Community College of Vermont President Joyce Judy, left, speaks at a news conference Monday at the CCV campus in Montpelier. David Carlson, center, the coordinator of veteran student services at the University of Vermont, and Jeb Spaulding, right, chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges. Photo by Amy Ash Nixon/VTDigger
Veterans with GI Bill tuition benefits can now pay the in-state tuition rate at any of the Vermont State Colleges (VSC) as well as the University of Vermont, regardless of their state of residency.
The new benefit was passed by Congress last year, and it goes into effect for every state July 1.
The Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 also provides full GI Bill benefits to spouses of servicemembers who died in the line of duty after 9/11.
At a press conference held at the Community College of Vermont (CCV) campus in Montpelier on Monday morning, Jeb Spaulding, chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges, outlined what the expanded benefit means for veterans.
The difference in cost between in-state and out-of-state tuition rates is significant: at UVM, in-state tuition is $14,664, compared with $37,056; at the VSC four-year colleges, it’s about $10,000 in-state compared with $20,000 out-of-state; and at CCV, in-state residents pay $242 per credit compared with about twice that for out-of-state students.
“We are indebted to our nation’s veterans and are pleased to offer in-state tuition rates to all who come to the Vermont State Colleges to further their education,” said Spaulding.
There are 350 post-911 veterans and about 70 active duty members of the military who receive veterans’ or Department of Defense benefits at schools in the state colleges system, according to Tricia Coates, a spokeswoman.
Vermont is home to nearly 49,000 veterans.
All of five of the state schools — Community College of Vermont, Castleton, Johnson and Lyndon state colleges and the Vermont Technical College — have been given Military Friendly School designations by a national organization.
To see the VSC veteran resources and contacts, click here.
UVM’s services for student veterans can be seen here.
Spaulding said the state colleges want to ensure that 60 percent of Vermonters hold some type of degree or post-secondary certification by 2020. The extension of in-state tuition rates to veterans and student soldiers will help the schools meet that goal.
“I am proud that Vermont’s public institutions of higher education are stepping forward to offer this important tuition benefit for veterans and military-connected students,” Gov. Peter Shumlin said. “This benefit will open the door to a college degree or a certificate for these students who deserve all of our thanks and support.”
Lt. Jessica Jaggars, education service officer with the Vermont Army National Guard, speaks with Jeb Spaulding during a news conference at CCV’s Montpelier campus. Photo by Amy Ash Nixon/VTDigger
Joyce Judy, the president of Community College of Vermont, drew attention to David Carlson, who was a CCV student when he returned home from serving in the Marine Corps, and finished his degree at UVM, where today he serves UVM’s 205 students who are affiliated with the military.
Judy said CCV has a tradition of working with veterans to help them find success in returning to school and to civilian life, and the new benefit adds another tool to that longstanding commitment.
Veterans have long found CCV “a good place to start,” said Judy.
She said in 2011, CCV stepped up its supports for veterans when 1,700 soldiers returned home from serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
About a third of those returning servicemen and women came home to either no jobs or uncertain prospects, Judy said.
Judy said veterans have “added such a richness” to the colleges, and also brought “unique challenges,” which staff have received specialized training for, from helping with navigating benefits to ensuring veterans receive credit for experience.
CCV enrolls nearly 400 veteran and military-connected students — the bulk of the veterans in the VSC system.
Judy said CCV works closely with veteran-friendly businesses, of which there are many in Vermont, and said, “If Vermont is going to have enough workers for the jobs that are there, everybody needs to be up to their full potential.”
Robert Burke, director of the Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs, urged veterans to take advantage of the benefits Congress has made easier than ever to access.
“It’s a great opportunity,” said Burke.
The post Veterans to be given in-state tuition in Vermont, nation appeared first on VTDigger.