The transition from service member to student can be challenging. Age and experience disparities on campus coupled with an independent way of life can be jarring for those used to military culture.

But universities have been stepping up to offer a range of support, from counseling services and dedicated staff handling benefits paperwork to exclusive space for student Veterans to meet.

Most universities would do well to model themselves after Purdue University, which has, among other things, ramped up support of its student Vets by introducing a faculty mentorship program, which it will roll out soon.

Awareness of student Veterans—not only by fellow students but the faculty as well—is vital when it comes to the success of Veterans on campus, both in the classroom and in the financial aid office.

Last week, a processing error on VA’s part meant benefit payments weren’t sent to some Veterans in Ohio and West Virginia. Bowling Green sprang into action and offered no interest loans to cover the cost while the issue is being corrected. An understanding of the unique financial aid challenges that Veterans experience (along with the occasional bureaucratic hiccups) helped university administrators move quickly to assist their students.

Student Veterans of America has worked to strengthen the support of student Veterans, so if your school needs help in this area, consider joining your local chapter, or starting one yourself.

Topics in this story

BenefitsEducationGI Bill

Leave a comment

The comments section is for opinions and feedback on this particular article; this is not a customer support channel. If you are looking for assistance, please visit Ask VA or call 1-800-698-2411. Please, never put personally identifiable information (SSAN, address, phone number, etc.) or protected health information into the form — it will be deleted for your protection.

11 Comments

  1. eric September 11, 2012 at 13:02

    ok so i’m new to the va system though i got out years ago. what school benefits can i get. i get phone numbers that take me to web sites. that basically take me to to phone numbers any help would be great. i have a job but want to go to school full time i no about the vets for hire program but you have to be unemployed for that . any help with streering me the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

  2. Derrick Gonzales - University of Kansas Collegiate Veterans Association September 11, 2012 at 12:45

    Regarding David Lucier’s comment about Arizona State’s acknowledgment of veteran issues:
    I’d like to commend ASU for taking a strong stance in support of service members, and we here at the University of Kansas are using that template to better service the needs of our veterans. The major fight we are engaged in now is getting in-state residency rates for out-of-state veterans. Seeing how it has affected other states that have allowed this makes it a crucial hurdle that MUST be conquered. Trying to get priority enrollment is another goal of ours. But I never thought about faculty orientation, but will definitely look into the feasability of it. Thank you for providing useful information.

  3. John September 11, 2012 at 08:34

    Paying GI bill benefits before christmas break would be nice, sure there may be a retro check but how do we get by in the meantime? time to get the hustle back on

  4. -spc cordial September 10, 2012 at 23:32

    Yeah,
    I’m returning to a Junior College and both the financial aid department and VA/G.I. bill financial aid offices are both telling me that i wont receive a check for 6-8 weeks????? Are you kidding me? Like i can just come up with the money for books and rent……. nope. Pretty much, it’s week three now and I’m falling behind because i cant get access to the books that the professors are requiring; even at my own school library. I attend Modesto Junior College and am a student who is almost in a position that i will be forced to quite school and get a crappy job or redeploy just to keep up with bills- If you know of resources that can help, feel free to reply…I would greatly appreciate it knbr680fan@yahoo.com -spc cordial

  5. Mike September 10, 2012 at 12:23

    How about paying veterans their GI Bill benefits? That would go a long way in showing “support of student veterans.”

  6. David Lucier September 5, 2012 at 12:15

    Arizona State University, the new American university, leads the way in Veterans Supportive Initiatives: 1) Instate Tuition to honorably discharged Veterans regardless of state of residency, 2) Priority class registration for all Veterans, 3) Pat Tillman Veterans Center, staffed and managed by Veterans for Veterans, 4) Student Veterans Club, 5) Alumni Veterans Chapter, 7) New Student Veteran orientation, 8) Vet Success classes by and for Veterans (for credit), 9) Annual “Salute to Service” Football game honoring military service, 10) faculty orientation regarding Veterans and Veterans issues, 11) on site partnership with VA (Voc Rehab, work/study/counselling/other benefits), 12) Veterans Education Fund Scholarship, 13) Pat Tillman Foundation Partnership.

    • rich crandall September 10, 2012 at 22:40

      Where do I get a school application to Arizona State University?

  7. Dee Osceola September 5, 2012 at 12:13

    its a good deal to help the vets in america we spend so much helping foreign nations and not enough at home in the states, this is a win win .

  8. Reggie Dunbar II September 4, 2012 at 16:49

    As a future student from the old school (Viet Nam Era Veteran) I am glad that some college and universities are being pro active in assisting veteran students.

    As veterans we have had to dealwith and still deal with a lot of medical, mental, socialy, etc issue and this effort helps us as veterans and the communities as a whole.

    Thanks for your human service in academic and college life.

    Reggie Dunbar II
    Fourmer-CEO
    Georgia Diabled Veterans Business Enterprise
    Atlanta, GA

Comments are closed.

More Stories