Between 9+ years of active-duty Army and a second tour in Iraq with the MNARNG, I was 100 percent vested in Chapter 33 GI Bill. Although my full-time AGR work and drilling obligations were challenging, after 11 years I finally finished my doctorate at the University of Minnesota. One class, one semester at a time, straddling a deployment to/from Balad icw OIF08-10, the 84-credit degree plan slowly was accomplished.
I walked in commencement on May 11, 2017, receiving my doctorate from the College of Education & Human Development - the exact same day that I graduated from UND with my BS on May 11, 1997.
At $1,444 per graduate credit, it is easy to estimate just how much my GI Bill benefits were worth over the 11 years I used it to gain my terminal degree.