The MGIB-AD and MGIB-SR benefits pay while you attend business, technical, vocational or college courses, or while you pursue distance learning, correspondence courses, certification tests, flight training, cosmetology licensing, an attorney's license, training to become a certified safety professional and apprenticeship/job training. The Post-9/11 GI Bill only pays for institutes of higher learning (colleges and universities) -- either online or in traditional classes -- and licensing/certification and work-study programs.
Most colleges and universities that are either regionally or nationally accredited accept the GI Bill, according to Military.com. Ask the admissions counselor at your institution of choice, search the Military.com "School Finder" or visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs "Find a School" website to verify a school's acceptance of the GI Bill. The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays money directly to the institution you attend, whereas the MGIB-AD and MGIB-SR programs send the money to you and you pay your tuition and living expenses with the funds.
Online schools offer two-year, four-year and advanced degrees via distance learning. Online schools that accept the GI Bill include American Military University, Strayer University, Grantham University, Walden University Online, Kaplan University, DeVry University, University of Phoenix, Westwood College and Full Sail University-Online. Get more information on using the GI Bill at an online school by clicking "Request Info" on the GIBill.com website next to the online school in which you are interested.
In 2010, VeteransBenefitsGIBill.com prepared a list of the top 25 colleges and universities considered "military friendly." Schools were ranked based on criteria such as financial aid for service members, percentage of school budget allocated for military outreach, nearness to a military base, academic accreditation, available military scholarships/discounts/grants and participation in the military spouse program called MyCAA.
Institutions on the 2010 list are Columbia College, Excelsior College, Bellevue University, TUI University, Saint Leo, Duquesne University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Jones International University, Kansas State University, Hawaii Pacific University, Coastline Community College, American Sentinel University, Western Governors University, the University of Oklahoma, Strayer University, Grantham University, Thomas Edison State College, Columbia Southern University, American Intercontinental University Online, Capella University, Central Texas College, Colorado Technical University, Webster University, San Diego City College and Colorado State University Pueblo.