Tuition Assistance, Credentials, CLEP and SkillBridge

The military will pay for college classes, industry certifications and testing while you serve, without touching your GI Bill. Near the end of service, SkillBridge lets you train with a civilian employer while still getting paid.

What it is

Tuition Assistance (TA) pays for college courses while you serve. The DoD cap is $250 per semester hour. Each branch adds its own yearly limit. The Air Force and Space Force allow $4,500 a fiscal year. The Army raised its cap to $4,500 and 18 semester hours a year. Other branches limit by dollars or by credit hours; check with your education center.

Credentialing programs pay for industry certifications tied to your job or a future career. Each service has a COOL (Credentialing Opportunities On-Line) site that shows which credentials match your job. The Army's Credentialing Assistance now pays up to $2,000 a year, for one credential a year and three in any 10 years.

DANTES pays for your first try at many CLEP and DSST exams. Pass and you can earn college credit in a few hours instead of a full semester.

SkillBridge lets you spend part of your last 180 days of service training or interning with a civilian employer. You keep your military pay and benefits.

Who gets it

Active duty members qualify for TA. Guard and Reserve rules vary; many must be on orders. Officers who use TA usually owe more service time (two years in the Air Force). You need a passing grade, or you may have to pay the money back.

How to use it

Visit your education center first. Make a degree plan and get approval in your service's portal (like ArmyIgnitED or AFVEC) before class starts. Air Force requests must be approved between 45 and 7 days before the start date.
Pick a school that accepts TA and has a DoD agreement.
Test out with CLEP and DSST for general classes like English, history or math.
Use COOL to find certifications that count toward your next job.
Ask about SkillBridge early. Your commander must approve it, and the mission comes first. The Air Force now caps time by rank: 120 days for E-1 to E-5 and O-1 to O-3, 90 days for mid-grades, and 60 days for senior members.

What people miss

TA does not use your GI Bill. Save the GI Bill for later or for your family.
Failing costs you. If you fail or drop a class without a good reason, you may have to repay TA. The Army suspends TA and CA for soldiers with two repayments in a year.
Spouses have their own help. The SpouseWorks Scholarship (formerly MyCAA) gives eligible spouses up to $4,000. See our PCS programs page.
Joint Services Transcript. Your military training may already count for college credit. Request your JST.

See Transferring Your GI Bill While Serving, Military OneSource for spouse career help, and our VA benefits section for using the GI Bill after you leave.

Related benefits

Transferring Your GI Bill to Family While You Serve
You can give some or all of your Post-9/11 GI Bill to your spouse or kids, but only while you are still serving. Many people wait too long and lose the chance. Here is what to know before you separate.
Basic Pay and the 2026 Pay Raise
Basic pay is the core of your paycheck and the number most other benefits are based on. Troops got a 3.8% raise in January 2026. Knowing how basic pay works helps you read your LES and plan for retirement.
BAH and BAS: Your Housing and Food Allowances
BAH helps pay for housing and BAS helps pay for food, and neither one is taxed. For 2026, BAH rose an average of 4.2% and BAS rose 2.4%. These tax-free dollars are a big part of what you really earn.
Special Pays, Bonuses and Military Tax Breaks
Beyond basic pay, many troops earn extra pay for where they serve or what they do. Combined with tax-free allowances, the combat zone tax exclusion and state residency rules, the military gives you more ways to cut your tax bill than most people realize.

Last reviewed 2026-11. Not affiliated with the Department of Defense. Confirm current rates with your finance office or the official source.

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