VA has published Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD, Chapter 30) institutional rates for October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027. For a full month of full-time enrollment, the official base rate rises from $2,518 to $2,601 under the 3-year schedule and from $2,043 to $2,110 under the 2-year schedule. VA labels the 3-year schedule for at least 3 continuous years of active duty without a break; it labels the 2-year schedule for service between 2 and 3 years, but service length alone does not decide eligibility or the schedule VA assigns. Check your VA benefit record and your school’s certified training time. Active-duty students and enrollment below half time can face tuition-and-fee limits; partial months are prorated; approved kickers or prior $600 Buy-Up contributions can increase the base. October 1 starts the rate period, not a promised deposit date. This guide covers Chapter 30 only; Chapter 1606 uses a separate schedule.
This is a Chapter 30 institutional-rate guide. Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606) uses a separate rate schedule and is not covered here. The amounts below are base rates for the stated period; they are not a decision that any reader qualifies for Chapter 30 or a particular schedule.
What changes on October 1?
The two official VA schedules use different Chapter 30 service categories. The comparison below uses a full month at full-time institutional training so that each old amount is compared with the same category and enrollment level in the new period.
| VA rate schedule | Oct. 1, 2025–Sept. 30, 2026 | Oct. 1, 2026–Sept. 30, 2027 | Calculated monthly change | Calculated percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-year schedule | $2,518.00 | $2,601.00 | +$83.00 | +3.30% |
| 2-year schedule | $2,043.00 | $2,110.00 | +$67.00 | +3.28% |
The four rate inputs are official VA schedule values. The dollar and percentage changes are our calculations from those inputs, rounded to two decimal places. They do not project how many months anyone will use or promise an annual total.
Which Chapter 30 schedule applies to you?
Program identity, service category, duty status and training time answer different questions. First, confirm that your award is Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty under Chapter 30, not Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits under Chapter 33 or Selected Reserve benefits under Chapter 1606.
VA labels the higher table for people who served at least 3 continuous years on active duty, without a break in service. It labels the other table for service between 2 and 3 years. Those labels do not replace the broader Chapter 30 eligibility rules, and they do not let a reader determine an award from service length alone. Other eligibility categories and service circumstances can matter. Your Certificate of Eligibility, decision letter or VA education record is the safer place to confirm which schedule VA assigned.
Current active-duty status is separate again. A person can be using a program named “Active Duty” after leaving active duty. Conversely, a student who is currently on active duty may be subject to the tuition-and-fee limit described below even though the service category shown on the award is a 3-year or 2-year schedule.
For a broader comparison of program payment components, use our Chapter 33 Post-9/11 GI Bill guide. A larger headline monthly number by itself does not decide which benefit is available or which election is better for an individual.
Chapter 30 institutional rates for 2026–2027
These are VA’s published monthly institutional rates for October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027. Use the row that matches the training time your school certifies. The labels below preserve the boundaries in VA’s schedule.
| Certified training time | 3-year schedule | 2-year schedule | Applicable limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full time | $2,601.00 per month | $2,110.00 per month | Base monthly rate; current active-duty students have the separate tuition-and-fee limit below. |
| 75% (three-quarter time) | $1,950.75 per month | $1,582.50 per month | Base monthly rate; current active-duty students have the separate tuition-and-fee limit below. |
| 50% (half time) | $1,300.50 per month | $1,055.00 per month | Base monthly rate; current active-duty students have the separate tuition-and-fee limit below. |
| Less than 50% but more than 25% | $1,300.50 per month | $1,055.00 per month | No more than the cost of tuition and fees. |
| 25% or less | $650.25 per month | $527.50 per month | No more than the cost of tuition and fees. |
For a student who is currently on active duty, VA says payment is limited to the listed rate or the actual cost of tuition and fees, whichever is less. That duty-status rule is not the same as the 3-year versus 2-year service label. For the two below-half-time rows, the table itself also limits payment to tuition and fees. Compare like periods: a school’s charge for an entire term is not automatically a one-month charge.
Why your actual Chapter 30 payment may differ
The table is a starting point, not a personal award calculation. The amount VA actually pays can change for several distinct reasons:
- Your assigned schedule. The 3-year and 2-year columns are separate official categories. Do not pick the larger column solely because it pays more.
- Certified training time. Full time, 75%, 50% and the two lower-enrollment bands use different rows and limits.
- Current active-duty status. Tuition and fees can cap payment for a student who is currently serving on active duty.
