Thanks to a new law, veterans who use their G.I. Bill benefits to attend college will be given in-state tuition rates at any public university in the country. According to The Shreveport Times, many veterans avoid returning to school when they enter life after service because they cannot afford out-of-state tuition. The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill only covers up to $20,000 of a veteran's higher education costs. The College Board reported that the average cost of out-of-state tuition at a four-year public institution is about $23,000 per year. The average cost for in-state at the same institution was only slightly over $9,000 per year.
The Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014, which officially became a law on Aug. 7, 2015, requires public universities to offer veterans in-state rates no matter which state they hold residency in.
Jason Hansman of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America told The Shreveport Times that the new law is a win-win for states and veterans.
"[This law] will benefit both states, by allowing them to retain new veteran residents who end their period of active service and decide to remain local, and veterans, who will no longer face financial constraints in attending the public school of their choice," Hansman said.