Veterans

Listed below are frequently asked questions for veterans.

For more information about aid programs and funding opportunities for veterans, visit ISU's office of Veterans Services.

• Veterans and persons on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training are considered independent students for financial aid purposes.
• Regarding financial aid regulations, the definition of veteran matches the definition used by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to determine veterans’ benefits. Generally, a veteran is an individual who: 
  • Served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces (the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force, or Coast Guard) for other than training and who was discharged or released under a condition other than “dishonorable”; or
  • Served on active duty for training or inactive duty for training in the U.S. armed forces and was disabled from injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.
• Members of the National Guard or Reserves are only considered veterans if they were called up to active federal duty by presidential order for a purpose other than training. It does not matter how long the active duty lasted or if the student returned to reserve status afterward, but, as with the other qualifying veterans, the student must have had a character of service that was not "dishonorable."
• Students who attended a U.S. service academy or preparatory school for at least one day and were released under conditions other than "dishonorable" count as veterans for Title IV purposes. Students who attend a U.S. military academy or military academy preparatory school and who are discharged other than dishonorably prior to commission are veterans. These students will likely need to provide the school with documentation (such as a DD-214) that shows they were a cadet of a military academy or its preparatory school.
• Students serving in ROTC or currently attending a U.S. military academy are not veterans.

Please note that GI Bill certification occurs at the beginning of the semester. Students wishing to use financial aid for non-tuition expenses may consider a Federal Direct Loan to offset the delay in GI Bill payments at the beginning of the term.