The District of Columbia is a special place for anyone who has served in the Armed Forces, representing the physical embodiment of our democratically elected government as defined in the Constitution which all people in uniform have solemnly sworn to uphold.
The district’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the National World War II Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial are just several of DC’s 25 monuments and memorials recognizing service and sacrifice. These are a testament to the commitment of all of America’s men and women who serve in uniform.
DC is home to approximately 14,000 active-duty troops and another 30,000 discharged veterans; it’s home to career military, retired veterans, those who’ve enlisted on a six-year contract, and their spouses and children. You’ve worked hard to serve your country, and it only makes sense that your country will return the favor for you and yours with the military benefits you’ve earned.
Education benefits are vital among these, allowing you to establish a firm foundation for a career as you transition back to civilian life or prepare for the officer corps. DC is no different from any other state in pridefully offering its own unique education benefits to its wider military community.
DC Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs (MOVA) Military Education Benefits
MOVA is the district-level office tasked with ensuring DC’s veteran community and their families get connected with the benefits you’ve earned. These include education benefits exclusively for DC residents, and federal benefits like the GI Bill® and Yellow Ribbon Program.
MOVA has a three-pronged approach to helping you maximize your education benefits.
MOVA’s District Veteran Service Officers serve as your initial point of contact. They can help you find a school that’s approved by DC’s Higher Education Licensure Commission (HELC). Schools in DC must have HELC’s quality stamp of approval before they’re allowed to accept your GI Bill® benefits.
MOVA’s Veteran Benefits Specialists-Intake Managers will sit down with you to go through a benefit application’s fine details, ensuring you’ve crossed all your Ts and dotted all your Is.
MOVA’s Outreach Specialists and Public Information Officers scout for veterans they can assist at community functions, education fairs, and veteran memorial events. They collaborate with Service Officers and Intake Managers to design the most effective strategy for connecting veterans with benefits.
As a current or former member of our Armed Forces living in DC you’ve got the best of both worlds: you have a local MOVA liaison who can connect you with with federal VA education benefits at a national office that’s just down the street.
If you’re in the DC National Guard (DCNG) you can also take advantage of a local education benefit known as the STAR program.
State Tuition Assistance Reimbursement (STAR) for the DC National Guard (DCNG)
Members of the DCNG (Army and Air) can use this benefit to cover education costs up to the master’s-degree level. STAR is designed to fill any holes in tuition and fee coverage that are left after you’ve applied your Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) benefit.
Each year DC’s STAR program covers up to $2,000 for tuition and $500 for fees for DC Army NG, and $6,000 for DC Air NG. You need to apply for this benefit every semester within 45 days of the semester start date. You’ll be reimbursed for your education under this program at the end of every semester once your continued eligibility, as follows, has been verified:
- Must have no less than one year remaining before your End of Term Service (ETS).
- Must not fail your Physical Fitness Test (PT) or drop below your height-weight-proportion (HT/WT) health limit.
- Must successfully complete your college courses with at least a 2.0 GPA
The DCNG recognizes the link between being physically fit and mentally sound. It wants healthy guard members who are equally sharp intellectually. Hence the STAR program.
“Healthy body healthy mind”
By plugging any FTA gaps, the STAR program opens up new possibilities for you to gain an affordable education. This is particularly true if your dream school’s tuition was previously a deal breaker because it was private, you would pay out-of-state tuition, or you wanted to study in a graduate program. The STAR program can ameliorate these issues to the tune of thousands of dollars every year.
Possible Station Assignments and Military Bases in the District of Columbia – DC
As the nation’s capital DC is home to many important military facilities. Whether you’re stationed here throughout your entire commitment to the Armed Forces or you’re just passing through for training, you’ll find the welcome that DC provides for its active duty and discharged veterans, and their families, is second to none.
Army
- Fort McNair
Under the command of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall headquartered in Arlington, Fort McNair is situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers within the DC limits. It’s at this scenic location where the fort hosts the National Defense University, the DoD’s institute of higher education designed to train the most capable leaders of tomorrow.
Coast Guard
- US Coast Guard Headquarters
Located in the southeast portion of the district on the historic Saint Elizabeths Hospital campus, the USCG’s headquarters has occupied its current home in the Douglas A. Munro Building for less than a decade. Its move to this centralized campus represents efforts by DHS to consolidate and co-locate its partner agencies. The USCG shares this base of operations with ICE, CPB, and CISA HQ, and its units stationed here include the Marine Safety Center.
Marines
- Marine Barracks Washington, DC
Founded by Thomas Jefferson, this station has the distinction of being the Marines’ oldest active post. Also known as “8th & I” because of its location at the intersection of these streets, MBWDC is home to an impressive list of nationally recognized units including the Marine Band, the Marine Corps Color Guard, and the Marine Corps Body Bearers.
