Starting or returning to college after serving in the military can be daunting for some veterans. Assimilating back into an educational environment after years in military service is a hurdle of its own, and additional logistical and social barriers that come with being a nontraditional student can make the process more of a challenge, experts say.
But nonprofit programs like the Warrior-Scholar Project, Service to School and the Posse Foundation help veterans go through the college application process, familiarize them with campus culture, and introduce or reintroduce them to what it’s like to be a student.
Some colleges operate independent veteran support programs that work with nonprofits to help veterans feel at ease and stay connected within a community when they return to school, whether that’s for an associate, undergraduate or graduate degree. The University of Chicago in Illinois launched its Veteran Scholars Program in 2019 and nearly 100 students have gone through the program, says Beau Butts, the university’s executive director of veterans initiatives, programs and services.
“Once the stressors, friction points and barriers are removed, they’re just able to live up to their full potential,” Butts says. “It just reaffirms the fact they are not only welcome on campus, but they belong here.”
The Eli Whitney Students Program at Yale University in Connecticut is geared toward nontraditional students, about half of whom are veterans. Schools are drawn to the diverse perspectives and experiences that veterans offer, says Patricia Wei, the university’s director of veterans outreach and undergraduate admissions for the Eli Whitney Students Program.
[READ: Going Back to College as an Adult: What to Consider.]
“People who have served in the military add tremendously to the conversations in the classroom and out of the classroom,” Wei says. “Our traditional-age undergraduates are incredibly bright, talented and accomplished. But they simply don’t have the life and professional experiences that a 27-year-old veteran might have.”
The transition from military to civilian life in the classroom is often one of the hardest moves for veterans to make, experts say. Here are four things experts suggest veterans do when going to college.
Find the Right Fit
Some colleges are more military-friendly than others, and some offer services others don’t. It’s crucial that veterans research whether schools can provide the services, curriculum and support they need to succeed in college, experts say.
“The next step is talking to people who went to those institutions that can actually speak to what that institution is like,” says Ryan Pavel, CEO of the Warrior-Scholar Project, a nonprofit organization that helps those who’ve served in the military succeed in higher education.
Veterans considering graduate programs should speak with veterans who are working in their desired field and ask about their experience in a particular program. Such tailored advice can give veterans an idea of what their intended path will look like, Pavel says.
Often, veterans take college classes while raising a family or working a full- or part-time job. Some can relocate to attend college in person, but there are online options for those who can’t. Some can handle a full-time course load, while others may need the flexibility of part-time classes. Veterans should find a program that fits their schedule, other obligations and specific needs, experts say.
For example, married couples with children may have more living needs than a single veteran returning to school. To meet this need, the University of Chicago signed a lease with an apartment building near campus and rents units to students, particularly veteran students with families. This allows veterans to live among other veterans and adult students while removing the stress of having to find housing, Butts says.
[Read: Advice for Veterans Applying to Law School]
Veterans heading to college should also consider their health and how schools can accommodate those needs, experts say. One example is the Chez Veterans Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which was built to accommodate wounded veterans with a physical disability.
The center includes 14 living spaces and several community rooms, all of which comply with federal Americans with Disabilities Act standards. It also offers mental health counseling, academic and career advising, and other support services.
Get Involved and Find Community
Because veterans often are older, some of their younger classmates may wonder if the vets belong on campus and may hesitate to get involved with them socially, says Andy Bender, director of operations and services at the Chez Veterans Center. For this and other reasons, some veterans opt to pursue a degree online and focus only on obtaining a degree.
But Bender encourages veterans to attend in person and proactively engage their classmates.
“We always try to encourage them to take on a leadership role and be the adult in the room,” Bender says. “If we can bring them in and encourage them and help them connect with other groups of interest or other populations, that will be so much more helpful for their integration.”
Such an approach can be trickier for veterans enrolled in online programs, and it often depends on professors to foster a community-like environment in the classroom, Bender says.
Online students can attend virtual office hours, and some classes or schools may also offer virtual social gatherings. Attending those should be a priority for online veteran students seeking community, experts say, but where that’s not available, veterans should focus on getting involved and maintaining personal relationships where they live.
“Otherwise, in particular for veterans, going to college can be this really isolating thing,” Pavel says.
Use Military Benefits to Pay for School
Cost is often a barrier to college, but veterans have access to various education benefits and ways to pay for college.
The “Forever GI Bill,” a 2017 expansion of the post-9/11 GI Bill, allows military members who serve 36 months or more to be eligible for up to 36 months of paid college credit, which can be used for undergraduate or graduate school or community colleges and technical programs accredited by the the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
[Using Veterans Benefits to Pay for Graduate School]
The amount of aid depends on where a veteran goes to school, but it generally covers the full cost of tuition at in-state public schools and in some cases covers the full cost of out-of-state schools, according to the VA. In cases where full tuition isn’t covered, the Yellow Ribbon Program can bridge that gap. Through this federal program, colleges and universities can contribute up to 50% of a student’s remaining expenses and the VA will match the amount.
Some schools offer enough financial aid that veterans can save all or most of their GI Bill money for graduate school.
“Definitely take the time to understand your benefits,” Bender says. “Because we found here that a lot of students will leave some resources on the table, because they just don’t know. The VA has gotten a lot better at sharing its information, but sometimes, you just may not know it exists.”
Use Military Experience and Training for College Credit
Despite some of the financial benefits available to student veterans, many leave college with debt. Turning military experience and training into college credit is one way to cut costs.
The nonprofit American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,700 higher ed organizations, including two- and four-year public and private colleges and universities, has developed a process through a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to evaluate a person’s military service and recommend the appropriate amount and type of college credit for that service.
Schools vary in the amount of college credit they award for service. Experts caution veterans against selecting a school simply because it offers a high number of credits for experience.
“Just because something could transfer doesn’t mean you should transfer it,” Pavel says. “It’s not always about how to get your degree in the quickest way possible. It’s about fundamentally, what are the things you need to learn and the experiences you need to have in order to maximize your degree?”
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Tips for Going to College as a Military Veteran originally appeared on usnews.com
