Lana Oconnell
The Department of Veterans Affairs offers education benefits to veterans, service members, and their qualified family members. These benefits can be used to pay for tuition and housing fees while studying at a foreign school for a standard college degree or equivalent. If you are the child of a veteran, you may be eligible for VA education benefits, including money for school or job training. The Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) program, also known as Chapter 35, is available to eligible dependents of veterans or service members who have died, are missing, or have a permanent and total service-connected disability. Additionally, the Fry Scholarship is offered to children or surviving spouses of service members who died on or after September 11, 2001, providing benefits for tuition, housing, books, and supplies. To utilize VA education benefits at a foreign school, the program must be approved by the VA, and certain requirements must be met.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who is eligible for VA education benefits? | Veterans, service members, reservists, or qualified dependents |
| What do the benefits include? | Tuition and housing fees |
| What type of program is not approved? | Independent study, including distance learning |
| What is the email address for inquiries? | [email protected] |
| What is the mailing address for the Department of Veterans Affairs? | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420 |
| Who can be eligible for the Fry Scholarship? | The child or surviving spouse of a service member or member of the Selected Reserve who died on or after September 11, 2001 |
| What is the purpose of the GI Bill? | To enable veterans to pursue higher education at no cost |
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What You'll Learn
Foreign school approval
To be approved, the foreign school program must meet certain requirements. Firstly, the program must lead to a standard college degree or its equivalent. The degree must be similar to those granted by accredited U.S. colleges and universities. For private overseas schools, the degree requirements must align with those of public colleges and universities in the same country, and the school must have comparable entrance criteria.
Additionally, independent study programs, including distance learning, are generally not approved. To ensure a program is eligible, individuals should first check if the VA has approved it. If not, an official from the school must complete and submit the Foreign Schools Approval Requirement. This includes submitting VA Form 22-0976 and supporting documentation via email to [email protected]. The VA will then evaluate the information and determine whether to approve the program.
It is important to note that the VA requires certain formats for application documents. For instance, documents must be submitted in a static format, such as PDF, and translated versions must be provided if the original publications are in a different language.
By following these steps and meeting the necessary requirements, eligible individuals can seek approval to utilize their VA education benefits at foreign schools.
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DEA program
The Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) program, also known as Chapter 35, provides education and training opportunities to eligible family members of certain veterans. This includes the spouse or dependent child of a veteran or service member. The DEA program offers up to 36 months of education benefits, which can be used for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training. If you first enrolled in classes before August 1, 2018, you can get a maximum of 45 months of benefits.
To be eligible for the DEA program, one of the following descriptions must be true for the veteran or service member:
- The veteran is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability.
- The veteran died as a result of a service-connected disability.
- The service member is missing in action or was captured in the line of duty by a hostile force for more than 90 days.
If you are eligible for the DEA program, you may receive a monthly payment to help cover the cost of school or your expenses while participating in on-the-job training or an apprenticeship. You can also receive educational and career counselling. To receive benefits, you must be enrolled in a program that has been approved by the VA. You can verify your enrollment to get DEA benefits and fill out a Dependents' Application for VA Education Benefits (VA Form 22-5490).
It is important to note that if you are a surviving spouse, your benefits will end 20 years from the date of the veteran's death or on the date of divorce or remarriage before the age of 57.
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Fry Scholarship
The Marine Gunnery Sgt. John David Fry Scholarship is a scholarship that provides education benefits to the surviving spouses and children of service members who die in the line of duty after September 10, 2001. The scholarship was created to honour the memory of Fry, a 28-year-old marine from Lorena, Texas, who was killed in Iraq by an improvised explosive device in 2006, leaving behind his widow and three small children.
The Fry Scholarship offers full tuition coverage at state-operated colleges and universities, a monthly living stipend, and a book allowance. Surviving spouses can use the scholarship for 15 years from the anniversary of the service member's death or until they remarry, while eligible children can use the scholarship between the ages of 18 and 33. For those attending private or foreign schools, tuition and fees are capped at a certain amount annually (for instance, $28,937.09 for the 2024-2025 academic year).
To be eligible for the Fry Scholarship, one must be the child or surviving spouse of a service member or member of the Selected Reserve who died on or after September 11, 2001, and who meets one of the following criteria:
- The service member died in the line of duty while serving on active duty.
- The member of the Armed Services died from a service-connected disability within 120 days of being discharged from active duty or released from duty.
