Can I Use Tuition Assistance and My MGIB Benefits for a Certificate Program?

Hi Chris,  Thanks for the compliment, we try to help.  I am not sure if Army Tuition Assistance will pay for the certificate program or not.  Stanford should definitely be on the list of approved education programs, but Army Tuition Assistance will not fund a program that is equal to, or less than the level of education you already have, and it will not fund a program past a master’s degree.  Based on that, I have my doubts as to whether you can get Tuition Assistance for the program.  This may be a situation where you should just go to GoArmyEd and apply for Tuition Assistance, and see what reply you get.  Keep in mind that if you are approved for Tuition Assistance, you will probably have to extend your time on active duty.

If you can’t use Tuition Assistance, you can use your MGIB.  If you use all of your Montgomery GI Bill benefits, you should still be eligible for another 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, due to the period your active duty service has covered.  You could use your 17 months of MGIB, and still have 12 months of Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, or you could convert your MGIB to the Post 9/11 GI Bill now.  You would only have 17 months of benefits if you convert now, as compared to 29 months the other way, but those 17 months of Post 9/11 benefits might cover more of the costs of the program, which I’m sure is expensive.  You should take a look at the cost of the certificate program, and then take a look at how much in benefits each GI Bill might provide you for the program, and decide which way is the best for you.  Of course, if you are approved for Tuition Assistance, then that should cover a portion of the costs prior to you having to apply your GI Bill benefits to it.  When you are deciding which GI Bill will best suit your needs, remember to look at what they can provide while you are still on active duty, rather than after you leave the military, as the amounts and benefits sometimes differ.