Military Benefits

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No. Servicemembers and veterans are allowed to only use one education benefit program at a time. However, in some cases you may be able to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill® when you have exhausted your Montgomery GI Bill®.

How federal loans are paid varies from student to student based on personal financial eligibility factors. A personal financial aid projection will be provided prior to your enrollment. Your military benefits will be applied first, prior to any Pell Grant or Federal Loans. Once your tuition is 100% covered, any remaining funds may be refunded to you, or back to the Department of Education.

For most students, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® is more generous than the Montgomery GI Bill®, but every student that qualifies for both should compare the benefits available through each before making a decision. If you are enrolled as a 100% online student, with no ability or intention to attend physical campus classes, you may see up to a 50% reduction in your Post-9/11 GI Bill living stipend. At CIAT, if you are enrolled as a Resident Campus student, but taking a combination of physical campus classes and online classes, you may be eligible to receive 100% of your eligible monthly housing allowance. Please note: if someone is eligible for both programs, the decision to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill® is an irrevocable decision and the Montgomery GI Bill® will no longer be available.

Yes, as long as you have met the required time on active duty and transferred your Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits to your children prior to your separation. Benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill® are not transferable to children.

Some students who have exhausted their Montgomery GI Bill® or Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits may be eligible to receive financial support through secondary educational financing options, including Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), Veteran STEM Extension Scholarship, CIAT Scholarships, Federal Pell Grant, or Federal Student Loans.

Typically, the Montgomery GI Bill® benefits expire 10 years after separation from the military.

Montgomery GI Bill® benefits expire 10 years after the latest discharge, which must be under honorable conditions.

To be eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill®, you must have a discharge under honorable conditions. If you received a general discharge, that status would need to be changed in order to receive Montgomery GI Bill® benefits.

No, if you left the service on or after Jan. 1, 2013 there is no expiration date. If you left the service before that date you need to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill® within 15 years of discharge from the military.

Anyone who served at least 90 days on active duty after September 11, 2001, is eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill®. Those who served less than 36 months since 9/11/2001 will receive a reduced benefit. Those who retired prior to August 1, 2009, are not eligible to transfer benefits to their dependents.

Those who meet the time in service requirements and apply for transfer of benefits while still on active duty can transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits to spouses and dependents. However, dependents must be named and assigned at least 1% of the benefits available prior to discharge. The percentages can be changed at any time.

CIAT Degree and Certificate programs operate in a year-long continuous enrollment cycle, through Fall, Summer, Spring, and Winter semesters. Each class is 5 weeks long and is approved for the same level of eligibility. A personal financial aid projection will be provided to you prior to enrollment.

Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits are dependent on the length of service post-September 11, 2001. Veterans with a service-connected disability may also qualify for the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program.

The Tuition Assistance (TA) program is administered by the Department of Defense and has its own set of rules and eligibility. The Post-9/11 GI Bill® is a benefit program that is administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many service members, depending on eligibility, can combine both Active Duty Tuition Assistance and GI Bill Benefits for full coverage of tuition expenses to accelerate their educational goals.

Yes, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® can be used for vocational training. As a technical, vocational college, all CIAT Certificate and Degree vocational programs are approved to offer VA benefits.

If you are taking all classes online you are eligible for up to 50% of the national average housing stipend. We encourage students to consider the impact of their overall educational and career goals prior to making a decision based only on their available monthly housing allowance. With a career-focused approach, many CIAT online students get started in IT careers faster than those in a traditional 4-year school. Adding on a new professional salary, along with up to 100% tuition coverage, and early resume building, can often deliver a greater ROI on your time and overall personal financial investment, than choosing a school solely based on proximity of location.

No. ROTC as well as Service Academy graduates must complete their initial active duty commitment before counting active duty toward Post-9/11 GI Bill® eligibility.

Any time you spend on Title 10 active duty, or under certain types of Title 32 orders, count toward eligible time for the Post-9/11 GI Bill®.

Currently, veterans can use Title 32 active duty time if it was for the purpose of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the National Guard, or for the purposes of responding to a national emergency as declared by the President.

The VA will normally only pay what tuition and fees are due after any scholarships are disbursed. This will not affect your housing allowance or book stipend though.