West Virginia has a long tradition of supporting its military service members and veterans and honoring those willing to sacrifice when called to serve. Today, more than 167,300 veterans call West Virginia home, nearly 7,000 of which served in the Second World War.
That means more than nine percent of the state’s current population know what it means to put on a uniform in service of their country. In fact, 75% of the state’s veterans have served during wartime. Of those, 48% served in the Vietnam War followed by 38% who served in the Gulf War.
With service and sacrifice come benefits, and not least among these is access to a free college education.
West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance (WVDVA) Military Education Benefits
The WVDVA has 16 service offices located across the state serving each county. The Department is your go-to source for understanding the ins and outs of how to access the educational benefits you’ve earned. This starts with federal benefits like the GI Bill® and Yellow Ribbon Program.
For a school in West Virginia to be eligible to admit you on the GI Bill® it must be approved by West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Office of Veterans Education and Training (OVET), and the WVDVA is there to guide you to those military friendly institutions.
The WVDVA can also help you navigate the state level education benefits you’ve earned:
Veterans Upward Bound (VUB)
Did you complete your service in the Armed Forces in good standing? Do you want to improve your life through higher education? Then you may be eligible for this benefit, which covers the cost of all the following:
- Books and materials for this program’s college prep courses
- College entrance exam practice
- Refresher courses in key subject areas like English, math, and science
- Laptop and other technology rentals
- Mentoring and tutoring
- College success workshops
- $40 per month stipend
To qualify for this program at least one of the following must be true:
- Neither of your parents earned a bachelor’s degree
- You have a modest income
West Virginia lawmakers recognize that, as a veteran, you could face a unique set of challenges in making the transition from active-duty to civilian life in college. They created this program to help make this transition seamless; to boost the success rates of veterans who choose an academic path to underwrite a bright future.
Medal of Honor and Purple Heart Tuition Waivers
If you earned the Medal of Honor or Purple Heart in the service of any branch of the Armed Forces, this benefit means you don’t have to pay undergraduate tuition or fees at any state school.
To qualify you need to be a West Virginia resident and have been honorably discharged. This benefit covers any tuition beyond what is not covered by other education benefits, scholarships, or grants. You can apply this benefit for a maximum of eight semesters.
With this law West Virginia is honoring veterans who’ve been highly decorated, basically saying that you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree on the house. Since there’s no credit limit set over the eight semester lifespan of this benefit you can max it out every semester with electives, a double major, or even a change of major.
In-State Tuition for Nonresident Veterans
If you’re using the GI Bill® then public schools in West Virginia will charge you the in-state rate for tuition as long as you’re within three years of your discharge. In-state tuition also applies to active duty troops and additionally extends to their spouses and dependent children.
In-state tuition is normally reserved for West Virginia residents who’ve lived in the state for at least a year, but this benefit is extended instantly to the state’s service men and women who wear the uniform.
The savings for in-state versus out-of-state tuition are significant. According to our research for military friendly colleges in West Virginia, paying in-state undergraduate tuition at a public school saves an average of $8,310 per year.
Veterans Re-Education Assistance
This benefit pays up to $500 per semester to cover things like tuition, tests to become professionally licensed, training materials, and other expenses. You must meet all of the following conditions to qualify:
- Be a resident of West Virginia
- Have used up all your GI Bill® benefits
- Have served in any branch of the Armed Forces and received an honorable discharge
Funds are available on a first-come first-serve basis. You can apply for this benefit anytime, and applications are made through the WVDVA.
It might not seem like much but $500 per semester over the four years it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree adds up to $4,000. This benefit is also unique in that funds can be awarded to cover expenses beyond strictly tuition and fees.
West Virginia Educational Encouragement Program (WVEEP) State Tuition Assistance
If you’re in the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) this benefit may be for you. It pays up to $7,000 per year or the full price of tuition, whichever is less, at a college or university in West Virginia. You can apply for it each semester.
To qualify you need to be in the WVNG in good standing and have completed basic combat training/basic military training.
You can apply this benefit as a full or part-time student. It’s capped to cover a maximum of 140 undergraduate semester credits and 45 graduate semester credits.
This benefit is huge, potentially covering the cost for you to stay in school for years while you rack up educational credentials all the way through the graduate level. It’s also admirably flexible, able to be used at public and private schools beyond the minimum credits required for a degree. This lets you explore electives, change your major, and potentially even double major.
War Orphan Education Program
If the worst comes and you pay the ultimate price, West Virginia wants to secure your children’s future. This applies to the children of West Virginia resident members of the Armed Forces on active duty per Title 10, who are KIA or die due to service-related injuries.
