Maine Army National Guard

Maine Army National Guard - The Civilian's Version

100% Federal Tuition Assistance.
The Guard funds up to 100% of your tuition costs and fees, not to exceed $250 per semester hour and will be limited to $4500 per person per fiscal year.
Eligibility begins the day you join the Army National Guard, prior to boot camp or even while still in high school.
There are also certain benefits for your spouse!
 
Montgomery G.I. Bill.
The Army National Guard offers the Selective Reserve Montgomery G.I. Bill , a tuition assistance program to help with college expenses. This benefit pays you a stipend, up to $297 a month, while attending college (or other approved technical school). Over a period of 36 months, you can receive up to $10,692. The Montgomery G.I. Bill may be used in addition to the 100% Federal Tuition Assistance Program and the Army National Guard G.I. Bill Kicker.
 
Existing Student Loan Repayment.
The Student Loan Repayment Program will pay off your old student loans, up to $20,000, to those who have an existing student loan obligation at the time of enlistment in the Army National Guard. This is in addition to the other benefits discussed on this page.
 
NATIONAL GUARD COLLEGE FIRST ENLISTMENT OPTION.
The National Guard College First program is a new enlistment option which makes it possible for you to secure your college goals while serving in the Guard. This enlistment option provides qualified high school graduates and graduating seniors, with no prior military service, the opportunity to complete up to two years of full-time schooling, uninterrupted by federal deployment/mobilization, while serving in the Guard. Enlist in the Army National Guard today and put College First. To find out more, contact a Guard Recruiter to see if the College First Enlistment Option is available in your state. The College First Enlistment Option offers:
 

• Up to two years of non-deployment following completion of Initial Active Duty Training (IADT, which is where you learn the skills required for the military job, or MOS, you selected when you enlisted)
• Up to a $20,000 Enlistment Bonus
• $20,000 Student Loan Repayment (must have pre-existing loans)
• Basic Educational assistance of $297 per month - Montgomery G.I. Bill Selective Reserve (MGIB-SR)
• Additional Educational assistance of $350 per month - MGIB Kicker (the Kicker is in addition to the MGIB-SR, and is available to those enlisting in a critical MOS and assigned to a qualified unit)
• 100% College Tuition Assistance, up to $4,500 a year
• Up to 100% State Tuition Assistance

 
The Army National Guard Education Support Center.
They help you achieve your personal academic goals. Whether your goals include vocational training and/or certification, an Associate or Bachelors degree, the Education Support Center is there. The center provides automated degree planning, military credit evaluations, and college credit assessments. It also serves as a cost-free virtual counseling and information center for Army National Guard soldiers and their spouses. Guard members can take advantage of every opportunity to complete their degree by maximizing non-traditional academic options to supplement traditional classes or courses. In addition to college planning, distance education alternatives to classrooms are also available in the Army National Guard.
 
Military Credit Evaluation.
College credit may be granted for military courses and training. The Education Support Center provides Soldiers with a degree-completion roadmap that applies personal and professional experience towards college-level credit. For example, for attending boot camp and your AIT (Advanced Individual training, like Medic School) you will receive certain credits that most colleges will accept, and will transfer right onto your transcripts.
Email me (john.knoblach@mainearmyguard.com) and I can tell you how my Army Schooling transferred 35 regular college credits right into my College Degree. Check out the transcript credits I received because of my Army Training: The College Credits I received from Army Training (Basic, AIT, Mountain Warfare, etc) This is directly off my College Transcripts. Email me with questions, or for specifics about how this works!
 
You will see that the Army training rolled 35 college credits into my transcript. These are credits which will remain on my college transcript as "College Credits" and be applied to any degree program just like they would had I actually taken those courses right at that college.
For example, my college transcripts show that I took MSC-201 (Intro to Military Science) worth 3 college credits. This was never a college course that I paid for and took through a college. This was "earned" at Basic training and AIT and given to me as college credits for free! All a soldier needs to do is access a military website called AARTS, and the ACE accreditation for the Army Training is then awarded as specific college credits. Most colleges accept these ACE acredited transfer of credits. The Army Guard will show you how most colleges, through a resource called "DANTES" will roll these credits right into your degree program without any fee to you. You'll see from my transcripts (above) that I received 14 credits for my Carpentry / Masonry school (21W) Engineer. If you go to medical AIT, you will receive different credits.
Email me for specifics, or check out the following 3 lists of potential credits for the top 3 MOSs offering a $20,000 enlistment bonus:

College Credits for Medic School
 
College Credits for Carpenter / Mason School
 
College Credits for Mechanic School
 

 
Free Test-Out Preparation.
Soldiers can study and test out of courses for college credit by the use of multi-media courses and associated textbooks, in the same or similar subjects. Study guides, designed to enhance the ability to pass college credit examinations, are available to members of the Army National Guard.
 
Free testing & certificates.
As a member of the Guard, you are eligible to pursue college and university independent study courses through Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support (DANTES) at no cost. The following academic testing programs are available through DANTES:

• College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
• DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST)
• Excelsior College (EC)
• General Educational Development (GED) Exam
• Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• American College Testing Assessment Program (ACT)
• Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT)
• The Praxis Series (NTE)
• Certification Testing
• Troops to Teachers (program to assist and fund soldiers wanting to become civilian teachers.)
• Spouses to Teachers (program to assist and fund a soldier's spouse wanting to become civilian teachers.)

 
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We aren't recruiters, we are Maine Army National Guardsmen willing to share what the guard is all about and help you find the recruiter that is right for you. We will sit down with you and help answer as many questions as we can, or help you find the right resource to get those questions answered.

Money!                With $20,000 just for enlisting, monthly paychecks and other incentives, it's hard to ignore the bottom line!

Education!            The Maine Army National Guard provides nearly 100% tuition assistance and also pay up to $20,000 for existing student loans when you enlist.

H O O A H !