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+--- Thread: Post 9-11 GI Bill and TOP-UP (/Thread-Post-9-11-GI-Bill-and-TOP-UP)
Post 9-11 GI Bill and TOP-UP - drewthedude - 09-01-2012
Hi good folks,
So I was accepted into George Washington University and am preparing to start classes in January. Trouble is, I just found out the Yellow Ribbon Program is unavailable to Active Duty members. So, being on Active Duty, I'll be stuck with about a $2,000 bill at the end of the year. My question is this: Can I use TA to help pay for the tuition, in conjunction with the GI Bill? Each class runs about $815 per credit, so this would cut down costs enough to be paid for by TA/GI bill together.
Any tips?
Post 9-11 GI Bill and TOP-UP - smokey2011 - 09-01-2012
If I remember correctly, when using the new G.I. Bill in conjunction with tuition assistance, your benefits get used the same whether you use TA or not. Example is, you use TA to pay partially for a class and use three months worth of your GI bill to pay the rest. You use three months of that benefit whether you use all of it or some of it. A colleague of mine said it was easier just to use his GI bill instead of both for his masters since he was using the months either way.
Post 9-11 GI Bill and TOP-UP - drewthedude - 09-02-2012
Ok, that makes sense. Thanks! I'm going to go ahead and try to use them both concurrently. The overall Master's program costs around $22,000, yet the post-9/11 GI Bill pays around $18,500 yearly. Therefore, I'll add the $4,500 in military TA and that'll cover it (trying to finish within a year). I'll try to follow up on this thread if the plan works for any subsequent vets facing the same situation.
Post 9-11 GI Bill and TOP-UP - rlee7575 - 09-06-2012
Just a heads up. TA is capped at $250 per credit, for Master's also. For all of my Master's courses, I have to pay my school the difference out-of-pocket every term.
Also, I believe that 18500 includes the 1000 book stipend, which is paid directly to you, divided over the terms. Doesn't really matter unless you have to pay upfront for the year.
Sounds like you may have some out-of-pocket cost. I would file a FAFSA, if you didn't already, and apply for some grants. There's a lot of grants for Active Duty, even at the post level sometimes, and usually not a lot of people apply. Good luck to you on your endeavors.
Post 9-11 GI Bill and TOP-UP - drewthedude - 09-07-2012
Ok, that makes sense. Thanks for the info! I'm going to look into available grants right now!