Tuition and Fees for the Children of the Fallen — Ages 16 to 24
A child of an armed forces member killed on active duty — or who died of duty-caused disease, wounds or disabilities — or of a POW or someone declared missing in action, receives tuition and fees for up to four years of study beyond high school. The window is tight: the student must be 16 to 24 and a three-year state resident.
Verified August 22, 2026
What this benefit is
A child of an armed forces member killed on active duty — or who died of duty-caused disease, wounds or disabilities — or of a POW or someone declared missing in action, receives tuition and fees for up to four years of study beyond high school. The window is tight: the student must be 16 to 24 and a three-year state resident.
Who is entitled to it
- The parent was a service member killed on duty, died of duty causes, or was captured or missing.
- The parent was a state resident at death, and the student has three years of residency.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
- 1Check both residency legs: the deceased parent was a state resident at death, and the student has been a state resident for at least three years before applying.
- 2Apply between the 16th and 24th birthdays for a programme not exceeding four years beyond high school.
- 3The benefit follows the programme: at a state-supported institution it covers tuition and fees; at a private or out-of-state school it is capped at the average tuition and fees of comparable in-state options — and the wider options open only when no in-state public offers the major.
- 4The same subchapter reaches children of state police officers and certain transportation workers killed on duty — a sibling class worth knowing when advising mixed-service families.
- Form
- Application through the higher education office
- File with
- The state higher education office
- Documents you will need
- dd214
- Annual
- Claimed once a year.
Sources
- authority · statute14 Del. C. ch. 34, subch. VI — educational benefits for children of deceased veterans and others
Why only one source type: The code subchapter itself states the qualifying events, both residency tests, the age window, the four-year limit and the private/out-of-state caps.
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.