We Got You 1776™
For Military Families
Asked the way a mom planning for the family asks

What is the difference between the Fry Scholarship and Chapter 35?

The Fry Scholarship pays up to 36 months at the Post-9/11 GI Bill®’s full rate: tuition and fees, housing and books. Chapter 35 (DEA) pays a monthly payment directly to the student, who pays the school, with no housing allowance or book stipend. After a line-of-duty death on or after August 1, 2011, a child chooses one, or uses both only when DEA comes from a different event.

Authority38 U.S.C. 3311, 38 U.S.C. 3532, 38 U.S.C. 3322Registerfry-pays, fry-who, dea-pays-student, dea-who

Which one a family uses depends on many factors. We factor in things like whether tuition is covered another way, how long until each benefit can no longer be used, and where the student lives, and that still is not all. Only you can answer it for your situation and how you live.

What is the difference between the Fry Scholarship and Chapter 35? Question card with the answer and the law.Question card, free to share
The Short. The answer as a short video, with captions and a transcript.
Transcript
  1. Asked, plainly. What is the difference between the Fry Scholarship and Chapter 35? Asked by a mom planning for the family
  2. The Fry Scholarship pays up to 36 months at the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s full rate: tuition and fees, housing and books.
  3. Chapter 35 (DEA) pays a monthly payment directly to the student, who pays the school, with no housing allowance or book stipend.
  4. After a line-of-duty death on or after August 1, 2011, a child chooses one, or uses both only when DEA comes from a different event.
  5. The law behind it. 38 U.S.C. 3311, 38 U.S.C. 3532, 38 U.S.C. 3322. The full answer is at wegotyou1776.com/questions
  6. We Got You 1776. Plan around your education benefits. wegotyou1776.com/questions
GI Bill and VA benefits eligibility chart, a printable poster: Reference chart of how many months of school the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Chapter 35 DEA, the Fry Scholarship, the Montgomery GI Bill and Veteran Readiness and Employment can pay for: 36 for one benefit, 72 for a family using Chapters 33 and 35, 48 for two from your own service, and 81 at most with Chapter 35.
The chart with this data: What your benefits could add up to. One benefit, two or three, in months. View or download it, 18 x 24. Other sizes are on Charts.

How does this apply to you?

If you are the student

Fry pays tuition and fees, housing and books at the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s full rate, and DEA pays you a monthly payment. You apply for either one on VA Form 22-5490.

Registerfry-pays, dea-pays-student, apply-dea

If you are planning for the family

Fry runs up to 36 months, and DEA up to 36 if school started on or after August 1, 2018. VA pays one at a time. After a line-of-duty death on or after August 1, 2011, a child chooses one, or uses both only when DEA comes from a different event. VA’s guidance caps that pair at 48 months, while 38 U.S.C. 3695(c) and 38 CFR 21.4020(c) set 81.

Registerfry-pays, dea-months, one-at-a-time, fry-dea

If you are building a lesson

For a lesson: Fry pays at the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s full rate, and Chapter 35 is DEA, its own VA program, which pays the student monthly. After a line-of-duty death on or after August 1, 2011, a child chooses one, or uses both only when DEA comes from a different event. VA’s guidance caps that pair at 48 months, while 38 U.S.C. 3695(c) and 38 CFR 21.4020(c) set 81. Before that date, a child may use both, capped at 81.

Registerfry-pays, dea-not-gi-bill, dea-pays-student, fry-dea

Which is better, Fry or DEA?

That depends on the family’s situation. Fry pays tuition and fees, housing and books at the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s full rate, and DEA pays the student a monthly payment. Where a child has to choose one, the choice is the family’s.

Registerfry-pays, dea-pays-student, fry-dea

Who qualifies for the Fry Scholarship and who for Chapter 35?

Fry is for the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, plus the Selected Reserve and after-service cases VA lists. DEA is for the spouse or child of a Veteran VA has found permanently and totally disabled by a service-connected disability, or who died of one or in the line of duty.

Registerfry-who, dea-who

Can my daughter use both the Fry Scholarship and Chapter 35?

Only in some cases. After a line-of-duty death on or after August 1, 2011, she chooses one, or uses both only when Chapter 35 comes from a different event. VA’s guidance caps that pair at 48 months, while 38 U.S.C. 3695(c) and 38 CFR 21.4020(c) set 81. Before that date, both, capped at 81.

Registerfry-dea

Does a surviving spouse lose Fry or DEA after remarrying?

A surviving spouse keeps the Fry Scholarship after remarrying, and generally loses DEA. A spouse eligible for both picks one and cannot switch.

Registerfry-time-remarriage, dea-lost, fry-dea

How long can a child use Fry or Chapter 35?

