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Post Post-9/11 Bill Support

Published: Sep 30, 2009

 Education       Grad School       

Unsurprisingly, the Post-9/11 GI Bill that was enacted in August enticed an abundance of veterans to apply for college this year.   The Department of Veterans Affairs has deemed more than 200,000 vets eligible to receive some or all of the necessary funding for an in-state, undergraduate education. 

Although complaints about the program’s slow payment turnaround time have been overshadowing the positive anecdotes, schools across the country are equipping themselves to accommodate this new demographic: Not only are most schools tolerating late tuition payments from vets, but many are incorporating a boot camp of their own into the university’s curriculum.  This semester, the University of Missouri re-introduced a course designed specifically for veterans, George Mason University hired a full-time veteran liaison to rectify any inequities, and Western Michigan University held a “Veterans in the Classroom” webinar for faculty and staff.

According to a recent Washington Post article, as of July, 57 percent of academic institutions offer veteran-specific services and organizations designed to help new enrollees transition from the battlefield to the classroom.   With the marked growth of these new programs, student vets can rest assured that their support system extends beyond a signed check. 

Posted by Megan Cassidy

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