Issue Briefs

The federal government provides over $16 billion annually to approximately 1 million veterans and service members for a variety of education benefits.   

The Yellow Ribbon program is of particular interest to independent colleges.  This VA program expands institutional choice for veterans and offers an excellent example of the ways in which public/private partnerships can help assure a good institutional “fit” for students.  Federal incentives for private colleges to further increase the scholarships veterans receive have made it possible for independent colleges to serve thousands more veterans than otherwise would have been possible. 

As participation in and expenditures on GI Bill educational benefits have grown, there has been increased scrutiny of the educational outcomes of veteran students.  Among other steps, the VA has developed a GI Bill® Comparison Tool to assist veterans in selecting a school.  The tool provides a variety of information regarding an institution’s price, participation in veteran support programs, outcomes (retention, graduation, average salaries, repayment rates), acceptance of military training credit, and reported complaints.  
 
Colleges remain committed to providing a supportive and flexible educational environment for student veterans and their families. NAICU works with the VA and congressional committees to address issues affecting veterans' education in a manner that maintains support for veteran students and limits burden to institutions. 

The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, better known as the GI Bill, was enacted in 1944, opening the doors of higher education to millions of returning World War II veterans.  The GI Bill and other veteran education programs remained in force but diminished in their generosity over time.  

That changed with the enactment of the post-9/11 GI Bill in 2008.  Launching the massive new program was an administrative challenge.  Much congressional attention focused on VA systems, and colleges struggled to address differences in student aid policies, systems, and terminology between the VA and the Department of Education.  

Accountability and educational outcomes for veteran students continue to be top priorities for VA but often result in unintended consequences for colleges and universities serving veteran students. Most recently, VA issued Risk-Based Surveys for institutional compliance reviews and tried to expand the definition of the 85/15 rule governing how many students using GI Bill benefits can be enrolled in a course. NAICU worked with its membership, the congressional Veterans Affairs Committees, and the higher education community to ensure private nonprofit colleges and universities can best serve the veteran students they enroll and remain accountable for the GI Bill funding they receive without overly burdensome reporting requirements.