Legislation
University of Wisconsin System has a policy providing veterans who served at least two years on active duty with an honorable or medical discharge, was a Wisconsin resident of this state at the time of entry into active duty, and is a resident of and living in this state at the time of registering at an institution a residency exemption.
Wisconsin private schools offer benefits
Veterans attending private schools in Wisconsin have a number of tuition breaks available to them. Benefits include:
- Up to $663 per credit in the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s nursing program.
- All but $1,599 of tuition covered at Milwaukee school of Engineering, for veterans taking 12 credits per term; veterans attending MSOE also bypass the $1,140 laptop fee and receive $1,251 toward housing.
- Full-tuition coverage at Marquette University, available to 20 veterans.
- A 25-percent tuition discount at Cardinal Stritch, which can be combined with regular GI Bill benefits.
- Full-tuition coverage at Wisconsin Lutheran for veterans taking 16 credit hours; those taking 12 credits pay $2,600 per term.
- All but $1,400 of tuition covered at Alverno for veterans taking 12 credit hours, under regular GI Bill benefits; Alverno isn’t participating in Yellow Ribbon but does offer grants and loans to veterans.
Wisconsin GI Bill:
Provides a waiver (“remission”) of tuition for eligible veterans and their dependents for up to eight full-time semesters or 128 credits at any University of Wisconsin System or Wisconsin Technical College System institution. Qualifying veterans receive a 100 percent remission.
Eligibility: The veteran must have entered service as a Wisconsin resident and the benefit recipient must reside in Wisconsin.
Veterans Education Reimbursement Grant: Provides a reimbursement grant to veterans based on a credit-bank system that is determined by length of active duty military service for the reimbursement of tuition and fees following successful course completion at an eligible University of Wisconsin, technical college, or approved private institution of higher learning.
Eligibility: A veteran who is a Wisconsin resident and has not yet been awarded a bachelor’s degree.
Wisconsin Veteran Retraining Grants:
A veteran who is unemployed or underemployed may be eligible for up to $3,000.00 per year, for a maximum of two years, if they have a financial need while being retrained for new employment. The amount of the grant is determined by the applicant’s financial need as calculated by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA).
Eligibility: The veteran must have been involuntarily laid off or discharged (not due to willful misconduct) within a period beginning one year before the date that WDVA receives the application. The veteran must have been employed for at least six consecutive months with the same employer or in the same or similar occupations.
Wisconsin National Guard Tuition Grant for Enlisted Members Program:
The Tuition Grant Program helps to pay for courses completed under both full and part-time study. Wisconsin National Guard service members are eligible for a maximum of 8 semesters of full-time study and no grant shall be more than 25% of the resident undergraduate tuition charged by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Eligibility: All Warrant Officers and enlisted members in good standing are eligible while attending a qualifying school for undergraduate studies. The program may be used at any school eligible for Federal Financial Aid.
Department of Workforce Development – Division of Employment & Training Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards
201 East Washington Avenue, Room E100
P.O. Box 7972
Madison, WI 53707-7972
Phone: 608-266-3133
Fax: 608-266-0766
State Approving Agency Р Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs
30 West Mifflin Street, 7th Floor
Madison, WI 53707-7843
Phone: 608-261-8771
Toll Free: 800-947-8387
Fax: 608-267-0403
Sources: Student Veterans of America, American Legion