State Veteran Benefits Northern Plains

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State Educational Benefits

Click on the State below for information about GI Bill Benefits in that State.

Iowa
Minnesota
Montana
North Dakota
South Dakota
Wisconsin

Iowa

War Orphans Educational Aid
Children of Iowa veterans killed in action following September 11, 2001 are eligible for up to $11,844.00 per year in tuition assistance at an Iowa post-secondary institution. Children qualify up to the age of twenty-six (26). Dependants of those killed in action prior to September 11, 2001 are eligible for $600 per year with a maximum of $3,000. Residency is required to receive this benefit. .

Branstad/Reynolds Scholarship Fund
The Branstad-Reynolds Scholarship fund provides post-secondary educational scholarships for children of deceased military service members who died while in an active military status after September 11, 2001. The Scholarship is administered by the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.

National Guard Tuition Benefits
Present Iowa National Guard members in good standing are eligible for up to $2,700 per semester for full time enrollment. Part-time students are eligible for $196 per semester hour. Additionally, Guard members who are mobilized will receive a tuition refund.

Check out our Iowa veterans' benefits page to see what other state benefits you may be eligible for.

Minnesota

Minnesota GI Bill
The Minnesota GI Bill is available to Minnesota Veterans who served honorably in any branch of the armed forces at any time; non-veterans who served honorably for a cumulative total of five years or more as a member of the MN National Guard or any other active or reserve component and had active service after September 11, 2001; or eligible spouses, surviving spouses, and children of permanently and totally disabled veterans who are eligible for the Federal GI Bill under Chapters 33 or 35.

Full-time undergraduate or graduate students may be eligible to receive up to $1,000 per semester and part-time students can receive up to $500 per semester (up to $3,000 per academic year and $10,000 per lifetime).

OJT and Apprenticeship individuals are eligible for up to $2,000 per fiscal year for either program. Approved employers are eligible to receive $1,000 placement credit payable upon hiring a person under this program and another $1,000 after 12 consecutive months of employment.

Recipients must be a Minnesota resident under the age of 62, and enrolled at a Minnesota institution.

Surviving Spouse & Dependent Education Benefit
Surviving spouse & dependent education assistance is provided to spouses and dependents, including adopted and step-children, whose veteran spouse and/or veteran parent died while on active duty, or as a result of a service-connected condition. The veteran must have been a Minnesota resident when entering the military, or have been a Minnesota resident for at least six months prior to passing away. Applicants must be Minnesota residents and the spouse cannot be remarried. There is no age limitation for eligible survivors.

If found eligible, survivors are allowed admission to Minnesota postsecondary education institutions either operated by Minnesota or operated publicly or privately and maintains academic standards substantially equivalent to those of comparable institutions operated in Minnesota. Surviving spouses and dependents will be able to attend free of tuition until they obtain a bachelor's degree. In additions, MDVA will pay $750 per fiscal year for fees, books and supplies, and/or room and board.

Check out our Minnesota veterans' benefits page to see what other state benefits you may be eligible for.

Montana

Montana Honorably Discharged Veteran Tuition Waiver 
The Montana Honorably Discharged Veteran Tuition Waiver eliminates tuition costs charged to a qualifying student, to qualify a veteran must:

  • be honorably discharged
  • used up all their Federal GI Bill benefits
  • be classified as in-state for admissions purposes
  • have served in a war zone (Vietnam, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq) AND received a Campaign or Expeditionary medal

Check out our Montana veterans' benefits page to see what other state benefits you may be eligible for.

North Dakota

Veterans Educational Training (VET)
A free program of study funded by the state of North Dakota prepares you for a certification program, two-year or four-year college degree. The state works to help you succeed in post-secondary education through classes and programs designed to ease the transition into life in higher education. Classes are located on campus, or are available online to individuals outside a campus location.

