1. The EIB offers administers a number of testing programs including both military and personal goals.  These free testing opportunities may qualify Soldiers for career advancement, specialized training, foreign language pay, and language proficiency bonuses.

2. The EIB proctors the following exams on-site with prior scheduling and unit commander’s approval: Armed Forces Classification Test (AFCT), Selection Instrument for Flight Training (SIFT), Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) / Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT).

3. AFCT prep resources: Online Academic Skills Course (OASC) available at www.nelnetsolutions.com/DantesNet

4. Test schedule.  The EIB offers the following regularly scheduled tests on-site at Camp Joseph T. Robinson. 
WALK-IN EXAMINATIONS ARE NOT OFFERED.  ALL TESTS REQUIRE AN APPROVED REQUEST AND DA FORM 4187 WITH COMMANDER’S SIGNATURE.  EXAMPLES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
     a. AFCT: Wednesday mornings, 0745 Report Time
     b. SIFT: Wednesday mornings, 0745 Report Time
     c. DLAB / DLPT, Tuesday or Thursday, by Appointment Only
     d. Individual Test Proctoring, Tuesday or Thursday Only on a Case by Case Basis

1. The Defense Activity for Non Traditional Education Support (DANTES) offers numerous programs and services to ARNG Soldiers including:
     a. Cost reimbursable testing opportunities offered at National Test Centers (NTCs)
          1. High school completion and college entrance exams GED, ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT
          2. College credit exams including CLEP and DSST
          3. Teacher certification exams (Praxis)
          4. For more information visit https://clep.collegeboard.org/test-center-search and www.getcollegecredit.com
     b. College planning resources: Kuder® Journey www.dantes.kuder.com
     c.College prep resources: Online Academic Skills Course (OASC) and College Placement Skills Training (CPST) available at www.nelnetsolutions.com/DantesNet
     d. Troops to Teachers, (TTT) available at www.proudtoserveagain.com

2. DANTES test reimbursement requires:
     a. Test administration at a national or international test center
     b. valid Common Access Card (CAC)
     c. submission of official score report
     d. submission of payment receipt

3. For more information on DANTES programs and services visit www.dantes.doded.mil  

1. The JST is an academically accepted document approved by the American Council on Education (ACE) to validate a service member's military occupational experience and training along with the corresponding ACE college credit recommendations.

2. The JST provides Soldiers with an opportunity to earn college credit based on their military training and experience.  ARNG Soldiers can download their JST at: https://jst.doded.mil/jst/

1. TA Decide: www.dodmou.com/TADECIDE
TA DECIDE is an online information and comparison tool tailored to the unique educational needs of Service members. Launched by the Department of Defense (DoD) in April 2015, this program is designed to support decision-making when it comes to selecting schools, choosing the right program and making decisions that are aligned with unique personal goals. 
TA DECIDE works for everyone, whether pursuing education full or part-time. By entering personal parameters such as preferred degree level, program area and residential area, TA DECIDE provides vital information. This information includes number of Service members using DoD tuition assistance, annual tuition costs, graduation rates, comparisons of schools and programs, and much more.
One of the greatest benefits of using TA DECIDE is that all the schools included in this tool have been vetted by the DoD. More than that, all the schools signed a Memorandum of Un-derstanding (MOU) conveying the commitments and agreements between the educational institution and DoD prior to receiving funds from a service’s TA program. The TA DECIDE engine is fueled by more than 10 recognized and trusted data sources from across the de-partments of Defense, Education, and Veterans Affairs.
There are thousands of schools included in TA DECIDE, and all are eligible for military tui-tion assistance. You can use TA DECIDE on your own or utilize it while working with an edu-cational counselor. It’s an additional resource that can help you start a conversation or launch right into your own search. 

2. College Navigator: www.nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator
The National Center for Education Statistics’ College Navigator website provides important data to help refine a college search. The interactive site allows you to explore and compare features of different institutions, including programs and majors, degree levels, institution type, and ad-missions considerations, pinpoint school locations with an interactive map, and export search results into a spreadsheet file format.

3. GI Bill Comparison Tool:  www.vets.gov/gi-bill-comparison-tool
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ GI Bill Comparison Tool enables users to calculate benefits and research approved programs of study. Users enter their military status; the GI Bill benefit they plan to use and information about their school or employer (for approved apprenticeship/on-the-job training programs). A benefit estimator function provides the user with the expected payment rate information.

4. Career Path DECIDE: www.careerpathdecide.org/
Career Path DECIDE is a decision support tool provided by the Department of Defense to help Service members and Veterans identify, prepare for, and become increasingly qualified for employment as they transition military service to the civilian workforce. This tool will assist Service members with identifying potential best fit careers based on their military occupation, education level and prior civilian work experience. It will also help Service members find the right Credential and/or Degree pro-grams needed to fill identified experience and education gaps they may have to make them even more qualified, prepared, and marketable for those careers.