For starters, your children between the ages of 16 and 25 get their tuition and fees waived at West Virginia post-secondary education institutions. Next, recipients of this benefit can be awarded up to $2,000 per year to cover living expenses like room, board, and books.
Applications for this benefit are made through the WVDVA. They should be submitted by August 31st for fall semester and by January 31st for spring semester.
The death of a parent is never easy but when this happens as part of national service West Virginia is more than willing to pick up the tab.
Possible Station Assignments and Military Bases in West Virginia
Home to essential Coast Guard facilities as well as Air and Army WVNG units, West Virginia is proud of its wider military community who call the state home. Whether its your first stopover on a training assignment or you’re born and raised here, military education benefits become relevant the moment your duties land you in the Mountain State.
Army
- Camp Dawson Army National Guard Base – Preston County
The 753rd Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Company and the Fixed Wing Army Aviation Training Site (FWAATS) are both familiar names at the CDANGB. The 753rd specializes in IEDs, unexploded ordinance, and WMDs. FWAATS focuses on developing skills related to the C-12 and C-26 among guardsmen and women.
Air Force
- Shepherd Field Air National Guard Base – Martinsburg
Hosting the 167th Airlift Wing and their eight C-17 Globemaster IIIs, this unit has most recently deployed to the four corners of the Earth in support of the War on Terror. The 167th enjoys a rich history of flight starting with single-prop planes between 1947 and 1958.
- McLaughlin Air National Guard Base – Charleston
Sharing space with the West Virginia International Yeager Airport, the 130th Airlift Wing is the host unit at this facility along with its fleet of C-130s. In recent history the 130th’s actions have included deployments to Germany in support of the Bosnian Airlift, to Rwanda, to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Southern Watch, and to Panama to provide hurricane relief support.
Air Force
- National Maritime Center – Martinsburg
This center specializes in issuing credentials for mariners, such as security certificates or ID documents for merchant mariners. It reviews applications, inspects documents for forgeries, and develops credentials that are themselves forgery-resistant, all while striving to complete the credentialing process in the most straightforward and efficient way possible.
- Vessel Documentation Center – Falling Waters
If the Coast Guard is activated under the US Department of the Navy in a time of war, the Navy will look to this center’s registry of every capable ship in the entire Coast Guard fleet. To ensure the safety of boats, the VDC is also tasked with documenting every fishing vessel that’s five net tons or more which operates on America’s navigable waters or Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Military Friendly Colleges in West Virginia that Accept GI Bill® and Yellow Ribbon Program Benefits
Of the more-than 2,000 colleges and universities that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, only around 500 provide full funding and place no limits on the number of eligible students who can take advantage of it. These schools ensure that every eligible veteran who enrolls can count on full coverage of all tuition costs that exceed GI Bill® limits.
You’ll be glad to know that a number of those military friendly colleges and universities are located right here in West Virginia:
American Public University System
Charles Town, WV
Accreditation: HLC
- Arts, Humanities & Education
- Dr. Wallace E. Boston School of Business
- Health Sciences
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Math
- Security & Global Studies
- Center for Professional and Continuing Education
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College
Martinsburg, WV
Accreditation: HLC
- Business
- Engineering
- Justice
- Culinary
- General studies
- Occupational
- Education
- Health sciences
- Technology
Bluefield State College
Bluefield, WV
Accreditation: HLC
- W. Paul Cole Jr School of Business
- School of Education Humanities and Social Sciences
- School of Science Technology Engineering and Math
- School of Nursing & Allied Health
Bridgevalley Community and Technical College
South Charleston, WV
Accreditation: HLC
- Applied Technology
- Computers & Information Technology
- Engineering & Manufacturing Technology
- Health & Wellness
- Liberal Arts & Sciences
- Professional & Business
Concord University
Athens, WV
Accreditation: HLC
College of Professional and Liberal Studies
- Department of Business
- Department of Education
- Department of Fine Arts and Communication
- Department of Humanities
- Department of Social Work and Sociology
College of Science Mathematics and Health
- Department of Biology
- Department of Health Sciences
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences
- Department of Social Sciences
Glenville State College
Glenville, WV
Accreditation: HLC
- Business
- Criminal justice
- Education
- Fine arts
- Land resources
- Language and literature
- Science and mathematics
- Social science
Marshall University
Huntington, WV
Accreditation: HLC
- College of arts and media
- Lewis college of business
- College of education and professional development
