More Veterans Will Enroll in 4-Year Colleges

The American Council on Education released a reportgained federal tuition benefits were 15 percentage
towards the end of August, 2009, on the basis ofpoints more anticipated to get full time enrollment in
which, the new GI Bill could increase the number ofcollege and nine percentage points more likely to enroll
veterans along with active-duty servicemen who getin a four-year public college as compared to veterans
full-time enrollment and take classes of four-yearand service members who did not earn the benefits.
college institutions.That year, around 43 percent of veterans and service
The report derives its results from current attitudes ofmembers got enrolled in two-year public colleges, while
veterans as revealed from a number of government21 percent attended four-year public institutions. Private
studies. In the educational year of 2007/2008,for-profit and nonprofit colleges both had around a
undergraduate veterans and servicemen who gained13-percent share of the enrollment.
federal tuition perquisites were 15% more expected toAnother government study shows that about half of
attend college on a full time basis and 9% expected torecent veterans and service members surveyed
attend a 4-year public college as compared toreferred to cost as a key factor in determining the
veterans and service men who did not gain the tuitioncollege they want to attend. The new GI Bill, which
benefits in any way. The report shows that in thewas implemented on August 1, offers veterans of the
same educational year, 43% of veterans and thewars of Iraq and Afghanistan with sufficient assistance
servicemen attended 2-year public colleges, whereasto get enrollment in the most classy state universities
21% took classes in 4-year public institutions.and colleges.
Astonishingly, a stunning 13% part of the enrollmentAccording to Alexandria Walton Radford, the author
was into the private for-profit and non-profit colleges.of the report, these prolonged benefits are expected
According to a survey, nearly half of the freshto push veterans to look for admission into more
veterans and servicemen referred to college tuitioncostly colleges chiefly if those institutions show
and fees as a highly influential factor in making choiceopenness to their demands.
for college enrollment. The GI Bill provides veterans ofAs open as the report was, it fails to consider the
the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq with sufficientinfluence that the prolonged tuition benefits could have
assistance to get enrollment in the most classy stateon enrollment in private institutions and at the same
universities and colleges.time doesn't take into account of any issues
The report, which derives its data from numerousconfronted by veterans transitioning into the education
government studies, bases its results on thenetwork; neither does it extend proposals as to the
understanding of recent veterans. In 2007-8,way colleges can be turned into more
undergraduate veterans and service members who"veteran-friendly".