Fry has no time limit for a child when the parent died on or after January 1, 2013, or the child turned 18, graduated or got a GED after that date; otherwise until 33. DEA has none for a child who became eligible, turned 18 or finished high school on or after August 1, 2023; otherwise generally from 18 to 26.

Registerfry-time-remarriage, dea-child-time-limit

How do the Fry Scholarship and Chapter 35 compare for a family?

How do the Fry Scholarship and Chapter 35 compare for a family? Article picture with its opening fact and the law, 38 U.S.C. 3311, 38 U.S.C. 3532, 38 U.S.C. 3322.

Both are family benefits that come through a service member or Veteran, and each has its own rules. The Fry Scholarship is for the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty on active duty on or after September 11, 2001; of a Selected Reserve member who died in the line of duty or from a service-connected disability; or, for terms that start before October 1, 2027, of a member who died from a service-connected disability within 120 days of leaving service. Chapter 35, Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA), is for the spouse or child of a Veteran VA has found permanently and totally disabled by a service-connected disability, or who died of one or in the line of duty, plus less common cases VA lists.

They pay differently. Fry pays up to 36 months at the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s full rate: tuition and fees, a monthly housing allowance and money for books. DEA pays a monthly payment directly to the student, who pays the school. It has no housing allowance or book stipend, and it pays in steps by training time: full time, three-quarter time and half time. Below half time the monthly payment covers tuition and fees only, up to a cap. DEA is its own VA program, apart from the GI Bill.

The time limits differ. DEA pays up to 36 months if school started on or after August 1, 2018, and up to 45 if it started before. A child using Fry has no time limit when the parent died on or after January 1, 2013, or when the child turned 18, graduated from high school or got a GED after that date; otherwise a child can use it until age 33. Expired Fry benefits may be restored for use after January 2, 2025. A child who became eligible for DEA, turned 18 or finished high school on or after August 1, 2023 can use it at any age; otherwise a child generally uses it between 18 and 26.

Using both has its own rule. After a line-of-duty death on or after August 1, 2011, a child chooses Fry or DEA, or uses both only when DEA comes from a different event. VA’s guidance caps that pair at 48 months, while 38 U.S.C. 3695(c) and 38 CFR 21.4020(c) set 81. Before that date, a child can use both, capped at 81. VA pays one education benefit at a time, so both are never paid for the same term. A surviving spouse eligible for both picks one and cannot switch.

Remarriage is treated differently too. A surviving spouse keeps the Fry Scholarship after remarrying. A surviving spouse who remarries generally loses DEA. A family applies for either one with VA Form 22-5490, and VA decides each case.

By We Got You 1776, LLC.

GI Bill and VA education benefits FAQ

Other ways people ask this

Related questions

Terms (7)
Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33)
38 U.S.C. 3312(a), 38 U.S.C. 3313(c)(1)
The Post-9/11 education benefit: up to 36 months that pay tuition and fees to the school, a monthly housing allowance set by the campus ZIP code, and a yearly payment for books and supplies. How much it pays depends on how long the member served (the eligibility tier).
Chapter 35 DEA (Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance)
38 U.S.C. 3501(a)(1), 38 U.S.C. 3532(a)
A VA program for the spouse or child of a Veteran VA has found permanently and totally disabled by a service-connected disability, or who died of one or in the line of duty. It pays a monthly payment directly to the student, who pays the school, in steps by training time, and has no housing allowance or book stipend.
Fry Scholarship
38 U.S.C. 3311(b)(8) to (10)
A VA education benefit for the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, plus the Selected Reserve and after-service cases VA lists, paid at the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s full rate.
Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA)
38 U.S.C. 3313(c)(1)(B)
The GI Bill’s monthly housing payment: DoD’s Basic Allowance for Housing for an E-5 with dependents at the ZIP code of the campus where the student attends most classes. Schools abroad use one foreign rate instead, and a U.S. school’s campus abroad may not get the home campus rate.
Books stipend
38 U.S.C. 3313(c)(1)(B)(iv)
The Post-9/11 GI Bill’s payment for books and supplies, paid by the credit up to a yearly cap for 24 credits. DEA has none.
Full time, three-quarter time and half time
38 CFR 21.4270(c), 38 U.S.C. 3532(a)
How VA measures a course load. VA counts 14 credits a term as full time unless the school certifies 12 or 13 for its undergraduates. Where 12 is full time, 9 to 11 is three-quarter time and 6 to 8 is half time; for graduate work, full time is what the school certifies, or 14 credits. Chapter 35 DEA pays in steps by it, and the GI Bill pays housing only above half time.
The 81-month ceiling
38 U.S.C. 3695(c), 38 CFR 21.4020(c)
The outer limit in law for Chapter 35 combined with other VA education programs, which leaves the 72-month plan a 9-month buffer. After a line-of-duty death on or after August 1, 2011, a child uses the Fry Scholarship and DEA both only when DEA comes from a different event, and VA caps that pair at 48 months.