5. College Scorecard: collegescorecard.ed.gov/
College Scorecard is a U.S. Department of Education webpage designed to assist prospective students in determining which school to attend. Using this site, a person can run a search based on the degree, location, size of student body, specialized school missions, whether a school is public, private nonprofit, or private for-profit, or religious affiliation. The site’s search function provides graphic results that are easy to filter and sort allowing for easy comparisons of schools.

6. Kuder Journey: dantes.kuder.com
The website is a one-stop-shop for Service members as they plan, prepare and transition to civilian employment. Users provide their military background, needs and barriers, to create a custom menu of resources that facilitate a personalized approach to career development. This easy step-by-step development process begins with the completion of three assessments: The Kuder Career Interests Assessment. Kuder Skills Confidence Assessment – Adult, and Kuder Work Values Assessment provide a reliable foundation for which military members can build plans for the future.

7. Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH): www.bls.gov/ooh
The OOH is a career resource offering information on the hundreds of occupations that provide the overwhelming majority of jobs in the United States. Each occupational profile describes the duties required by the occupation, the work environment of that occupation, the typical education and training needed to enter the occupation, the median pay for workers in the occupation, and the job outlook into the next 10 years for that occupation. Each profile is in a standard for-mat that makes it easy to compare occupations.

GI Bill Rates: https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/resources/benefits_resources/rate_tables.asp

GI Bill Program Handouts: https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/handouts_forms.asp

1. Pays 100% of Tuition and Mandatory Fees to in-state public institutions;
2. Eligible private, non-profit Arkansas-based institutions are covered up to the in-state public tuition cap; ($686 per credit hour)
3. Approved postsecondary credential or certification programs may also be covered; Training Status Eligibility: The Soldier must complete Basic Training or have it waived by ROTC;
4. Applies after Federal, State, and Institution scholarships;
5. May be used in conjunction with FTA or GI Bill (FTA use is not required under current policy);
6. Applies for up to 120 credit hours toward a first bachelor’s degree; credential/certification coverage is subject to program rules.

For more information or to apply please "Click Here".

Multiple programs are available depending on your previous military service.

1. MGIB-SR/Chapter 1606

     a. Current (Oct 2024–Sept 2025): $481/month for members of the Selected Reserve;

     b. Projected (Oct 2025–Sept 2026): $493/month full-time (subject to VA publication);

     c. Must sign six-year contract, have a high school diploma or GED, and complete IADT or    

         BOLC.

2. MGIB-AD/Chapter 30

     a. $2,358/month for three or more years of active duty;

     b. $1,913/month for two–three years of consecutive active duty.

3. Post-9/11 GI Bill/Chapter 33

     a. Payments based on qualifying active duty served/tier percentage;

     b. Pays up to 100% tuition and fees at public in-state schools;

     c. Pays up to $29,920.95 per academic year at private/foreign schools (AY 2025–2026);

     d. Pays a housing stipend equal to BAH at the E-5 with dependents rate at the school ZIP; online-only: up to $1,054/month;

     e. Pays a book and supply stipend up to $1,000 per academic year.

4. Transfer of Education Benefits (TEB)

     a. Option to transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to dependents;

     b. Must have served six years and commit to serve four more years in the ARNG.

5. GI Bill ‘Kicker’

     a. Available to non-prior service, prior service, currently serving enlisted Soldiers, Soldiers in an officer commissioning program, and officers up to one year after commissioning;

     b. Sign a six-year service obligation (enlistment, extension, or Officer Service Agreement);

     c. Depending on category and date of contract, either $200 or $350 per month is added to your basic GI Bill payment.

For more information or to apply please "Click Here".

1. Available to currently serving ARNG Soldiers.

2. Training Status Eligibility. The Soldier must complete basic training.

In accordance with DODI 1322.25, Voluntary Education Programs, Reserve Component (Army Reserve and Army National Guard) Soldiers are exempt from the requirement to first complete BCT before being authorized to receive TA. There is no military education code for the completion of BCT in our source data feed, but all Soldiers who graduate from BCT will have a common access card (CAC) to access their benefits in ArmyIgnitED. Reserve Component Soldiers who are not graduates of BCT must be issued a CAC by their units and the correct data in IPPS-A in order to access their benefits in ArmyIgnitED. There is no TA "stopper" in ArmyIgnitED for military training eligibility. The CAC will be the proof of eligibility for all Soldiers.

3. Pays tuition costs up to $250 per semester hour, up to 16 semester hours per fiscal year.

4. May be used up to a master’s degree and for an academic certificate.

5. Apply through ArmyIgnitED: https://www.armyignited.army.mil and click on “Get Started".

6. Frequently Asked Questions.

For more information or to apply please "Click Here".

1. Must qualify for FTA; may be combined with FTA not to exceed $4,000 per fiscal year.

2. Pays tuition, fees, books, and examination cost(s) for over 1600 professional licensures, certificates, and credentials.

3. Available to Soldiers assigned to all States/Territories.

For more information or to apply please "Click Here".