CMD GI Bill New Application Process
Complete the application process below to apply for the 2025-26 academic year (AY) if you did not participate in the CMD GI Bill for the 2024-25 AY or were withdrawn from the Program. The 2025-26 academic year goes from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. (This is not for classes that start prior to July 1.)
Applications are not transferable from one academic year to another.
If you are currently a CMD GI Bill participant for the 2024-25 AY, go to For Renewal Students Tab, and complete the Renewal Application process listed there by June 1, 2025.
5-Step Application Process
- Visit the FAFSA websiteopens in a new window and fill out the 2025-26 AY Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
You do not need to send anything in to confirm you completed it. Once you have completed step 2, the California Student Aid Commission will confirm the date your FAFSA was submitted.
- Visit the CSAC Websiteopens in a new window and complete the 2025-26 AY Initial Application.
(If you do not have a WebGrants 4 Students or the Golden State Teacher Grant Program account, you will need to complete the First Time User process before applying. If you do have an existing account, you will need to Login as a Returning User. If you Login and it keeps kicking you back to the login page, contact the California Student Aid Commission at 888-224-7268 and ask for a help ticket number. If they are unable to solve the issue, e-mail the CMD GI Bill Coordinators and provide the ticket number you were given.)
For the next 3 steps: Scan and e-mail the forms as a .pdf document to: cmd.gi.bill@cmd.ca.gov. (If you take a picture with your phone and then convert to a .pdf, it may not be accepted as the pages are often distorted. Unfortunately, the National Guard Bureau does not allow for the downloading of documents from Google Drive or the iCloud, so if you attach the documents directly from there, they will be removed by the system. Save your forms to your desktop and then attach them to the e-mail. You can then delete them from your desktop.)
- Submit a completed 2025-26 AY Statement of Understanding (.pdf)opens in a new window
- Submit a CMD GI Bill Service Commitment Acknowledgement (.pdf)opens in a new window form.
- Submit a completed Letter of Recommendation (.pdf)opens in a new window form from a former or current professor or school counselor, a current or former commander, or a civilian employer. (This step is only for applicants who apply by April 30, 2025.)
To be considered a Priority Applicant, you must complete all five steps of the application process by the Priority Deadline of April 30, 2025, for your application to be considered complete and considered for the Priority Board. Your “completed application date” will be the date that you complete all 5 steps. Applicants who do not submit a Letter of Recommendation but meet the other requirements will be added to the first-come, first-serve wait-list.
Applications will continue to be accepted after April 30, 2025, on a first-come, first-serve basis until all funds are exhausted or we can no longer accept applications (no later than April 30, 2026). Applicants who will complete the first 4 steps after April 30, 2025, do not need to complete step 5.