Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs > Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools

Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools

Introduction

The Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools is a State of Wisconsin veterans benefit available to qualified veterans, as well as certain spouses and children of qualified veterans, for use at a private nonprofit educational institution that is a member of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU). Dependent children of qualified veterans must be at least 17 but not yet 26 years of age in order to qualify. The amount of a grant for an eligible student for a semester or session is equal to the lesser of the following:

Two thousand dollars.
Fifty percent of the amount of tuition charged by the private institution in which the eligible student is enrolled less one of the following amounts:

If the eligible student is a veteran, the amount of tuition paid under 10 USC 2107 (c), 38 USC 3104 (a) (7) (A), and 38 USC 3313.
If the eligible student is a dependent, the amount of tuition paid under 38 USC 3319.

For each grant, the private institution at which the eligible student is enrolled shall match the amount of the grant to offset the tuition charged to the student.

Grants may be made for up to 128 credits or eight semesters, less the number of credits or semesters for which the student received tuition remission under the Wisconsin G.I. Bill. This means that the 128 credits or eight semesters of coverage between the Wisconsin G.I. Bill and the Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools are combined and that there is not a separate pool of credits or semesters for each benefit.

The Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools is a collaboration between the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board, which administers the program, and the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, which acts as the certifying agency and determines a veteran's eligibility for the program.

Please see this Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board webpage for more information: WI Higher Educational Aids Board - Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools (state.wi.us).

Eligibility Determination

In order to qualify for the Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools, a veteran must meet service and residency requirements. If submitting an application for a spouse or dependent child, a veteran must meet an additional disability requirement.

Service Requirements

The individual upon whom eligibility is based (qualified veteran) must have separated from the military under honorable conditions and meet at least one of the following:

Served on active duty for at least 90 (cumulative) days during wartime
Served on active duty for at least two consecutive years during peacetime or the full period of initial service obligation
Was discharged due to a service-connected disability, disability later adjudicated to be service-connected, reasons of hardship, or reduction in forces
Received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, or an equivalent expeditionary or service medal
Served for any period of service under section 1 of executive order 10957 dated August 10, 1961

Residency Requirements

A qualified veteran is a current Wisconsin resident who either:

Entered active military service as a Wisconsin resident (Home of Record was Wisconsin)
Has been a Wisconsin resident for at least five consecutive years immediately preceding the start of any semester or session

Disability Requirements

These requirements apply only when spouse or dependent child is the applicant

Veteran must have been awarded at least a 30% service-connected disability rating by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) or died in the line of duty or of a service-connected disability

How to Apply

Complete the WDVA 2059 (Request for Certification for the Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools)
Submit the WDVA 2059 either via:

Email to Madison.Records@dva.wisconsin.gov
Fax to (608) 267-0403
Mail to Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, PO Box 7843, Madison, WI 53707-7843

Complete the Student Section of the HEAB Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools Form and submit to your financial aid office for completion. Submit the form to the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board once complete.
If deemed eligible, an applicant will receive a WDVA 2060 (Certification for the Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools) from the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board will be able to access the certification.