From The Order Matters, The Terms, Plainly, and terms added or reworded here since, which go into the book at its next update.

Art from this page (4)
GI Bill questions answered with the law: three question cards from Questions from the Field, fanned, a child’s transferred months and Chapter 35 in front.The We Got You 1776 seal, the picture for the founder’s article Transparent and referenced: 1776 and We Got You in gold and cream on black, For Military Families.We Got You 1776. Plan around your education benefits: a book, reference charts and an app for military families. The card shows The Order Matters in front of a reference chart and College Tool with its icon.The phase approach in College Tool: education benefits planned in the order you use them. The card shows two of its screens, the school search and the buffer by phase.

GI Bill questions from the field, and where each answer is written. Each page answers the big question first, then shows where the other factors are written in the law, VA’s rules and the official pages. On Medium.

Transparent and referenced: how We Got You 1776 works with rules that keep changing. How We Got You 1776 keeps its book, charts and app checkable: one register of official sources, a dated record on each page, and corrections emailed.

The website that shows its work. Every page shows its date and its official sources, and anyone can send a correction. How We Got You 1776 keeps its guide current, in the open.

College Tool: the method from The Order Matters, phase by phase, with the math and its sources. The phase approach from The Order Matters in College Tool: each phase, what it pays, the savings buffer, and one worked path from the book with its money.

See all the art
Sources (23)

The official sources this answer is built on, the law first, then the official pages.

  1. 38 U.S.C. 103Marriage and remarriage, including a surviving spouse
  2. 38 U.S.C. 3311Post-9/11 educational assistance: who is entitled, including the Fry Scholarship
  3. 38 U.S.C. 3313What the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays: tuition and fees, housing by rate of pursuit, the foreign and online rates, books
  4. 38 U.S.C. 3321Time limits for using the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Fry Scholarship
  5. 38 U.S.C. 3322One program at a time, and the Fry Scholarship with DEA
  6. 38 U.S.C. 3501Chapter 35 (DEA): who is an eligible person
  7. 38 U.S.C. 3511Chapter 35 (DEA): 36 months, or 45 before August 1, 2018
  8. 38 U.S.C. 3512Chapter 35 (DEA): when it can be used
  9. 38 U.S.C. 3532Chapter 35 (DEA): the monthly payment
  10. 38 U.S.C. 3695The combined limits: 48 months for programs from your own service, 81 for Chapter 35 with others
  11. 38 U.S.C. 5313BNo benefits while a fugitive felon
  12. Public Law 111-377Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 (the Fry Scholarship and DEA from the same death, from August 1, 2011)
  13. Public Law 118-210Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act: the Fry 120-day case, final-term housing, electronic letters, notice of policy changes, a transfer overpayment owed by the member alone
  14. 38 CFR 21.3131DEA rates of payment, including less than half time
  15. 38 CFR 21.3135DEA: when payments stop
  16. 38 CFR 21.4020Two or more programs: the 48 and 81 month limits, amended July 31, 2025
  17. 38 CFR 21.4270Measurement of courses: full, three-quarter and half time
  18. VA Form 22-5490Dependents' Application for VA Education Benefits (DEA and the Fry Scholarship)
  19. VA.govFry Scholarship
  20. VA.govFry Scholarship rates
  21. VA.govSurvivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA, Chapter 35)
  22. VA.govChapter 35 (DEA) rates, effective October 1, 2026
  23. VA.govVA education and training benefits

The full list is on Sources and Official References.

Last updated .

The current edition of each publication, and when it last changed.

PublicationEditionDate
This pagewegotyou1776.com/questions/fry-scholarship-vs-chapter-35
The Order Matters, PDFFirst Edition, Revised October 2026, ISBN 979-8-9967812-0-1
The Order Matters, EPUBFirst Edition, Revised October 2026, ISBN 979-8-9967812-1-8
College ToolVersion 1.2.3, App Store and Google Play
Reference chartsAll sizes, light and dark
Official sourcesCitation register, 110 sources
Updated
Date the content of this page last changed.
Revised
Date the current edition of the file was issued.
Published
Date the current version was released on the App Store and Google Play.
Checked
Date each source in the citation register was last reviewed against its official text.
Get an email when it changes

Pick one or both. An email comes only with a correction or a new edition.

A confirmation email comes first, and notices start only when you confirm. This address gets notices of changes and nothing else, and every notice has a one-click unsubscribe.

How we keep this current

Something that does not match its official source? Point us to the source.

Get the app Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play