2000 veterans to enroll in university or college. It also offers a discount to military spouses who enroll in college, or for children of veterans to attend educational centers similar to a Huntington Learning Center. (The number of military children enrolled in college has been rising, but not by much.)
In 2013, the government gave $715 million in scholarships to about 5,300 students at four-year colleges and universities. There is also an online university for military aimed to making easier the enrollment of the veterans. And the program is funded in part by the National Guard and Reserve, according to the VA. In the past year, about 13,000 veterans have enrolled in higher education, VA records show. For those looking for another option, take a look at these online colleges for military veterans.
The VA, which has a $30 billion budget, has an annual budget of about $11 billion, making the money available to pay for tuition and other costs, including health care, dental care and counseling.
The VA’s new rules are expected to cost the department about $2.2 billion over the next decade.
Veterans’ advocates, who are concerned the rules will make college less affordable, say the move is long overdue.
“If we have a war against the military and we’re making it harder for them to succeed on campus.”
The cost of this expansion is expected to be about $150 million over four years, according to the state Department of Veterans Affairs.
The university plans to start accepting the veterans this summer.
The expansion is part of the state’s ongoing effort to improve its reputation among Vietnam veterans.
In the past, the university’s enrollment has lagged behind other veterans’ colleges, according to state data.
For years, Vietnam veterans have been reluctant to come to Arizona because they thought the state was less welcoming to their experience.
Arizona State University President Michael Crow, the university’s first Vietnam veteran, credited the university’s outreach to Vietnam vets for its growth in recent years.
“We need more of this,” Crow said. “We’ve got a lot of veterans who are just waiting for some kind of affirmation that it’s OK to come here.”
