The U.S. Department of Education collects information on the number of recipients and total amount of aid received at each institution of higher education for two military service-related programs. The data reported on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) are for: the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which provides aid for all education-related expenses to current and former military personnel, as well their dependents; and the Department of Defense (DoD) Tuition Assistance Program, which only provides aid to offset tuition and fees for active duty servicemembers, reservists called to active duty and their spouses.
For the 2021-22 academic year, public community college students comprised slightly less than a quarter of the students who obtained Post 9/11 GI Bill financial aid, but they only received 8.1% of the aid to assist with their educational endeavors. Students at independent four-year colleges make up 20% of students receiving this benefit but account for 31% of the funds received, while public four-year colleges have approximately one-third of the students who receive approximately one-third of the aid.
The distribution of recipients and funds for the DoD Tuition Assistance Program differs from the Post 9/11 GI Bill aid. Recipients are most likely to be in for-profit colleges (37%) and receive a slightly larger share of the aid (40%). Only 11% of students receiving this aid attend public community college, and due to the lower tuition costs at community colleges, they receive only 6% of this aid.