Navy
- Washington Navy Yard
The Navy’s oldest shore establishment, historically this base was a very prominent shipbuilding and storage facility. Today it’s mostly ornamental occupying some of the best real estate in DC. But that doesn’t mean it can be overlooked: it’s currently home to the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, and more.
- US Naval Research Laboratory
With a history that spans a century, the NRL relies on the nation’s best scientists and engineers to create the next innovative developments that the Navy and Marines will use in the field. The NRL has a long well-established relationship with the private sector that doesn’t include specific funding from Congress. That means it pays its bills through sponsor-funded research projects with partners like NASA and DARPA.
Joint Bases
- Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling
Formed by the merger of Naval Support Facility Anacostia and Bolling Air Force Base, today JBAB serves 17,000 civilian and military members in the DC area, and is home to the Defense Intelligence Agency HQ.
JBAB hosts the Stewart Education Center in Building 52 on Duncan Avenue, and an education center on 12 Brookley Avenue. Both facilities can help you with university admission exams and house resources about local colleges in the DC metro area. Three higher education schools have satellite locations on JBAB with classes offered Monday through Saturday.
Military Friendly Colleges in Washington, DC that Accept GI Bill® and Yellow Ribbon Program Benefits
Of the more-than 2,000 colleges and universities that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, only around 500 provide full funding and place no limits on the number of eligible students who can take advantage of it. These schools ensure that every eligible veteran who enrolls can count on full coverage of all tuition costs that exceed GI Bill® limits.
You’ll be glad to know that a number of those military friendly colleges and universities are located right here in Washington, DC:
Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Washington, DC
Accreditation: WASC
- school psychology
- clinical psychology
- ABA
- organizational leadership
- business psychology
- behavior analysis
- counseling psychology
- industrial and organizational psychology
- forensic psychology
- clinical mental health counseling
- psychology
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Accreditation: MSCHE
GU Law School
Institute of World Politics
Washington, DC
Accreditation: MSCHE
- Doctor of Statecraft and National Security
- M.A. in Statecraft and National Security Affairs
- M.A. in Statecraft and International Affairs
- M.A. in Strategic Intelligence Studies
- Executive M.A. in National Security Affairs
- M.A. in Strategic and International Studies (Professional)
- M.A. in Statecraft and Strategy (Online)
- Professional M.A. in Statecraft and Strategy (Online)
- Certificates of Graduate Study
Strayer University
Washington, DC
Accreditation: MSCHE
- Associate in Arts in Accounting
- Associate in Arts in Acquisition and Contract Management
- Associate in Arts in Business Administration
- Associate in Arts in Information Technology
- Associate in Arts in Marketing
- Bachelor of Applied Science in Management
- Bachelor of Business Administration
- Bachelor of Science in Accounting
- Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
- Certificate of Education in Corporate Learning
- Certificate of Education in Educational Administration
- Diploma in Acquisition Contract Management
- Graduate Certificate in Digital Entrepreneurship
- Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurial Leadership
- Graduate Certificate in Finance and Accounting for Entrepreneurs
- Graduate Certificate in Marketing and Branding for Entrepreneurs
- Jack Welch MBA
- Jack Welch Management Institute Executive Certificates
- Jack Welch Management Institute Graduate Certificates
- Joe Gibbs Performance Management Certificate
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of Education
- Master of Health Services Administration
- Master of Human Resource Management
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Science in Accounting
- Master of Science in Information Security and Assurance
- Master of Science in Information Systems
- Master of Science in Management
University Of Maryland Global Campus Joint Base Anacostia
Washington, DC
Accreditation: MSCHE
- Business & Management
- Cybersecurity
- Data Analytics
- Education & Teaching
- Healthcare & Science
- IT & Computer Science
- Liberal Arts & Communication
- Public Safety
University of Phoenix
Washington, DC
Accreditation: HLC
- business
- criminal justice
- education
- healthcare
- nursing
- psychology
- behavioral sciences
- liberal arts
- technology
- RN to BSN
- MBA
- health administration
- information systems
- criminal justice and security
- business fundamentals
University of the District of Columbia (+ Community College)
Washington, DC
Accreditation: MSCHE
- School of Business and Public Administration
- College of Arts and Sciences
- UDC Community College
- College of Agriculture Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
- School of Law (JD)
Washington University In St Louis At Brookings Institution
Washington, DC
Accreditation: HLC
Brookings Executive Education
- Executive MBA
- Nondegree Executive Development
- Certificate Programs for Professionals
- Corporate Programs
Webster University
Washington, DC
Accreditation: HLC
- Advertising and Marketing Communications
- Counseling
- Criminal Justice
- Cybersecurity
- Data Analytics
- Education
- Educational Leadership
- Health Administration
- Human Resources Development
- National Security Studies
- Management & Leadership
- Marketing
- MBA
- Media Communications
- Nurse Anesthesia Practice
- Procurement and Acquisitions Management
