Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR)
The Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) program offers up to 36 months of education and training benefits. If you’re a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard Reserve, Army National Guard, or Air National Guard, you may be eligible for this benefit. Find out if you qualify.
You may qualify for additional entitlement under more than 1 education benefit
If you have 2 or more qualifying periods of active duty, you may now qualify for up to 48 months of entitlement. You must be eligible for benefits through the Post-9/11 GI Bill and either Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD) or Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR).
Note: Even if you gave up your right to use MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR benefits in the past (we call this “relinquishing” your benefits), you may now qualify to use some of that entitlement.
Am I eligible for education benefits under the MGIB-SR program?
You may be eligible for education benefits under this program if you meet these requirements.
One of these must be true:
- You have a 6-year service obligation (you agreed to serve 6 years) in the Selected Reserve, or
- You’re an officer in the Selected Reserve and you agreed to serve 6 years in addition to your initial service obligation
Note: Your obligation must have started after June 30, 1985, or for some types of training after September 30, 1990.
And all of these must also be true:
- You complete your initial active duty for training (IADT), and
- You get a high school diploma or certificate of equal value, like a High School Equivalency Diploma or GED, before finishing IADT (Note: You can’t use 12 hours toward a college degree to meet this requirement), and
- You stay in good standing while serving in an active Selected Reserve unit
(Note: You’ll still be eligible if you’re discharged from Selected Reserve service due to a disability that was not caused by misconduct)
More information about eligibility requirements
You can receive benefits until your eligibility period ends or you use all of your entitlement, whichever comes first. “Entitlement” means the number of months of benefits you may receive.
We may extend your eligibility period if you’re called to active duty. If this happens, we’ll extend your eligibility for the amount of time you’re mobilized plus 4 months. For example, if you’re mobilized for 12 months, we’ll extend your eligibility period for 16 months. This extension still applies even if you leave the Selected Reserve after mobilization.
This depends on the reason you left. Your eligibility for this program usually ends the day you leave the Selected Reserve. But there are exceptions to this rule.
You can still qualify for MGIB-SR benefits for 14 years from the date of your first 6-year obligation if any of these descriptions are true for you.
At least one of these must be true:
- You separated because of a disability that wasn’t caused by misconduct, or
- Your unit was deactivated between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2014, or
- You involuntarily separated (not by choice) for reasons other than misconduct between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2014
What if I’m eligible for more than 1 VA education benefit?
If you’re eligible, you may be able to use more than 1 education benefit depending on how many qualifying periods of active duty you’ve completed.
If you’ve completed 1 qualifying period of active duty
For a period of active duty that started on or after August 1, 2011
You can use only 1 education benefit. You’ll have to choose which education benefit you’d like to use. Once you make that choice, you give up the right to use the other benefit. You can use up to a maximum of 36 months of education benefits.
If you choose to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you can’t switch at a later date to use one of these other education benefits instead:
- Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD or Chapter 30)
- Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR or Chapter 1606)
Note: It’s also true that if you choose to use MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR, you can’t switch at a later date to use Post-9/11 Bill benefits.
If you decide to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and you use up all your entitlement for that benefit, we’ll refund you part or all of the payments you made into MGIB-AD. The maximum amount you can get for a refund is $1,200.
Learn more about Montgomery GI Bill refunds
For a period of active duty that started before August 1, 2011
You can use MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR benefits and then switch to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
This is how your decision to switch affects your benefits:
- You give up the right to use your MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR benefits, and
- If you switch from using MGIB-AD to using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, you can use only your remaining entitlement from MGIB-AD when you start using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
Example: If you have 6 months of MGIB-AD entitlement left when you switch, you’ll have 6 months of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to use.
You can’t switch from using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to using MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR. This is because when you choose to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, you give up your right to use MGIB-AD and MGIB-SR.
If you’ve completed 2 or more qualifying periods of active duty
You may qualify for up to 48 months of benefits if you’re eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill and either MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR benefits.
Recent changes:
If you’re using MGIB-AD benefits and you switch to Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, you’re no longer restricted to your remaining MGIB-AD entitlement, and
If you gave up MGIB-AD or MGIB-SR benefits when you switched to Post-9/11 GI Bill, you may now qualify for up to 12 months of additional MGIB benefits (for a maximum of 48 months).
Note: We consider any reenlistment a separate period of active duty. But an extension isn’t a separate period of active duty.
What benefits can I get?
You can get money for tuition and training.
Check the current payment rates for MGIB-SR
How do I get these benefits?
Follow the steps here to apply for these benefits.
Get your Notice of Basic Eligibility (DD Form 2384-1) from your unit
Your unit will also code your eligibility into the Department of Defense (DoD) personnel system so we can verify it.
Make sure we’ve approved your program
Before you enroll, contact the school or use the GI Bill Comparison Tool to find out if we’ve approved your program for VA education benefits. If you have questions, call us at 888-442-4551 (TTY: 711). We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. Or submit a question online through Ask VA.
Use the GI Bill Comparison Tool
Contact us online through Ask VA
Note: If you want to enroll in a program that we haven’t approved, you’ll need to ask the school to request approval. We can’t take any action until an official from your school (not you) requests approval. And you can’t use the benefit until we’ve approved it. If we don’t approve your program, you’ll have to pay all costs at the school, including tuition and fees.
Apply for the MGIB-SR program
If you haven’t started training
Submit your Application for VA Education Benefits (VA Form 22-1990) online.
Apply online now
You can also apply by mail, in person, or with the help of a trained professional.
Learn more about other ways to apply
If you already started training
Fill out an Application for VA Education Benefits (VA Form 22-1990).
Get VA Form 22-1990 to download
Take your application and your Notice of Basic Entitlement to your school or employer. Ask them to complete VA Form 22-1999 and send all 3 forms to us.
Ask your school or training program to certify your enrollment
The certifying official may be someone in your school’s financial aid, Veterans Affairs, registrar, admissions, or counseling office. For on-the-job training or an apprenticeship, the official may be someone in your school’s training, finance, or human resources office.
Note: You’ll then need to verify your enrollment at the end of each month to keep receiving payments. Learn how to verify your enrollment
How can I use my MGIB-SR education benefits?
You can use your benefits in many ways to advance your education and training.
Find out how to use your GI Bill benefits
In some cases, we may help you pay for:
- Remedial courses (classes some students must take to build up their basic skills in math, reading, or English before they can take regular college courses)
- Deficiency courses (classes some students must take in order to be admitted to a certain college)
- Refresher courses (brief courses that help people review and improve their knowledge in a certain subject area)
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