A window that closes
VET TEC pays for technology training only. Programming. Software. Data. Information sciences. Media.
VA pays the school directly. You get a housing allowance on top, plus books.
The programme caps at 4,000 paid seats a year. A cap is a queue. Apply early.
Read the eligibility, because it is tighter than the GI Bill. Discharged other than dishonorable, or within 180 days of separation. At least 36 months of active duty. Under age 62 when approved.
You do not need any prior VA education benefit. You do not need GI Bill entitlement left over. You can come to this having used nothing.
Hold Post-9/11 entitlement already? VET TEC charges one month of it per month of full-time training. Check seats and current terms at VA's VET TEC 2.0 page.
This one has a deadline. Your separation date sets it, or an annual cap does. Later is usually too late.
Where veterans already stand
| Measure | Veterans | Non-veterans |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 | 3.5% | 4.2% |
| Share of the civilian labour force, 2025 | 4.9% | — |
| Share of the civilian labour force, 2000 | 10.5% | — |
| Federal IT management workforce | 41% | 59% |
| Living in rural areas | 24.1% | 19.3% |
Unemployment and labour force: BLS Employment Situation of Veterans, 2025 annual averages — BLS notes the 2025 figures are 11-month averages excluding October and are not strictly comparable with other years. Federal IT: OPM FedScope, September 2024, via Pew Research Center. Rural: Census Bureau, Veterans in Rural America, 2011–2015 American Community Survey, against the 2010 Census rural share of the total population.
What you have already earned
- Post-9/11 GI Bill — 36 months, up to 48. Covers certification exams, apprenticeships and non-degree technical training, not only college. va.gov.
- VR&E, Chapter 31 — a 10% service-connected rating qualifies, and there is no time limit if you were discharged on or after 1 January 2013. va.gov.
- VET TEC 2.0 — technology training, 4,000 seats a year, no prior VA education benefit required. va.gov.
- SkillBridge — your last 180 days of service, with commander approval. skillbridge.osd.mil.
- WIOA priority of service — veterans and eligible spouses go first, by law, in every county. CareerOneStop.
- Veterans' preference and special appointing authorities in federal hiring. USAJOBS.
Rates, seat counts and eligibility rules change. These are the doors; verify current terms with VA or DoD before counting on a number.
Photographs on this campaign are licensed stock used as illustration — not portraits of the people inside the federal counts. Full credits: CREDITS.md.