Tuition Assistance for Military Spouses: Scholarships, GI Bill, and Grants

How tuition assistance for military spouses works

Service members can use military Tuition Assistance for their own classes, but that program does not cover spouses. Spouse help comes from a different mix of sources, and each one has its own rules.

• Defense Department programs help spouses build portable careers. The biggest is the SpouseWorks Scholarship.
• GI Bill benefits belong to the service member, but some can be shared with a spouse.
• VA survivor and dependent programs help spouses of service members who died or veterans who are permanently and totally disabled because of service.
• Relief societies are private nonprofits tied to each branch. They give need-based grants and, for some branches, interest-free loans.
• Federal student aid, such as the Pell Grant, is open to anyone who qualifies, military or not.

Most of these can be combined. A spouse might use SpouseWorks for a medical coding certificate, then file the FAFSA and apply to a relief society grant for an associate degree later. The order matters, because some programs pay only what others leave unpaid. The steps near the end of this page put them in a sensible order.

The SpouseWorks Scholarship, formerly MyCAA

For years, the Defense Department ran My Career Advancement Account, or MyCAA. In 2026 the department folded MyCAA, the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program (SECO), and the Military Spouse Employment Partnership into one brand called SpouseWorks. The scholarship now goes by the SpouseWorks Scholarship. Many schools still call it MyCAA, and the application portal still lives at the old MyCAA web address.

Who can use it now

The biggest change came on July 27, 2026. Before that date, only spouses of service members in certain pay grades could apply. Under the 2024 rules, that meant E-1 to E-9, W-1 to W-3, and O-1 to O-3. According to the Military Officers Association of America, which reported remarks from the Defense Department's Office of Spouse Employment, there has been no rank restriction since July 27. Military OneSource now says the scholarship is open to spouses "across all ranks and pay grades."

The other basics stayed the same. The service member must be on active duty, or in the National Guard or reserves while serving under qualifying Title 10 orders, in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, or Space Force. The spouse needs a high school diploma or equivalent and must be listed in DEERS. A Defense Department newsletter from October 2026 adds that Coast Guard spouses can now use the scholarship too. Because that change is new, Coast Guard families should confirm their eligibility in the portal before planning around it.

What it pays for

The scholarship pays up to $4,000 in total. Reporting on the 2026 change describes it as generally $2,000 per fiscal year. Military OneSource lists these uses:

• Licenses and certifications needed for a job.
• Associate degrees tied to a career field.
• Continuing education courses needed to keep a license or certification.
• National tests for degree credit, such as CLEP.

It does not pay for a bachelor's or graduate degree. If your goal is a four-year degree, SpouseWorks can still cover a stepping-stone credential, and the GI Bill, relief societies, or Pell can cover the rest.

How to apply

1. Call Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 (any hour) or start online to book a session with a SpouseWorks career coach. Coaching is required before you use the scholarship.
2. Create an account in the SpouseWorks Scholarship portal. The system checks DEERS to confirm you are eligible and explains why if you are not.
3. Pick a school and program from the approved list in the portal, then build your education and training plan.
4. Request funding for each course before it starts. The money goes to the school, not to you.

Timing matters. Older MyCAA guidance asked spouses to allow weeks for plan approval, and funding must be requested before a class begins. Courses generally need to be finished while the service member is still on qualifying orders. If a separation or retirement date is coming, ask your coach how it affects your plan before you enroll.

Transferring the Post-9/11 GI Bill to a spouse

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is the service member's benefit, but it can be shared. VA lists these rules for a transfer to a spouse:

• The service member is on active duty or in the Selected Reserve.
• They have at least 6 years of service when the request is approved.
• They agree to serve 4 more years.
• The spouse is enrolled in DEERS.

Purple Heart recipients do not need to meet the service requirement, but they must still request the transfer while on active duty. Up to 36 months can be transferred and split between family members.

The request must happen before separation

The service member asks for the Transfer of Education Benefits (TEB) through the Defense Department's milConnect site. VA cannot process it, and once the member leaves the service it is too late to make a new transfer. If your family is thinking about it, do it early.

When the spouse can use it

A spouse can use transferred months right away, even while the service member is still serving. There is one big catch: VA says a spouse does not get the monthly housing allowance while the service member is on active duty. Tuition and fees are still paid. If the member separated on or after January 1, 2013, there is no deadline to use the months. The spouse applies with their own sign-in on VA.gov.

VA benefits for surviving and disabled-veteran spouses

Two VA programs focus on spouses whose service member died or became permanently and totally disabled. You must choose between them. VA says you cannot use both, and you cannot switch later.

Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA, Chapter 35)

DEA is for spouses of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, who died from one, who died in the line of duty, or who are missing or captured. It pays a monthly amount straight to you. For October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, VA lists these institutional rates:

Most new students get up to 36 months. If the qualifying event happened on or after August 1, 2023, there is no time limit. Earlier events usually carry a 10- or 20-year limit, which VA explains on its DEA page. Divorce ends eligibility, and remarriage can affect it, though VA allows some exceptions, such as remarrying on or after January 1, 2004, at age 57 or older. You can receive DEA and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation at the same time.

The Fry Scholarship

The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship is for spouses (and children) of service members who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, including some Selected Reserve members. VA says it covers tuition and fees, housing, books and supplies, tutoring, and licensing and certification tests, for up to 36 months. VA also says spouses who remarry keep eligibility, and VA may restore expired Fry months for use after January 2, 2025, if you reapply.

