You can use benefits from the Post-9/11 GI Bill to pay for:

• Tuition and fees
• Housing
• Books and supplies (up to $1,000 each academic year)
• Moving expenses if you're relocating from a rural area to attend school (a one-time payment of $500)
• Tutorial assistance (up to $100 per month/$1,200 total)
• Qualifying licensing and certification test fees (up to $2,000)
• National testing

To be eligible for the entire GI Bill benefit, you must meet at least one of the following requirements:

• On active duty for at least 1,095 days (36 months)
• On active duty and received a Purple Heart on or after Sept. 11, 2001
• Served at least 30 consecutive days and were discharged because of a service-related disability
• Are a dependent child of a qualifying veteran or service member

These are the maximum amounts the GI Bill will pay for the 2025-26 academic year:

• Private college: Up to $29,920.95
• Public school (state university or community college): Rates vary, but up to the net cost of tuition and mandatory fees. You may qualify for in-state tuition rates even if you haven't lived in that state.
• Foreign university: Up to $29,920.95
• Non-college degree programs: Up to $29,920.95 for training programs like HVAC repair, truck driving, EMT, or beauty school
• Flight training: Up to $17,097.67 for a non-degree certificate or rating program
• Correspondence school: Up to $14,533 for courses by mail that you complete at your own pace

If you don't meet one of the qualifications for the full benefit, you may still be eligible for a percentage, depending on the length of time you served. Here's how to calculate your eligibility tier based on the $29,920.95 maximum for attending a university:

Monthly housing allowance

In addition to money for school, you may be eligible for funds to help pay for housing while you're studying. If you're eligible for a monthly housing allowance (MHA), the VA will pay you at the end of each month.

You'll receive a percentage of the full monthly housing allowance based on the percentage of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits you're eligible for and the number of credits you're taking or how many clock hours you're scheduled to attend per week.

You're not eligible for an MHA payment if you're taking correspondence training or flight training.

GI Bill benefit expansion

In January 2025, the VA announced that eligible veterans who served at least two periods of service can now qualify for up to 48 months of total GI Bill benefits (increased from 36 months). In addition, the VA extended the expiration dates for the use of GI Bill benefits for eligible veterans by 90 days.

Complete the FAFSA and apply for scholarships

Your next step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). With the FAFSA, you can apply for federal student aid, including grants and federal student loans. Unlike student loans, grants for college don't need to be paid back.

Some grants available for military veterans include:

• Imagine America Military Award Program: The Imagine America Foundation offers $1,000 awards for those who have served in the military or who are on active duty.
• Pell Grant: The maximum Pell Grant award for the 2025-26 award year is $7,395. However, the amount you get will depend on your Student Aid Index (SAI), cost of attendance, and full- or part-time enrollment status. Be sure to submit the FAFSA to see what you might qualify for.

Scholarships are another option that don't have to be repaid — and scholarships are available for just about any kind of student.

Some scholarships are need-based, while others might require that you work for a specific employer, belong to a certain racial or ethnic group, or meet other criteria.

Military scholarships

Scholarships are available specifically for military veterans and their families. Here are a few programs that members of the military should know about:

ROTC scholarships

Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is a program for college students planning to join the armed services as officers. If you're enrolled in ROTC, you could be eligible for scholarships to help cover tuition, room and board, or books and fees. ROTC scholarships are available for the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force.

Daughters of the Cincinnati Scholarship

This scholarship is worth up to $20,000 for daughters of career-commissioned officers in any military branch.

Operation Homefront's Military Child of the Year

The program recognizes eight young people between the ages of 13 and 18 who represent a branch of the military. Each recipient is a military dependent who is awarded $10,000 and a laptop computer.

American Legion scholarships

The American Legion offers several scholarships to veterans and their families. These scholarships range from $2,000 to $5,000.

Military spouse scholarships

If you're a military spouse, there are scholarships available to help fund your education or career advancement. These are some of the programs that cover a range of degrees, certifications, and professional training:

• The Pat Tillman Foundation: Scholarships cover higher education expenses, including tuition, books, and living costs for current spouses of veteran or active service members, including surviving spouses. They must be full-time students (in-person and online) pursuing a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree at an accredited institution.
• Hope For The Warriors Spouse / Caregiver Scholarship Program: This program offers educational scholarships to use at accredited universities, colleges, or trade schools for spouses and caregivers of post-9/11 veterans who have been wounded, injured, or killed in the line of duty.
• My Career Advancement Account Scholarship (MyCAA): These scholarships pay up to $4,000 in tuition costs for program certification with MedCertify, which includes the medical, business, and IT fields.

Federal student loans

If you've exhausted your GI Bill, scholarship, and grant options, federal student loans are likely a good next step. These loans come with federal benefits and protections, such as access to income-driven repayment plans and student loan forgiveness programs.

To apply for federal student loans, you must complete the FAFSA. After this, your school will send you a financial aid award letter detailing which loans you're eligible for.

Here are the main types of federal student loans you should know about:

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides financial and legal protection to military members and their families.

The benefits from the SCRA include lower interest rates from creditors, eviction prevention, life insurance coverage protection, and more.

If you decide to take out a college loan, be sure to consider as many lenders as possible to find the right loan for you. Some lenders also provide special military benefits.

How do I get a VA student loan?

The VA doesn't offer student loans, which means your options are federal and private student loans. The U.S. Department of Education offers a handful of benefits for military service members with federal loans, including:

• A 6% cap on interest rates while on active duty
• No interest charges for up to 60 months during certain periods when qualifying for special pay
• Deferment of payments while on active duty or on qualifying National Guard duty during certain periods
• Deferment of payments for 13 months following the end of active duty or until returning to school, whichever is earlier, for certain members of the National Guard and other reserve service members

The VA can also help you cover some of or all the costs of your education through the GI Bill, and many organizations offer scholarships to military service members and veterans.

Keep Reading: Trade School Loans

Military and VA student loan forgiveness

Military service members may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program if they make 120 qualifying payments while working full-time in eligible public service.

Military members may also qualify for loan repayment assistance through their respective branch of the armed forces, or even through the VA:

• VA Education Debt Reduction Program: Work for the VA providing health care to veterans and receive up to $200,000 in loan repayment assistance over 5 years.
• Navy: Receive up to $65,000 in student loan repayment assistance over your first 3 years in the service.
• Army: Receive up to $65,000 when you agree to an initial service obligation of 5 years. You'll receive up to 33.33% of your loan amount or $1,500 (whichever is greater) for each year of service, up to the maximum.
• National Guard: Receive up to $50,000 in assistance when you enlist or extend for a 6-year term of service or longer.
• Air Force: If you're a member of the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps, you may receive up to $65,000 over a 3-year period after you complete your first year of service as a JAG officer.

One thing to keep in mind is that private student loans aren't eligible for federal loan forgiveness, and they may not be eligible for repayment assistance programs. These programs may also have some other requirements you need to meet, so review the eligibility criteria for the program you're applying for to get all the information.

Ben Luthi contributed to the reporting for this article.