North Carolina is home to the third-largest active military force in the country, and it would join 24 other states in offering in-state tuition to veterans if the proposal is passed by the N.C. General Assembly in its short session this summer.
McCrory’s proposal comes after an N.C. Senate bill calling for in-state tuition for veterans stalled last year.
Mike Hart, a student veteran at UNC-Chapel Hill, said a drawback veterans face when going back to school is the financial transition on top of academics.
“We have other adult life complications — we’re completely self-sustainable,” he said. “If there was zero financial stress, I would be able to enjoy and flourish in this environment, 100 percent, and have no stress.”
Under McCrory’s proposal, veterans could receive a minimum $7,500 scholarship for two semesters at UNC-system schools if they have served for four years, served at an N.C. military facility and earned an honorable discharge.
After veterans’ first two semesters, they are expected to establish in-state residency — which is why the scholarships expire — according to the proposal. The scholarships would cost a projected $5 million, which would be funded from the N.C. Education Lottery.
Though McCrory’s plan does exclude some groups, such as students who are beyond two years since military service, it is a step in the right direction, said Jacob Hinton, president of the Carolina Veterans Organization.
“For me, it makes me feel like the N.C. administration is trying to do something for us,” he said. “They’re trying to make that promise to us that, ‘We’re here to help you succeed.’”