Both programs use VA Form 22-5490, online or by mail. Use VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool to check that your school and program are approved before you enroll.

Relief society grants and scholarships

Each branch has a nonprofit relief society. They are not government agencies, but they work closely with the services and their help is free. Rules and amounts change from year to year, so check each one directly.

Army Emergency Relief

AER runs the Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program. It is for spouses working on a first undergraduate degree or first technical certificate. Sponsors can be active duty, retired, medically retired, deceased, gray-area retirees, or Guard and reserve members on Title 10 orders for the full academic year. AER says spouses can apply all year with no deadline, must reapply each year, and must include their FAFSA Submission Summary. Award amounts are not fixed; AER says they depend on the number of applicants and the budget.

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society

NMCRS offers need-based grants and interest-free loans of $500 to $3,000. For 2026–27, spouses of active-duty or retired Sailors and Marines could apply for career and technical programs, a first undergraduate degree, or a master's degree. Students must keep at least a 2.0 GPA. That cycle ran from February 16 to April 17, 2026, so watch for the next one early in 2027.

Air & Space Forces Aid Society

The Air Force Aid Society now goes by the Air & Space Forces Aid Society. Its main education award is the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant, which is need-based and uses your FAFSA Student Aid Index. Amounts vary each year. Official materials from different years describe spouse eligibility differently, so confirm whether your situation qualifies on afas.org. The society says 2027–28 applications open in early January 2027.

Coast Guard Mutual Assistance

CGMA's Supplemental Education Grant pays up to $750 per household per year (up to $1,500 for dual-military families) toward fees, textbooks, computers, and some supplies. It does not pay tuition. A CGMA member applies on the spouse's behalf. The 2026 window ran June 1 to September 30, 2026, and has closed. The Coast Guard Foundation runs separate spouse education grants.

Federal student aid and the Pell Grant

Military spouses use the same federal aid system as other students. File the free FAFSA at studentaid.gov every year you are in school. It is also required by several relief society programs above, so it is worth filing even if you doubt you will get federal money.

The U.S. Department of Education set the 2026–27 maximum Pell Grant at $7,395 and the minimum at $740. Pell does not have to be repaid. Your award depends on your Student Aid Index, the cost of your school, and how many classes you take. Many military families qualify because the FAFSA counts the household's actual income. For more ways to fill the gap, see our guides to government assistance for college students and college grants for low-income families.

A tip on order: SpouseWorks pays the school first for an approved course, and VA benefits pay according to their own rules. Tell your school's financial aid office about every source you have, so your aid package is built correctly and nothing has to be paid back later.

In-state tuition when orders move you

Paying out-of-state rates at a public college can double your bill. Two federal laws help spouses avoid that.

The Higher Education Act rule

Under 20 U.S.C. 1015d, a public college that takes federal student aid cannot charge more than the in-state rate to an active-duty service member's spouse when the member has had a domicile or permanent duty station in that state for more than 30 days in the year before the spouse starts. Under the version in effect since July 2024, the spouse keeps the in-state rate from the first day of attendance even if the family is later reassigned. Schools apply residency rules differently, so ask the college's residency office for its military spouse form.

The GI Bill in-state rule

A second law, 38 U.S.C. 3679(c), requires public schools approved for GI Bill use to charge in-state rates to "covered individuals" living in the state. The law's list includes people using transferred Post-9/11 benefits through a service member on active duty or a veteran, and Fry Scholarship users. Many schools also list DEA users. Ask the school certifying official to confirm how your benefit is treated.

Carrying a professional license to a new state

For nurses, teachers, cosmetologists, counselors, and many others, a move can mean paying for a new license. Federal law now helps. Under 50 U.S.C. 4025a, part of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act since 2023, a service member's or spouse's professional license in good standing is treated as valid in the new state when orders move the family there. You submit proof of the orders, your marriage certificate, and a notarized affidavit to the new state's licensing board. If the board cannot act within 30 days, it may issue a temporary license. Professions covered by an interstate compact follow the compact's rules instead. Our SCRA benefits guide covers the law's other protections.

If you still need a new license or test, each branch can reimburse some relicensing costs tied to a PCS move. Service pages describe a cap of up to $1,000 per move. Ask your installation's family center or spouse employment office for the current form, since the paperwork differs by branch.

Spouse education programs compared

This table puts the main options side by side. Figures were checked on November 5, 2026.

A simple plan for paying for school

1. Book a SpouseWorks career coach. The session is free, and you need it for the scholarship anyway.
2. Pick a credential that moves with you. Licenses that fall under an interstate compact, or remote-friendly certificates, travel well.
3. File the FAFSA. It unlocks Pell and is required by several relief societies.
4. Ask the service member about the GI Bill. If they have six years in and plan to stay four more, request the transfer in milConnect while they are still serving.
5. Check VA programs if they apply. Surviving spouses and spouses of permanently and totally disabled veterans should compare DEA and Fry before choosing.
6. Apply to your branch's relief society during its window.
7. Ask for in-state tuition using your service member's orders.
8. Keep copies of orders, award letters, and receipts for later reimbursement or reapplication.

If money is tight beyond tuition, other military and veteran guides on our site may help, including holiday help for veteran families.

Related guides

• SCRA benefits for service members and families
• Government assistance for college students
• Military retirement pay during a government shutdown
• Foreclosure assistance for veterans

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Program rules, amounts, and application windows are set by the Department of Defense, VA, the Department of Education, and each relief society, and they can change. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with the Department of Defense, VA, any relief society, or any government agency.