Does The Military Really Pay For College

What Does The Army Do To Prevent Identity Theft

Army National Guard pays YOU to go to College (100% Paid in Illinois)

Apart from warning service members about the risks and instructing them to be careful about their documentation, there isn’t much that can be done to protect a person’s information or identity. Prevention and swift action in the event of identity theft are typically the only ways of addressing this issue. The Military Consumer has a lot of information available to specifically help servicemen and veterans navigate identity theft issues because this kind of violation is an unfortunate possibility for people in the military.

The Reserves And National Guard

If you are interested in serving your country to help pay for college but you dont want to do it on a full-time basis, the reserves and National Guard are options to consider.

The interesting thing about being a weekend warrior is that you may qualify for many of the same educational benefits that the full-timers receive. For example, you may qualify for military tuition assistance and the GI Bill.

If this sounds like an option you might be interested in, definitely take the time to talk to a recruiter to find out what the current military educational benefits are for those in the reserves and National Guard.

Deferred Student Loan Payments For Active Duty

Need a breather from paying off your loans? You can choose to have your student debt deferred while youre out on active duty, and for 13 months after you return. The government will pay any interest on your Direct Loans and Federal Stafford Loans.

Warning! Before entering into any agreement or shelling out money, make sure that you are transacting with a legitimate representative of the military to avoid falling victim to loan scams.

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Air Force Tuition Assistance

The Air Force Tuition Assistance program allows airmen to pursue college courses while off duty. Tuition assistance pays for 100 percent of tuition up to $250 per semester hour. Students may receive up to $4,500 per year. This program allows airmen to pursue two- or four-year academic degrees or technical programs.

It Will Destroy Your Soul

What is Army Basic Training Really Like?

David Wong published an outstanding article on Cracked.com called 9 Types of Jobs that Will Destroy Your Soul that aptly describes the roles people play in the workplace. I must warn you that the language is rough, but every word of it is true. Every soldier has experienced at least seven of these roles at some point during his military career. I will not re-write what the article says, but I will tell you that every soldier can, at any moment, become:

The punching bag: A person who bears the brunt of complaints, but can do nothing to help.
The walking dead: A person who will face sleep deprivation and irregular hours.
The laughingstock: A person whodoes a job that everyone makes fun of.
The cog: A person who performs endless tasks with mindless repetition.
The rat in a cage: A manager responsible for those he has no authority over.
The assistant cromulationist: A highly-specialized job that is impossible to explain.
The Bob: A person who makes everyone else’s job harder.
The girl: A.K.A. the “lone representative of your gender in the workplace” .

The article is hilarious. If you are a civilian, you will appreciate it, but if you are a soldier, you’ll relate to it because you will live it every day.

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Compare Military Branch Scholarships

The different branches of the military all offer military education and scholarship programs. For example, the Army has a scholarship program for those looking to become chaplains. Also, the Army Health Professions Scholarship Program pays tuition for medical school students and for graduate students in dentistry, optometry, psychology or veterinary medicine programs at any accredited U.S. school.

You Will Be Held To A Higher Standard Forever

The number one awful thing about the Army that nobody tells you is that you will forever be held to a higher standard!

Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg, Normandy, and all the soldiers who fought before you in many historic battles have paved the way. It is now your turn. If you think this is an honor, then you are right. What you might not know is that this is also a huge responsibility, and it will last until the day you die.

Your friends will expect you to be in great shape even after you are discharged. Your family will expect you to be calm and patient. Your coworkers will expect you to lead the way and handle stress easily. Everyone you know will expect you to win. Nobody will expect you to complain. If you oversleep, get drunk, become poor, gain weight, etc., then you will disappoint the civilians who look up to you.

This responsibility brings out the best in soldiers and veterans, but it lasts foreverâand it will never be easy to deal with.

More Important Facts About Military Service

Here are some other important things to know about the military

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Identity Theft Is A Threat To Soldiers And It’s Just As Bad For Veterans

You might think that if you work for the Army, you’d be safe from the threat of identity theft, but let’s get honest and clear about this risk. The truth is that identity theft is rampant for service members, veterans, and their families.

If you haven’t memorized your social security number by now, you will within the first few days of in-processing. Throughout your entire military career, it will be used so often and on so much paperwork that you will get numb to it. Why? There are so many people in the military that the quickest, easiest way to identify each individual is to do so by number. You’ll notice a lot of private sector companies do this as well.