- College of engineering and computer science
- College of health professions
- College of liberal arts
- College of science
- School of pharmacy
- School of physical therapy
- Joan C. Edwards school of medicine
Mountain State College
Parkersburg, WV
Accreditation: ACCSC
- Dependency Disorders Technology
- Medical Assistant
Mountwest Community and Technical College
Huntington, WV
Accreditation: HLC
- Allied health
- Applied technology
- General education and transfer
- Non-traditional degrees
- IT
- Business
- Legal studies
- Culinary and hospitality
- Human service and education
- Transportation
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV
Accreditation: HLC
School of Graduate and Professional Studies
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences
- Department of Contemporary Art and Theater
- Department of English and Modern Languages
- Department of History
- Department of Communication
- School of Music
- Department of Political Science Global Studies and Geography
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Social Work
- Department of Sociology Criminology and Criminal Justice
College of Business
- Department of Accounting
- Department of Business Administration
- Department of Economics and Finance
- Master of Business Administration
College of Nursing Education and Health Sciences
- School of Education
- School of Recreation Sport and Exercise Sciences
- School of Nursing
College of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics
- Department of Biology, Department of Chemistry
- Department of Computer Science Mathematics and Engineering
- Department of Environmental and Physical Sciences
Strayer University
Scott Depot, WV
Accreditation: MSCHE
- Associate in Arts in Accounting
- Associate in Arts in Acquisition and Contract Management
- Associate in Arts in Business Administration
- Associate in Arts in Information Technology
- Associate in Arts in Marketing
- Bachelor of Applied Science in Management
- Bachelor of Business Administration
- Bachelor of Science in Accounting
- Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
- Certificate of Education in Corporate Learning
- Certificate of Education in Educational Administration
- Diploma in Acquisition Contract Management
- Graduate Certificate in Digital Entrepreneurship
- Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurial Leadership
- Graduate Certificate in Finance and Accounting for Entrepreneurs
- Graduate Certificate in Marketing and Branding for Entrepreneurs
- Jack Welch MBA
- Jack Welch Management Institute Executive Certificates
- Jack Welch Management Institute Graduate Certificates
- Joe Gibbs Performance Management Certificate
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of Education
- Master of Health Services Administration
- Master of Human Resource Management
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Science in Accounting
- Master of Science in Information Security and Assurance
- Master of Science in Information Systems
- Master of Science in Management
West Virginia Junior College Bridgeport
Bridgeport, WV
Accreditation: ABHES
- Healthcare
- Dental Assisting
- Clinical Medical Assistant
- Medical Billing/Administration
- Technology
- Information Technology
- Nursing
- Practical Nursing
- Nursing
West Virginia Northern Community College
Wheeling, WV
Accreditation: HLC
- Applied Technologies, Business
- Computer Information Technology
- Culinary Arts
- Criminal Justice
- Healthcare Professions
- Hospitality & Tourism
- Engineering & Construction Management
- Education & Human Services
- Liberal Arts
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
Accreditation: HLC
Undergraduate
- Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
- College of Creative Arts
- College of Education and Human Services
- College of Law
- College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences
- Davis College of Agriculture Natural Resources and Design
- Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
- Honors College
- John Chambers College of Business and Economics
- Reed College of Media
- School of Dentistry
- School of Medicine
- School of Nursing
- School of Pharmacy
- School of Public Health
Graduate
- Education/Human Services
- Business and Economics
- College of Arts/Sciences
- College of Engineering
- School of Journalism
- College of Creative Arts
- CPASS
- Davis College
West Virginia University Parkersburg
Parkersburg, WV
Accreditation: HLC
- Accounting
- Accounting & Financial Management
- Advanced Manufacturing Technology
- Business Administration
- Chemical & Polymer Operator Technology
- Child Development
- Computer Information Technology
- Communication and Media Studies
- Computer Science
- Criminal Justice
- Cybersecurity & Network Administration
- Digital Communication
- Digital Media Production
- Drafting
- Electrical Reliability and Maintenance
- Electricity & Instrumentation Technology
- Elementary Education
- General Business
- Industrial Maintenance
- Management & Marketing
- Multi-Craft Technology
- Multi-Disciplinary Studies
- Nursing
- Occupational Development
- Patient Care Technician
- Pharmacy Technician
- Regents Bachelor of Arts
- Reliability and Maintenance Technology
- Residential & Commercial Electricity
- RN – BSN (Online only)
- Software Engineering
- Strategic Communication
- Supervisory Management
- Surgical Technology
- Surgical Technology (CST – AAS)
- Technical Studies
- Welding