- Partial months and gaps. VA prorates a Veteran’s monthly amount for the days enrolled when training begins, ends or pauses during a month. The listed figure assumes a full month.
- Training type or stage. Institutional attendance, apprenticeship or on-the-job training, flight training, correspondence courses and test reimbursement do not all use this institutional table.
- Approved supplements. A service-branch college-fund “kicker” or a qualifying $600 Buy-Up contribution may increase the base amount shown on an individual award. Neither supplement is automatic.
- Certification and verification. The school must certify enrollment, and an applicable student must complete the separate monthly verification process before VA releases the monthly payment.
How training time selects a row
VA’s undergraduate planning guidance treats 12 or more credits as full time, 9–11 as three-quarter time and 6–8 as half time for a standard undergraduate term. That is not a universal rule for every calendar or program. Graduate training time is reported by the school, and nonstandard terms and clock-hour programs can produce a different classification.
Use the school’s certified status rather than multiplying a monthly figure by a guessed credit fraction. Chapter 30’s table labels also should not be replaced with Chapter 33’s “rate of pursuit” housing-allowance threshold. They answer different payment questions.
When the new rate applies and when payment arrives
September 30 and October 1 divide two rate schedules. Training through September 30, 2026, belongs to the preceding period; the new schedule begins October 1, 2026. If enrollment starts or ends partway through a month, the full monthly figure will not describe the whole payment. VA uses the certified dates and its partial-month calculation.
That effective date is not a deposit appointment. VA must have the school’s certification and, when required, the student’s monthly verification. Its current verification FAQ says processing begins after verification and a payment may take up to five days to arrive. Bank processing and a case that needs correction can add uncertainty, so do not plan on a guaranteed October 1 deposit.
Certification and monthly verification are different
Your school sends VA enrollment dates, credits or hours, and other certification information. Student verification confirms applicable enrollment each month; it does not rewrite the school’s certification.
VA’s current guidance says students using Montgomery GI Bill benefits at an institution of higher learning or non-college degree facility generally verify when enrolled at least half time. VA no longer uses WAVE for this process. Our GI Bill enrollment-verification guide explains the current verification route, what a hold can mean and how verification differs from a school correction.
What about kickers and the $600 Buy-Up?
A branch-of-service college-fund kicker and the Chapter 30 $600 Buy-Up are different additions. An approved kicker comes from the service agreement. Buy-Up applies only when an eligible service member made an additional contribution while on active duty; leaving service does not create a new opportunity to make that contribution later. VA publishes a separate Buy-Up table based on the amount contributed and training time.
The rates in this guide exclude both additions. Check the supplement shown in your own VA record rather than adding the maximum from a separate table to every row.
What about other training types?
The institutional rows above should not be carried into apprenticeships or on-the-job training, flight training, correspondence courses, licensing or certification tests, or national-test reimbursement. VA’s Chapter 30 rate pages give those arrangements their own schedules, stages or reimbursement rules.
If a school describes a program as non-college degree training, ask its School Certifying Official whether VA will certify it by credits, clock hours or another approved measure. Use the matching official section instead of treating “full time” in one setting as a universal number.
What to check now
- Confirm that your benefit is Chapter 30 and identify the rate schedule shown in your VA record.
- Confirm the school’s certified dates and training time for the term.
- Use the schedule for the dates of training: through September 30 or beginning October 1.
- Check whether current active-duty status or below-half-time enrollment creates a tuition-and-fee limit.
- Look for an approved kicker or prior Buy-Up contribution on your own record rather than assuming one applies.
- Complete any required monthly verification and follow up through VA’s current channel if the certified status or payment does not match.
For more education-benefit coverage, browse the Education Updates archive.
Chapter 30 rate-guide update note
Published September 7, 2026, using VA’s official schedules for October 1, 2025–September 30, 2026, and October 1, 2026–September 30, 2027. This same URL should be checked before the next annual rate period and whenever VA materially corrects a table or operational rule.
Bottom line
Start with the Chapter 30 schedule VA assigned and the training time your school certified. For a full month at full time, the 2026–2027 base is $2,601 under the 3-year schedule or $2,110 under the 2-year schedule. Then apply the separate limits and conditions that actually describe your case. October 1 determines which annual schedule applies; it does not guarantee a payment on that date.
About this update: The CSRA Women Veterans Resource Guide is an independent informational publisher, not the Department of Veterans Affairs or another government agency. This article does not determine eligibility or replace instructions from the responsible official source.
Questions or corrections? Contact us.
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