Almost every form you fill out provides another opportunity for a criminal to get your name, SSN, and date of birth. In minutes, you can become an identity theft casualty. If you’re deployed and fighting in the latest war, you might not find out that your personal information has been stolen until months after the fact! Instead of confetti in your ticker-tape parade, you’ll have bills and more paperwork to contend with, but this time the paperwork will be for all the credit bureaus and collection agencies you’ll have to communicate with to sort out your identity theft issues. Oh, and this doesn’t end after your time serving is complete. It’s just as easy to nab a veteran’s identity as it is to steal an active soldier’s identity.

But for now, a soldier must fight on two fronts: to protect his country and his identity.

Other Types Of National Guard College Pay Programs

Does The Military Pay For College?

The Army National Guard has additional financial assistance programs for its members.

The Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarships can help finance your higher learning. There is a wide range of merit-based scholarships and additional funds available through the U.S. Armed Forces.

Already attended college but still paying back student loans?

The National Guard supports a student loan repayment program known as SLRP. It directly supports soldiers and officers with existing student loan debt at the time of enlistment.

SLRP may pay for up to $50,000 in college debt for certain jobs, which is incredible. There are additional requirements so a local recruiter can help with the details regarding the obligation.

The Guard is particularly kind to those that extend their enlistment contracts for a minimum period of six years. The incentive can help cover previous undergraduate tuition, graduate school, medical school expenses.

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When You Join The Military Your Family Joins With You

I was born into a military family. Later, when my mother was pregnant with my brother, my father decided not to re-enlist. By then, he had saved enough to start his own business. He did so and never looked back. Decisions like this are terrifying to make. Who do you turn your back onâyour family or your country? Of course, it’s not always black and white, but it does make life tough for everyoneâeven for the parents of soldiers.

Although military marriages are no more likely to end in divorce than civilian marriages, they are faced with unique challenges that not every couple is prepared for. For example, a military spouse is not as likely to find a career. A potential employer has to face the possibility that the employee might leave with only a few day’s notice if their spouse is suddenly stationed elsewhere. An article called How Military Marriage Screws Up Your Career sheds light on many of the ways that military spouses can struggle professionally.

An Army wife understands that her soldier can be deployed at any time. During this time, she holds down the fort. I hate to say this, but it’s a lot like being a single mom. It takes a very special woman to be an Army wife.

You Are Exposed To An Unparalleled Level Of Diversity

In reflecting on her time in both college and the military, Siddiq noted that the level of diversity she found in both really broadened her horizons and opened her mind. I never considered myself to be a closed-minded person before going to college and joining the military, she says. But, looking back, now I think maybe I was. Not intentionally, of course, but there are so many different backgrounds and cultures I would have never been exposed to otherwise. It really helped me grow.

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How Important Is Leadership

Leadership, in addition to Academics and Athletics, completes the triumvirate of attributes in which a student is expected to excel. The extent and strength of ones leadership is key in helping the administrators determine whether the student has the goods to be an appointee.

Graduates of these programs will eventually be in charge of other men and women in various capacities, one of which may be leading them into battle in defense of our country. So, just as it is in civilian colleges , leadership proficiency is very important.

Ellies Tip: List all instances that you can think of where youve shown leadership on the activities portion of your application.

Army National Guard Kicker

In addition to the Montgomery GI Bill, the Army National Guard Kicker pays up to $350 per month on living expenses. The kicker can last as long as 36 months and cover as much as $12,600.

It should be noted that you first need to qualify then apply for the Army National Guard Kicker.

Some of the pre-qualification requirements include:

Must complete Initial Active Duty For Training . You actually cant receive Kicker payments while on active duty.
Be eligible to receive a basic Montgomery GI bill benefit. This includes having at least a high school diploma, and maintaining selected reserve status.

In order to be eligible to receive the Kicker bonus, here are some of the basic eligibility requirements:

Non-prior service applicants

Enlist for a minimum of 6 years
Minimum AFQT score of 50
Meet the Tier 1 educational requirements. Tier 1 includes those members who are either working on their first bachelors degree, or have earned one without tuition assistance funds and want to get their masters degree.
Enlist for a critical skill vacancy in the grade of E-4 or below

Prior service applicants

Minimum AFQT score of 31
Enlist for a minimum of 6 years
Enlist into a qualifying vacant position in an MTOE unit only. An MTOE unit is considered a combat ready, deployable force.

There are a wide variety of other stipulations that need to be met as well. For more information you should consult a local recruiter.

Theyll be able to lay out everything for you in an easy-to-understand format.

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Military Enhanced Recognition Incentive And Tribute

The Military Enhanced Recognition Incentive and Tribute Scholarship provides financial aid to children, spouses and financial dependents of members of the United States Armed Forces or state organized militia who at any time, while New York State residents, died or became severely and permanently disabled while performing their military duties, whether in combat or not.

