When most service members and veterans hear “GI Bill,” they think about college tuition.

That makes sense, but it leaves out a lot. VA education benefits can potentially help pay for professional certifications, tutoring, trade schools, apprenticeships, flight training, national exams, and several other forms of education and career training.

Exactly what is covered depends on the VA education benefit you’re using, your remaining entitlement, and whether the school, program, test, or training provider is approved by VA.

Here are 10 uses of GI Bill benefits that you may not know about.

1. Licensing and Certification Exams

Working toward a professional license or certification? Your GI Bill benefits may help cover the exam. VA can reimburse eligible beneficiaries for approved licensing and certification tests, with reimbursement of up to $2,000 per test. Reimbursement can include required registration and administrative fees.

You may also be reimbursed if you don't pass an approved test, need to take the same test more than once, or need to retake a test to maintain a license or certification. VA may also cover approved preparatory courses for certain licensing and certification tests. Eligibility for prep courses is more limited than eligibility for test reimbursement, so check the rules for the specific education benefit you're using.

Important: VA generally charges your education entitlement based on the amount it reimburses you. Before using GI Bill benefits for an inexpensive test, consider the value of the entitlement you'll use.

2. SAT, ACT, CLEP, AP, and Other National Exams

GI Bill benefits can reimburse eligible beneficiaries for approved national tests.

Examples currently approved by VA include:

• SAT

• ACT

• TOEFL

• AP exams

• CLEP exams

• DSST exams

• GRE

• GMAT

• LSAT

• MCAT

  
  

VA can reimburse approved test fees even if you don't pass. You may also be reimbursed for taking the same approved exam more than once, as long as you have remaining entitlement and are still within the applicable time limit for using your benefits.

This can be especially valuable with exams like CLEP or DSST, where a passing score may allow you to earn college credit without completing the equivalent semester-long class.

VA uses VA Form 22-0810, Application for Reimbursement of National Exam Fee, for paper reimbursement claims. You'll generally need your exam receipt and exam results.

3. A Tutor

Struggling with a required course? VA education benefits may help pay for individualized tutoring. VA currently pays up to $100 per month, with a lifetime maximum of $1,200, for eligible tutorial assistance.

Generally, you must:

• Be enrolled at least half-time, or have a rate of pursuit of at least 50% if you're using the Post-9/11 GI Bill;

• Need tutoring for a course required for your program;

• Have your instructor determine that you need the tutoring; and

• Use a tutor who isn't a close relative.

  
  

If you're using the Post-9/11 GI Bill or Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA), VA doesn't charge your entitlement for tutorial assistance.

The application is VA Form 22-1990t, Application for Individualized Tutorial Assistance. This is one of the easiest VA education benefits to overlook because students often assume tutoring is simply an out-of-pocket academic expense.

4. Trade and Vocational Schools

You don't need to pursue a four-year degree to use GI Bill benefits. VA education benefits can cover approved non-college-degree and vocational programs.

VA specifically lists programs such as:

• HVAC repair

• Truck driving

• Emergency medical technician training

• Barber school

• Cosmetology school

  
  

Other approved technical and vocational programs may qualify as well. For someone leaving the military who wants to move directly into a skilled profession, using education benefits for career training may make more sense than pursuing a traditional four-year degree. The key word is approved. Check the specific program, not just the school, to make sure it's approved for VA education benefits.

5. Apprenticeships and On-the-Job Training

The GI Bill can also provide benefits while you're learning a job. Approved apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs may allow eligible participants to receive a monthly VA payment while training with an employer or union.

VA lists examples including:

• Plumbing

• Electrical trades

• Law enforcement

• Firefighting

  
  

If you're using the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you may also receive money for books and supplies. You'll also generally receive wages from your employer, which may increase as you progress through the training program.

One important limitation: active-duty service members can't receive GI Bill benefits for on-the-job training, and there are additional restrictions for spouses of active-duty service members using transferred benefits.

Before starting, use VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool to confirm that the employer's specific training program is approved.

6. Flight Training

Want to become a professional pilot? GI Bill benefits may help pay for approved flight training.

For standalone flight training at a pilot school or training center, VA generally requires that:

• You qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty, or Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve;

• You already have a private pilot's license;

• You meet the applicable FAA medical-certificate requirement;

• Your pilot school is FAA Part 141 certified or your training center is Part 142 certified; and

• The flight program is approved for VA education benefits.

