Coming Events

September

Tuition Reduction or Waiver for Veterans
This month and into October the Veteran Club will begin pursuing a legislation change in North Carolina law which will permit all North Carolina Veterans to attend state colleges and universities free of charge, or at a reduced rate.  Last April we sent letters to NC legislature requesting a change in NC law.  There was a very limited response.  The next step in this quest is to create a Veteran Coalition (a power in numbers approach).  NC with its large military footprint should be the model for all states, however, NC is still far behind other states.  Here is what the 50 states are doing for Veterans.

Alabama
No tuition breaks for veterans, but since 2003, tuition has been waived for spouses and children of National Guard members called to active duty in Iraq.
Alaska
A bill enacted this year is designed to ensure that a tuition waiver program for Guard members is fully funded.
Arizona
A tuition waiver for widows and children under 30 of U.S. soldiers killed in the line of duty goes into effect Sept. 9. A tuition proposal this year that would have benefited current or former Guard members who have received a Purple Heart since 9/11 did not pass.
Arkansas
A 2005 resolution encourages state schools to participate in a partial tuition waiver for Guard members. Under federal law, state Guard members can have 75% of their tuition waived at a state-sponsored institution. Schools that choose to participate cover the remaining 25%.
California
California doesn't reduce or eliminate tuition or fees for veterans in state-supported colleges. A pending bill would waive resident fees for Californians after they leave active duty and exhaust federal GI Bill benefits. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democratically controlled Legislature currently are at odds over his proposal for a $1.7 million college-fees assistance program for National Guard members to aid recruitment and retention.
Colorado
A law this month makes members of the armed forces and their dependents eligible for in-state tuition if the member gets stationed in Colorado. A proposal that did not pass would have allowed schools to seek reimbursement from the state for refunds given to activated military personnel.
Connecticut
The state has waived tuition for veterans since 1974; legislation did not pass this year that would have expanded the benefits to include fees.
Delaware
No legislation has been introduced or passed that would waive or reduce tuition for recent veterans enrolled in state-supported colleges or universities.
Florida
Proposals this year that would have required state universities and community colleges to waive a percentage of the in-state tuition rate for veterans did not pass. Last year, Purple Heart veterans became eligible for tuition waivers.
Georgia
In 2005, the state passed the HERO (Helping Educate Reservists and their Offspring) Scholarship for Guard and Reservists who, as of May 3, 2003, served in a combat zone.
Hawaii
Bills to waive tuition for Hawaii National Guard members to attend state schools have been introduced nearly every year for the last few years, but none have passed.
Idaho
A 2004 law says Guard members called up for duty beyond training for 30 days or more will have lost tuition refunded.
Illinois
Veterans have generally been given a free ride at state schools since 1920, but state funding in recent years has come up short. A proposal this year would ensure colleges that absorb the cost get reimbursed by the state.
Indiana
Legislation this year that would have provided free tuition to state universities for Indiana National Guard members called to active duty since Sept. 10, 2001, died.
Iowa
The state last year expanded a longstanding War Orphans Fund to include dependents of soldiers killed in action in a combat zone after 9/11.
Kansas
The state Legislature this year for the first time appropriated $250,000 for scholarships for Kansans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan for at least 90 days after 9/11. The Kansas Board of Regents plans to distribute the funds on a first-come, first-served basis.
Kentucky
Tuition waivers for children and spouses of disabled and deceased National Guard and armed forces members were changed this year to increase the age of eligible children from 23 to 26 and to extend waivers from 36 to 45 months.
Louisiana
No new tuition legislation was introduced in 2007. A 2005 law exempts some Guard members from all or part of tuition imposed by certain Louisiana public institutions.
Maine
A bill introduced in the 2007 session that would have established a tuition waiver for veterans did not pass.
Maryland
The Legislature created a scholarship for veterans who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan since 9/11, and funded it this year at $500,000. Available to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis, it has been offered to at least 67 veterans and 41 dependents.
Massachusetts
The state waives tuition, but not fees, for all veterans. Fees were waived for the first time last year for Guard members. A fee waiver for all veterans was reintroduced this year. Fees can represent up to 75% of college costs.
Michigan
A pending proposal would waive tuition for recent veterans and the families of soldiers killed in action. Since 2005, Michigan has had tuition grants for the children of veterans who are killed, missing in action or are permanently disabled.
Minnesota
Veterans attending public or private colleges in the state who served in the armed forces on or after 9/11, and who have exhausted other federal and state benefits, can be reimbursed $1,000 per semester up to $10,000 under a law that took effect this month.
Also receiving the benefit: Minnesota National Guard members with five years or more of service, and surviving spouses and children of those who died serving in the military on or after 9/11. Also, the state allocated $52,000 to extend education benefits to spouses, as well as children, of soldiers killed in action.
Mississippi
A handful of bills were introduced this past session, which ended in the spring. One passed; it expands tuition assistance for National Guard members to include room and board. No new funds were appropriated.
Missouri
In April, lawmakers debated but ultimately failed to approve a bill that would give combat veterans a 75% reduction in credit-hour costs. The bill may have failed because of high revenue losses that state universities likely would see. The University of Missouri, for example, projected a $1.3 million tuition shortfall if the bill had passed. The second-largest public university, Missouri State University, projected an $850,000 tuition shortfall, with no state money earmarked to make up the difference.
Montana
The state since 1989 allows state colleges and universities to waive tuition for veterans. That program was expanded in 1997 to include waivers for National Guard members.
Nebraska
No new legislation regarding tuition assistance for veterans or Guard members was introduced this year. In 2005, a bill was enacted that changed the tuition waiver for Guard members from 50% to 100%. Tuition has long been waived for dependents of veterans killed in combat.
Nevada
Lawmakers in 2005 made permanent 2003 legislation guaranteeing free tuition at state universities and colleges for Nevada National Guard members, including recruits. Lawmakers also approved legislation to reimburse Guard members for textbook expenses.
New Hampshire
