With the recent news that Virginia State sponsored schools will now offer military servicemembers and their families the same tuition rate as their state residents, servicemembers can save thousands in tuition and fees in all but a hand full of states.
Although there are variations of this benefit depending on the state, 44 states now have laws that provide military servicemembers, and their families, the opportunity to attend state run community colleges and universities at a greatly reduced rate. For example, in California the Non-resident Tuition Surcharge can be over $13,000 a year at a Cal State University and over $4,000 for community colleges.
The following table shows which states offer an In-State Tuition program for the military and which do not.
| Tuition charge for non-resident active duty miltary personnel stationed in the state. *See note below. | Military family members charged the same rate as military? | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | In-State | Out of State | Determined by Individual Institution | Yes | No | Varies |
| Alabama | X | X | ||||
| Alaska | X | X | ||||
| Arizona | X | X | ||||
| Arkansas | X | X | ||||
| California | X | X | ||||
| Colorado | X | X | ||||
| Conneticut | X | X | ||||
| Delaware | X | X | ||||
| District of Columbia | X | X | ||||
| Florida | X | X | ||||
| Georgia | X | X | ||||
| Hawaii | X | X | ||||
| Idaho | X | X | ||||
| Illinois | X | X | ||||
| Indiana | X | X | ||||
| Iowa | X | X | ||||
| Kansas | X | X | ||||
| Kentucky | X | X | ||||
| Louisiana | X | X | ||||
| Maine | X | X | ||||
| Maryland | X | X | ||||
| Massachusetts | X | X | ||||
| Michigan | X | X | ||||
| Minnesota | X | X | ||||
| Mississippi | X | X | ||||
| Missouri | X | X | ||||
| Montana | X | X | ||||
| Nebraska | X | X | ||||
| Nevada | X | X | ||||
| New Hamshire | X | X | ||||
| New Jersey | X | X | ||||
| New Mexico | X | X | ||||
| New York | X | X | ||||
| North Carolina | X | X | ||||
| North Dakota | X | X | ||||
| Ohio | X | X | ||||
| Oklahoma | X | X | ||||
| Oregon | X | X | ||||
| Pennsylvania | X | X | ||||
| Puerto Rico | X | X | ||||
| Rhode Island | X | X | ||||
| South Carolina | X | X | ||||
| South Dakota | X | X | ||||
| Tennessee | X | X | ||||
| Texas | X | X | ||||
| Utah | X | X | ||||
| Vermont | X | X | ||||
| Virginia | X | X | ||||
| Washington | X | X | ||||
| West Virginia | X | X | ||||
| Wisconsin | X | X | ||||
| Wyoming | X | X | ||||
To learn more about how to use the education benefits you have earned to complete your degree visit the Military.com Education Center.