  
  

The payment rules depend on which GI Bill program you're using. Flight training that's part of a college degree program can operate under different rules, so don't assume the standalone flight-training requirements apply to every aviation degree program.

7. VA Work-Study

Using VA education benefits may also make you eligible for the Veterans Work Study Program.

Generally, you must:

• Be enrolled at least 75% in an eligible college, vocational, or professional program;

• Be using an approved VA education benefit; and

• Be able to finish your work-study contract while you still qualify for education benefits.

  
  

VA-approved work-study positions can include work at VA facilities, schools, state veterans agencies, Veterans Service Organizations, congressional offices, and other approved locations. The work must be related to VA or veterans. Your hourly wage is generally the greater of the federal minimum wage or your state's minimum wage. VA also limits the total number of work-study hours to no more than 25 times the number of weeks in your enrollment period.

The application is VA Form 22-8691, Application for Work-Study Allowance.

8. Cooperative Education Programs

A cooperative—or “co-op”—education program combines classroom education with real-world work experience. You can use eligible VA education benefits for an approved, full-time co-op program at an institution of higher learning.

Post-9/11 GI Bill participants may be eligible for:

• Tuition and fees;

• A monthly housing allowance during eligible enrollment periods; and

• Money for books and supplies.

  
  

Students using certain other VA education programs may receive a monthly payment instead. Co-op programs can be particularly valuable for students who want to graduate with substantial professional experience already on their résumé.

9. Studying at a Foreign University

Your GI Bill doesn't necessarily stop working when you leave the United States. VA education benefits may be used at certain approved foreign colleges and universities.

Generally:

• You must be eligible for VA education benefits;

• The foreign institution must offer a standard associate degree or higher, or the foreign equivalent; and

• Your specific program must be approved by VA.

  
  

That last point matters. Approval of a university doesn't automatically mean every program at that university qualifies. For the 2026–2027 academic year, VA's maximum Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition-and-fee payment for an eligible foreign institution is $30,908.34 for someone entitled to the full benefit rate. Someone eligible for less than 100% of the Post-9/11 GI Bill would generally receive the corresponding percentage of that maximum.

Eligible students may also receive housing and books-and-supplies benefits. VA also distinguishes a foreign program from study abroad. In a foreign program, you're enrolled directly in a foreign university. In study abroad, you're enrolled through a U.S. school and completing coursework overseas.

Before enrolling, use the GI Bill Comparison Tool to verify that your specific foreign program is approved.

10. Online and Distance Learning

You can use VA education benefits without sitting in a traditional classroom.

Approved online courses through a U.S. institution of higher learning can qualify for VA education benefits. For Post-9/11 GI Bill users, VA generally pays eligible tuition and fees at the same rate as other approved courses at a U.S. institution of higher learning and may also provide a books-and-supplies stipend. Housing works differently.

If you're otherwise eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill monthly housing allowance and take only online courses, VA bases your housing allowance on 50% of the national average rather than the location-based resident rate. If you take at least one qualifying in-person course while also taking online courses, you may qualify for the higher resident housing allowance.

You must still meet the other housing-allowance requirements, including having a rate of pursuit greater than 50%.

The GI Bill Is More Than a College Tuition Benefit

The GI Bill is better understood as an education and career-development benefit, not simply a college scholarship. Depending on the benefit you're eligible for, you may be able to use VA education benefits to:

• Earn a degree;

• Learn a trade;

• Complete an apprenticeship;

• Obtain a professional certification;

• Take important admissions or college-credit exams;

• Study overseas;

• Train as a pilot;

• Receive tutoring;

• Work while you're in school; or

• Complete your education online.

  
  

Before paying for education, training, testing, or career development out of pocket, check whether the program or expense may already be covered by a VA education benefit you've earned.

Military Benefits Assistant helps service members, veterans, and military families understand the benefits available to them and find the forms and resources needed to use them. Explore our Education Benefits resources before making your next education or training decision.

This article is for general informational purposes only. Eligibility, payment amounts, and entitlement charges depend on the VA education benefit you're using, your remaining entitlement, your service history, and whether the school, program, test, or training provider is approved by VA. VA rates and program rules can change, so verify current eligibility and payment information before making an enrollment or financial decision.