A bill effective July 1 establishes a tuition voucher program for Guard members and changes the source of funding of Guard tuition assistance from schools to the state.
New Jersey
In January, a law passed that extended eligibility for tuition to former members of the New Jersey National Guard and increased the number of tuition-free credits available to Guard members and dependents. It extends the eligibility to 16 credits per semester and allows Guard members whose education was interrupted by their duty to continue to receive the free tuition benefit following discharge for one semester or a period of time equal to their length of deployment, whichever is longer.
In the event of medical discharge as a result of illness or combat injury, a Guard member who was enrolled in a degree program can continue to receive the free tuition benefit through completion or for five years. Last year, New Jersey prohibited public colleges and universities from imposing non-resident tuition fees on members of the state Guard and their surviving children or spouses if the member was killed in the line of duty.
New Mexico
Legislation that was introduced this year but did not pass would have extended a scholarship for Vietnam veterans to include recent veterans. Certain dependents of combat veterans are eligible for full tuition waivers.
New York
Several bills that would have increased tuition awards for veterans died in the New York Legislature. Currently, veterans are eligible for awards of $1,000 per semester for full-time study or $500 per semester for part-time study.
North Carolina
Lawmakers this year proposed helping National Guard members pay off their student loans. It would be another expansion of the state's tuition assistance program for the Guard, following changes in 2005 that raised the maximum tuition payment and provided money for buying textbooks. The tuition breaks, funded out of the state budget, help students at public and private colleges.
Another recent change in tuition laws has allowed active-duty military personnel stationed in North Carolina, and their dependents, to take advantage of in-state tuition rates at public universities. Lawmakers this year have proposed expanding that benefit to all Defense Department employees, which would mean universities would lose revenue.
North Dakota
A 2005 law waives tuition for dependents of deceased veterans. A bill passed this year extends Guard tuition assistance to include all accredited post-secondary schools.
Ohio
No tuition-related laws passed recently to benefit recent veterans; a 2004 law requires public and private colleges to grant leave to students called to active duty and either refund or offer credit for tuition paid. Also in 2004, legislators expanded eligibility for a 25-year-old Ohio War Orphans Scholarship Program to include Iraq veterans' families.
Oklahoma
No tuition assistance is offered to combat veterans. A bill currently pending would require the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to provide a tuition grant program for National Guard members taking graduate or professional courses.
Oregon
Under a proposal passed this year and expected to take effect this fall, resident student-veterans would receive up to $150 a month for up to 36 months. The aid could be used only after the student had exhausted federal GI Bill benefits.
Pennsylvania
A state agency extended the eligibility period for the Armed Forces Loan Forgiveness Program to the end of this year. The program forgives loans of up to $2,500 for veterans who haven't defaulted and who were on active duty between 9/11 and Dec. 31, 2007.
Rhode Island
While colleges are given state-appropriated money for Guard members, there has been little legislative action for combat veterans or their dependents. In 2005, a bill failed that would have given military Reserve members the same tuition assistance that is now offered to Guard members.
South Carolina
In South Carolina, Gov. Mark Sanford last month signed into law a bill that will offer members of the National Guard free tuition at state-supported colleges and universities and some private institutions. Another bill that would provide tuition assistance for full-time military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan was introduced and is expected to go forward next year.
The state also offers free tuition to the children of veterans who were killed, wounded or are missing in action. The new National Guard tuition program pays all tuition and fees up to $18,000. The Legislature appropriated $1.3 million for tuition grants for that program and another $1.7 million for a program that pays student loans for Guard members.
South Dakota
No legislation was introduced in 2007 pertaining to special tuition rates for veterans. But there were several laws passed in 2006 and 2004 that improved educational access for military members and their families:
Tennessee
The state this year will begin freezing college tuition for members of the Reserves or the National Guard if they are mobilized for at least six months of active duty. The law went into effect on June 25. Under this law, if a Reservist or Guard member is enrolled at a state school at the time their status changes to active duty, all school fees will be frozen at the rate when they departed school. The University of Tennessee system this August will increase tuition 6%.
Upon their return, fees would not increase for a time period equal to one year plus the amount of time served on active duty. The offer is good only for servicemembers who complete their military obligations under honorable conditions and who re-enroll in a state school within six months from release of active duty.
Texas
Congress tweaked its 84-year-old tuition exemption so that veterans can use both the federal GI Bill and the state exemption in the same semester.
Utah
A law this year waives undergraduate tuition at state institutions of higher education for surviving dependents of Utah resident military members killed while serving in federal active duty.
Vermont
The 2004 Armed Services Scholarship expanded an existing benefit for children of National Guard members to also include Guard members, military veterans and spouses and children for both.
Virginia
The state this year created an in-state tuition benefit for active-duty servicemembers and for activated members of the National Guard and Reserve who are stationed in Virginia but are not Virginia residents.
Washington
Colleges are not required to waive tuition, but because waivers are available, legislation enacted last year directs state colleges and universities to take steps that would help them identify and assist veterans who need financial aid. Beginning this month, tuition and fees will be waived for dependents of combat veterans who are totally disabled, reported missing or killed in combat.
West Virginia
Beginning this month, tuition is waived for honorably discharged veterans who earned a Purple Heart. Legislators also passed a bill that covers tuition costs for active-duty National Guard members pursuing a master's degree.
Wisconsin
In 2006, Wisconsin passed legislation that waived 100% of tuition for veterans, up from a 50% waiver, enacted in 2005. But as the program's costs balloon, some lawmakers want to stop funding graduate school tuition and create a 10-year limit for claiming benefits.
Wyoming
Since 2006, Wyoming has had free tuition for overseas combat veterans, as well as widows, and orphans of deceased veterans. The state reimburses the schools for waiving tuition.

Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures; Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; USA TODAY research. Contributing: Heather Collura, Marissa DeCuir, Clair Lorell, Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY; Marty Roney, The Montgomery Advertiser; Dennis Wagner, The Arizona Republic; Joanne Bratton, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Ark.; Jake Henshaw, Gannett News Service/Sacramento; Maureen Milford, The News Journal, Wilmington, Del.; Dan Nakaso, The Honolulu Advertiser; Tim Evans, The Indianapolis Star; Jessie Halladay, The Courier-Journal, Louisville; Joseph Gidjunis, The Daily Times, Salisbury, Md.; Lawrence Schumacher and Dave Unze, The St. Cloud (Minn.) Times; Julie Goodman, The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Miss.; Wes Johnson, Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader; Jeff DeLong, Reno Gazette-Journal; Laura Bruno, Daily Record, Morristown, N.J.; Gary Stern, The Journal News, Westchester County, N.Y.; Jordan Schrader, Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times; Lori Kurtzman, The Cincinnati Enquirer; Tracy Loew, Statesman Journal, Salem, Ore.; Ron Barnett, The Greenville (S.C.) News; Stu Whitney, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Leon Alligood, The Tennessean, Nashville; Jennie Coughlin, The Daily News Leader, Staunton, Va.; Ben Jones, The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis.

Please email our webmaster with any questions you may have regarding this page.