Many people think that once a member of the military service is honorably discharged from active duty, the GI Bill will pay for that veteran’s college education. But the situation is more complex when you look at the details.
For example, if you served 24 months active duty, the GI Bill pays 80% of your tuition cost. But that’s only if your service was after the date of Sept. 10, 2001. Those veterans qualify under this. Those who served before that date do not.
Another example is the difference between public and private colleges or universities. The 9/11-GI Bill will generally pay full resident tuition, but the limit is $23,671.94 per academic year for a private school. And what about living expenses, cost of books, and the other things you’ll need beyond tuition?
That’s why scholarships are an important resource. They can fill the many gaps that can add up to thousands of dollars. Fortunately, scholarships for veterans are numerous and plentiful. The real challenge is seeking them out, finding which you qualify for and then filling out all the paperwork to take advantage.
The journey starts with an internet search for, “scholarships for veterans.” Doing so will immediately present a daunting situation. What you will find is an embarrassment of riches. There is an incredible amount and many kinds of scholarships that are often keyed toward specific types of veterans. Some scholarships are limited to location while other are based on branch of service. Still others focus on veterans with certain disabilities, such as blindness or loss of limb.
It’s not impossible to find the scholarship you qualify for, but it takes time and effort. Some seekers opt to hire a service that specializes in finding scholarships. That can be a good option and can be either free or done on a per fee basis.