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Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-102

§708 Educational Leave of Absence

Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 40 — LEAVE › § 708

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The military can let eligible active-duty members take time off to go to school. The Secretary of Defense makes the rules after talking with the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the service secretary may grant the leave. Leave is usually no more than two years. It can be up to three years if the member is studying to work in a health care profession. Enlisted members who get the leave must agree in writing to add two months to their enlistment for every month of leave. Officers must agree to serve two extra months on active duty for every month of leave. A member cannot get another such leave until any extra service from a prior leave is finished. While on leave, the member gets basic pay but not basic allowance for housing, basic allowance for subsistence, or other pay and allowances. The leave counts toward basic-pay calculations, retired-pay eligibility, and time in grade for promotions, but not toward completing an enlistment term or toward entitlement under section 3021 of title 38. The leave can be canceled in war or a national emergency declared after October 19, 1984, or if the member is not satisfactorily pursuing the education. Eligible member: active-duty person eligible for basic educational assistance under chapter 30 of title 38; enlisted must have finished at least one enlistment and reenlisted; officers must have finished their initial obligated active-duty service.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §708

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Under such regulations as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe after consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and subject to subsection (b), the Secretary concerned may grant to any eligible member (as defined in subsection (e)) a leave of absence for the purpose of permitting the member to pursue a program of education. The period of a leave of absence granted under this section may not exceed two years, except that the period may exceed two years but may not exceed three years in the case of an eligible member pursuing a program of education in a health care profession.
(b)(1)A member may not be granted a leave of absence under this section unless—
(A)in the case of an enlisted member, the member agrees in writing to extend his current enlistment after completion (or other termination) of the program of education for which the leave of absence was granted for a period of two months for each month of the period of the leave of absence; and
(B)in the case of an officer, the member agrees to serve on active duty after completion (or other termination) of the program of education for which the leave of absence was granted for a period (in addition to any other period of obligated service on active duty) of two months for each month of the period of the leave of absence.
(2)A member may not be granted a leave of absence under this section until he has completed any extension of enlistment or reenlistment, or any period of obligated service, incurred by reason of any previous leave of absence granted under this section.
(c)(1)While on a leave of absence under this section, a member shall be paid basic pay but may not receive basic allowance for housing under section 403 of title 37, basic allowance for subsistence under section 402 of such title, or any other pay and allowances to which he would otherwise be entitled for such period.
(2)A period during which a member is on a leave of absence under this section shall be counted for the purposes of computing the amount of the member’s basic pay, for the purpose of determining the member’s eligibility for retired pay, and for the purpose of determining the member’s time in grade for promotion purposes, but may not be counted for the purposes of completion of the term of enlistment of the member (in the case of an enlisted member) or for purposes of section 3021 of title 38, relating to entitlement to supplemental educational assistance.
(d)(1)In time of war, or of national emergency declared by the President or the Congress after October 19, 1984, the Secretary concerned may cancel any leave of absence granted under this section.
(2)The Secretary concerned may cancel a leave of absence granted to a member under this section if the Secretary determines that the member is not satisfactorily pursuing the program of education for which the leave was granted.
(e)In this section, the term “eligible member” means a member of the armed forces on active duty who is eligible for basic educational assistance under chapter 30 of title 38 and who—
(1)in the case of an enlisted member, has completed at least one term of enlistment and has reenlisted; and
(2)in the case of an officer, has completed the officer’s initial period of obligated service on active duty.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2006—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–364 made technical correction to directory language of Pub. L. 108–375, § 554(1). See 2004 Amendment note below. 2004—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 108–375, § 554(2), inserted at end “The period of a leave of absence granted under this section may not exceed two years, except that the period may exceed two years but may not exceed three years in the case of an eligible member pursuing a program of education in a health care profession.” Pub. L. 108–375, § 554(1), as amended by Pub. L. 109–364, struck out “for a period of not to exceed two years” after “leave of absence”. 2002—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–296 substituted “of Homeland Security” for “of Transportation”. 1997—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 105–85 substituted “basic allowance for housing under section 403 of title 37, basic allowance for subsistence under section 402 of such title,” for “basic allowance for quarters or basic allowance for subsistence”. 1994—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 103–337 substituted “section 3021 of title 38” for “section 1421 of title 38”. 1987—Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 100–26, § 7(i)(2), substituted “October 19, 1984” for “the date of the enactment of this section”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 100–26, § 7(k)(3), inserted “the term” after “In this section,”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2006 Amendment Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title X, § 1071(g), Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2402, provided that the amendment made by section 1071(g)(3) is effective as of Oct. 28, 2004, and as if included in Pub. L. 108–375 as enacted.

Effective Date

of 2002 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 107–296 effective on the date of transfer of the Coast Guard to the Department of Homeland Security, see section 1704(g) of Pub. L. 107–296, set out as a note under section 101 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1997 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 105–85 effective Jan. 1, 1998, see section 603(e) of Pub. L. 105–85, set out as a note under section 5561 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Effective Date

Pub. L. 98–525, title VII, § 707(b), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2572, provided that: “Section 708 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on October 1, 1985.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 708

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102