You Might Get Seriously Hurt

Casualties happen in war. War is hell. People know the risks when they join. It comes with the territory, but I’m not talking about that.

What people don’t know is that this can happen at any time and in any place, even stateside. Even if there is no ammunition or other threat around, a soldier can get seriously and permanently injured.

After years of PT , a soldier may have problems with his knees and other joints. He can easily have the same problems pro basketball players have, but without the same salary. Any civilian can get injured, but it is more likely in the military because you are more active and working longer hours with more dangerous equipment.

Medics are ready, safety policies are in place, and your buddies are usually looking out for you, but sometimes this isn’t enough. As a medic, I’ve seen twenty-year-old trainees walking with canes as a result of injuries they sustained during service.

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Accelerated Promotion For Education Program

The Accelerated Promotion for Education Program allows college students to enter the Army at a higher rank and pay grade. A student with 24+ college semester hours may join as a Private instead of the usual entry rank of Private . A student with 48+ college semester hours may join as a Private First Class . A student with a bachelors degree may join as a Specialist . Each of these levels translates to a promotion with a higher pay grade.

Basic Requirements For Military Dependents

How the Military Can Pay For College | ROTC Program

To qualify for the Military Tuition Benefit as a military dependent, you must:

Be the military dependent of a member of the armed services who is stationed in North Carolina on active duty.
Be living with that service member.
Be registered with the Selective Service System, if you are a male between the ages of 18 and 26.

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Active Duty Health Professions Student Loan Repayment Program

Health professionals who are also on active duty can qualify for $40,000 per year toward your student loan debt for up to 3 years if youre serving in the dental, medical, allied health, nursing, or veterinary corps while on active duty. You can also be eligible for up to $50,000 in total loan forgiveness over 3 years if youre in the reserves for those professions.

What Loans Qualify for Active Duty Health Professions Student Loan Repayment?

Stafford Loans

Supplemental loans for students

How to Apply For Army Student Loan Repayment:

Contact an Army recruiter to learn how to apply, find out whether youre eligible, and learn more about what active duty service in the Army entails.

Students Who Persist Earn Degrees

Spittler has been with National University for 16 years and was an advisor to students in the early days of the military online department She recalls another memorable military and college success story.

Despite being deployed four times and going through a divorce, this student kept coming back to take courses through NU. It took him 12 years of persistence to finish his associate degree, but finish he did. His example demonstrates the difficult balancing act between military service, family, and education.

They go through so much, theyre out there protecting us, and they have to balance between the military and families theyre all about their families, Spittler says. So having to deal with that and wanting to get their education, and seeing them succeed, that to me is why Im still doing what Im doing.

She adds, Thats one of the hardest things for them to do, is complete their degrees while theyre in the military. And then when you see that, its like, Wow, you did it!

National Universitys flexible options make higher education accessible for active-duty servicemembers who want to advance in rank, enhance their knowledge, and emerge from their active service with additional skills and opportunities.

Military Student Loan Repayment Programs

Provided your loans are in good standing, the military may pay off some or all of your student loan debt. Your eligibility depends on which military branch you have enlisted in. Heres a glimpse of the branch-specific programs:

Active Duty Health Professions Student Loan Repayment Program: Health professionals who are on active duty can qualify for $40,000 per year towards their student loan debt for up to three years. This program applies to those serving in the dental, medical, allied health, nursing, or veterinary corps. If youre in the reserves for these professions, you may also be eligible for up to $50,000 in total loan forgiveness, spread over three years.
Army Student Loan Repayment: The military pays for college loans if youre in the Army too up to 33.5 percent, or $1,500, towards the unpaid principal balance of your student loans for each year of active duty.
Navy Student Loan Repayment Program: Members of the Navy who served a minimum of three years on active duty during their first enlistment may be eligible for this program. It offers the same rates as the Army: 33.5 percent, or $1,500, toward your principal balance, whichever is greater. As long as your loans are not in default, you can receive as much as $65,000 in loan forgiveness.
National Guard Student Loan Repayment Program: This program offers individuals the chance to earn up to $7,500 yearly, with a maximum of $50,000, toward qualifying student loan debts.

What To Do Before Making Your Decision To Join The Military After College

If youre just about to graduate high school and youre not sure if you should join the military now or wait, there are a few things to consider first. Do you want to be a military officer? Which military career do you plan to join for?

Those seeking the ability to become a military officer may be better off getting a bachelors degree first. This may be the case for certain career paths in the military, as well.

Before you make the decision to join or go to college, make sure you look at all the pros and cons. Its very possible to get your bachelors degree while in the military, but it may not be as easy, especially if you get deployed.

Speak with your military recruiter and find out what it would look like to join now or to wait to join the military until after college.