Veterans Educational Training provides

  • Refresher course work
  • Basic mathematics through pre-calculus
  • English composition and literature 
  • Computer skills
  • Study skills
  • Academic and career guidance
  • College enrollment assistance
  • VA Vocational Rehabilitation assistance
  • Financial aid application
  • Agency referrals
  • Department of Veterans Affairs benefit advocacy

Eligibility 

  • U.S. Citizens
  • Any North Dakota veteran planning on attending a North Dakota school
  • Veterans who have served a minimum of 181 days or received a service disability under 181 days
  • Any discharge other than dishonorable

Free Tuition to qualified Dependents in North Dakota Institution of Higher Education.
Any dependent of a resident veteran who was killed in action or died from wounds or other service-connected causes, was totally disabled as a result of service-connected causes, died from service-connected disabilities, was a prisoner of war, or was declared missing in action, upon being duly accepted for enrollment into any North Dakota state-supported institution of higher education or state-supported technical or vocational school, must be allowed to obtain a bachelor's degree or certificate of completion, for so long as the dependent is eligible, free of any tuition and fee charges.... provided that the bachelor's degree or certificate of completion is earned within a forty-five month or ten semester period or its equivalent; and further that tuition and fee charges shall not include costs for aviation flight charges or expenses.

Check out our North Dakota veterans' benefits page to see what other state benefits you may be eligible for.

South Dakota

Free Tuition for Veterans
Certain veterans are eligible to take undergraduate courses at a state university without the payment of tuition provided they are not eligible for educational payments under the GI Bill or any other federal educational program. 

Eligible veterans may receive one month of free tuition for each month of "qualifying service" with a minimum of one, up to a maximum of four, academic years. Qualifying service is defined as: the amount of time served on active duty between the beginning and ending dates of the particular period of conflict or hostilities during which the veteran earned eligibility for this program.

Free Tuition for Children of Veterans Who Die During Service 
Children who are under the age of 25, are residents of South Dakota, and whose mother or father was killed in action or died of other causes while on active duty, are eligible for free tuition at a state supported school, if the deceased parent was a bona-fide resident of this state for at least six months immediately preceding entry into active service.

SDDVA form E-12 "Application for Free Tuition at State Supported Institutions" is available at the schools' financial aids, veterans representative or registrars offices or, they can be obtained from the Division of Veterans Affairs.

Free Tuition for Dependents of POW's and MIA's 
Children and spouses of prisoners of war, or of persons listed as missing in action, are entitled to attend a state supported school without the payment of tuition or mandatory fees provided they are not eligible for equal or greater federal benefits.

SDDVA form E-12 "Application for Free Tuition at State Supported Institutions" is available at the schools' financial aids, veterans representative or registrars offices or, they can be obtained from the Division of Veterans Affairs.

Reduced Tuition for South Dakota National Guardmembers
Guard members, who meet the requirements for admission, are eligible for a fifty percent reduction in undergraduate tuition charges at any state supported school for up to a maximum of four academic years or one program of study, approved by the state Board of Education, at any state vocational school upon payment of fifty percent of the tuition charges.

The receipt of federal educational benefits does not affect eligibility for this program.

Check out our South Dakota veterans' benefits page to see what other state benefits you may be eligible for.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin G.I. Bill for Veterans and Dependents 
The Wisconsin GI Bill remits (forgives) full tuition and segregated fees for eligible veterans and their dependents for up to eight full-time semesters or 128 credits, whichever is greater, at any University of Wisconsin System or Wisconsin Technical College System school​. The Wisconsin GI Bill is a state program that is entirely separate from the Federal GI Bill.​

VetEd Education Grant
The Veterans Education (VetEd) grant program provides a reimbursement grant based on a credit-bank system that is based on length of active duty military service to eligible veterans who have not yet been awarded a bachelor’s degree for the reimbursement of tuition and fees following successful course completion at an eligible UW, technical college, or approved private institution of higher learning.

Check out our Wisconsin veterans' benefits page to see what other state benefits you may be eligible for.

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