If you are receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), you will need to give up those payments when you start using the Fry Scholarship. If your parent was a service member who died in the line of duty before August 1, 2011, you may qualify for both the Fry Scholarship and the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) program, but you can only use one program at a time. The combined DEA and Fry Scholarship benefits are capped at 48-81 months of full-time training, depending on the date of the service member's death.
To apply for the Fry Scholarship, you must complete and submit VA Form 22-5490. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must sign the application.
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Yellow Ribbon Program
The Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill that helps students attend expensive private schools, foreign schools, graduate schools, or higher out-of-state schools at little to no cost. To be eligible for the program, you must meet one of the following requirements:
- You served at least 36 months on active duty (either all at once or with breaks in service) and were honorably discharged.
- You received a Purple Heart on or after September 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged after any amount of service.
- You served at least 30 continuous days (all at once, without a break) on or after September 11, 2001, and were discharged or released from active duty due to a service-connected disability.
- You are an active-duty service member who has served at least 36 months on active duty (either all at once or with breaks in service).
- You are a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill based on a veteran's service under the eligibility criteria.
If you meet the above requirements, your school will decide how much funding you receive. They will add up your tuition and mandatory fees, subtract any aid you've received from scholarships, grants, or your Post-9/11 GI Bill, and then apply the Yellow Ribbon Program benefit to the remaining amount.
To receive the benefits, your school must participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Schools can enter into a voluntary agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to waive a portion of or all of their tuition costs that exceed the national maximum Post-9/11 GI Bill reimbursement. The VA will match the amount of the waiver and contribute it to your tuition.
To apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program, you must first ensure that your school has certified your enrollment and provided Yellow Ribbon Program information. You can then bring your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to your school's certifying official, financial aid, military liaison, or other appropriate office and ask to apply for the program.
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Transferring benefits
Veterans and their families can benefit from the GI Bill, which enables veterans to return home with a wide range of benefits, including the opportunity to pursue higher education at no cost. The GI Bill also provides benefits that can be used for training in a foreign school. The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued a clarification of their policies that will help veterans and campus administrators to better understand how the GI Bill benefits can be used to help cover the cost of certain study abroad activities.
The VA addresses several ways that students can enrol in study abroad programs and what is eligible to be covered. The VA can pay tuition and academic fees abroad, but only after approval of the degree program. The VA can also support study abroad when it is required to complete a degree from a home university. The VA will be able to pay the normal tuition fees to the home university, which will be responsible for transferring the required fees to the international university. The VA can also compensate veterans for textbooks, housing, and other living expenses while studying abroad, but they will not cover the price of airfare.
Veterans must meet the same basic eligibility requirements for training in a foreign school as they would in the United States. To apply for approval of a program of education, an official from the school must complete and submit the Foreign Schools Approval Requirement. The VA will evaluate the information and provide approval for the program. The course must lead to a standard college degree or its equivalent. The VA will not approve independent study, including distance learning, and courses must be accredited by a national agency or association recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.
Veterans can also transfer their education benefits to their spouse or dependent child. The DEA program (also called Chapter 35) helps pay for school or job training for the spouse or child of a Veteran who has died, is missing, or has a permanent and total service-connected disability. The Fry Scholarship provides money for tuition, housing, books, and supplies for the child or spouse of a service member who died on or after September 11, 2001. The Yellow Ribbon Program helps pay for higher out-of-state, private school, foreign school, or graduate school tuition and fees that the Post-9/11 GI Bill doesn’t cover.
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Frequently asked questions
The VA offers education benefits for the child of a Veteran or service member. This is called the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program, also known as Chapter 35. The DEA program can help cover the cost of school or expenses while your child is training for a job. If your child is enrolled in a foreign school, the VA will only pay for their education if the program has been approved.
The eligibility requirements for the DEA program are as follows:
- You are the child or spouse of a Veteran or service member who has died, is captured or missing, or is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability.
- You and the Veteran or service member meet certain other eligibility requirements.
The DEA program provides monthly payments to help cover the cost of school or expenses while participating in on-the-job training or an apprenticeship. If your child's school or training started before August 1, 2018, they may receive benefits for up to 45 months. If their school or training started on or after August 1, 2018, they may receive benefits for up to 36 months.
To apply for the DEA program, you must submit an application to the VA and provide information about the educational institution your child plans to attend. The VA will then evaluate the program to determine if it is approved for VA benefits. If the program is approved, your child will be enrolled and the VA will begin making payments.
