Colorado Technical University

Is there anyway to have the military pay for my postsecondary education before fullfilling my active duty serv?

I want to go to college before I go active duty. I am not currently enlisted but I plan to in the future. I know te G.I Bills pays for education expenses after your done. so I was wondering if it could pay before I start?

Public Comments

1. They only way Army will pay for you before hand is if you are in a ROTC program in college, which is something you should look into if you are interested in going to college first. But I have never heard of anyone getting the GI bill before their service.
2. Not exactly. The GI Bill works by you paying into the system for the first 12 months of your enlistment then drawing the money out in college. You could go into the ROTC to pay for college then you would not be enlisted you would be and officer. Another option is to join the National Guard or Reserves they often have tuition reimbursement plans that will pay while you are serving. You could also after you have paid enough money into the GI Bill plan while serving in the National Guard start to draw that pay at the same time as the tuition reimbursement from the NG. If you then joined the ROTC at your college you could then be eligible for a monthly stipend from the ROTC as well as the NG pay and GI Bill. You would also qualify for a cash bonus after your commission for converting from enlisted to Commissioned. This would be in addition to any bonus you received from enlisting.