A GI Bill app for military families that shows its work.
College Tool is a free app that does the GI Bill® and VA education-benefit math for military families: the decisions that actually trip families up, like in-state versus out-of-state, transferring benefits to a child or keeping them, and the order to use them in, which can change the total by thousands.
Free for five states, permanently. No account. Not a trial. An optional upgrade unlocks the whole country. See pricing.
See it in action
What the app does for a family
The order that gets the most
If you hold more than one benefit, the sequence you use them in changes the total, often by thousands. The app maps it.
Real housing math
It runs the housing allowance off the school’s zip code, on currently published rates, across 8,000-plus VA-approved colleges.
Everything stacked
Post-9/11 GI Bill®, Chapter 35 DEA, the Fry Scholarship, and Yellow Ribbon, plus transferred months and scholarships on top.
It shows its work
Most tools hand you a number and ask you to trust it. College Tool does the opposite: every rate, rule, and figure links to its official VA source, so a family can check it themselves instead of taking a black box on faith. That is the least salesy thing in the toolkit, and it is the whole point. The output is a starting point for the conversation with a VA representative or School Certifying Official, never the final word.
Why it works differently
It was built from a real need, a military family doing this math by hand at the kitchen table, not modeled on other apps. The founder built what it should be, and went looking for anything similar only afterward, and found nothing that works quite like it. That is why it looks and works the way it does. It came from lived need and from School Certifying Official training the founder, a retired Air Force MSgt, completed in 2026, not from a template or a gap someone tried to fill.
See the method behind it · Meet the founder · Read the free companion book
Common questions about the GI Bill app
Is there a free GI Bill app?
Yes. College Tool is free to use for five states, permanently, with no account and no trial. An optional subscription unlocks all fifty states, the top overseas options, and dependent education calculations.
What does a GI Bill app do?
It shows how a family’s VA education benefits work together and the order to use them in. College Tool covers the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, Chapter 35 DEA, the Fry Scholarship, and the Yellow Ribbon Program, with per-school housing estimates, and links every figure to its official VA source.
What is the best GI Bill app for a military family?
Look for one that shows its work: an app that links every rate and rule to its official VA source so you can check it yourself, rather than a black box. College Tool is built to that standard. Whether it is the best is a call for families and independent reviewers to make, not one to self-assign.
Is College Tool affiliated with the VA?
No. It is an independent planning tool from We Got You 1776, LLC, not affiliated with or endorsed by the VA or the Department of Defense.