Learn How to Avoid Out-of-Pocket Education Fees

Week of October 15, 2007

As you know colleges and universities charge fees for tuition, admissions applications, enrollment, books, technical support, labs, transcripts - the list goes on. What you may not know is that if you don't use military tuition assistance, you, not DoD or VA, are  responsible for paying  all of these fees. The schools hold you responsible for paying these fees because the GI Bill is paid directly to you, the student, not the school. This means the school has no guarantee that they are going to be paid.

Note: Each school's policies differ on how this money is collected, but in most cases you will be asked to sign a promissory note, apply for student aid, or both.

That is why it is important for you the servicemember or veteran to apply for Federal Student Aid (FSA). FSA can help defer your out-of-pocket expenses until your GI Bill payments start coming in. In addition to low interest loans,  FSA also offers grants that do not require repayment. You can see a list of available FSA here.

If your looking for a school that has VA-approved programs, visit the Military.com's "School Finder". It will help you get information from fully accredited "military friendly" colleges and universities that are VA-approved and experienced with the VA process.

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