educationstate

Returning Heroes — $50 a Credit Hour, Because the University May Not Charge More

The Missouri Returning Heroes’ Education Act caps what an approved institution may charge a qualifying combat veteran: $50 per credit hour for approved undergraduate programmes, and no more than 30% of tuition and fees at graduate level.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

What it's worth: $50 per credit hour undergraduate; graduate charges capped at 30% of tuition and fees

The saving is the difference between the capped charge and what the institution would otherwise bill, so it depends on the institution and the credit load rather than on a figure we can publish.
The graduate cap is stated as no more than 30% of the cost of tuition and fees for approved programmes, and excludes professional degrees.

Who is entitled to it

You are the veteran.
You are a veteran.
Your home is in Missouri.

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

Deadline: Set by the institution — ask before you enrol

1Go to the institution, not to a state office. The benefit is a limit on what the school may charge, so the school is where it is applied.
2Check the residency door first: the benefit is limited to veterans who are a registered voter in Missouri, or eligible to vote in Missouri as determined by the Secretary of State, or a current Missouri resident.
3Ask whether your programme is an approved programme. The cap applies to approved undergraduate and graduate programmes, and professional degrees are excluded at graduate level.
4Ask for the application. At a public university this is typically requested from the student veterans resource centre in person, by telephone or by email, and evaluated after supporting documentation arrives.
5Decide the ordering question deliberately. Students have the option to have the benefit applied either BEFORE or AFTER all other federal and state aid, and which is better depends on what other aid you hold.
6Do not wait for a decision before enrolling if the term is close — but do not assume approval either. The institution notifies you of approval status after evaluating the application.

Form: The institution’s Returning Heroes application, requested from its student veterans office
File with: The student veterans office at your institution
Documents you will need: dd214
Each term: Applied through the institution, which re-checks approval and programme eligibility.

CorrectionThis is not a scholarship and no cheque is issued. It caps the charge, which means a veteran whose tuition is already covered by another benefit may see no cash difference at all — and a veteran paying out of pocket may see a very large one.

Worth knowingThe voter-registration route is unusual and easy to miss: being a registered voter in Missouri, or eligible to vote in Missouri, is an alternative to being a current resident rather than an extra requirement.

Known gapWe could not read the statute — revisor.mo.gov and moga.mo.gov refuse connections from here — so the definition of a qualifying combat veteran, the list of approved programmes and the approval process are unread. Each institution publishes its own procedure; ask yours in writing.

Sources

authority · published policyUniversity of Missouri, Student Veterans Resource & Support Center — Missouri Returning Heroes’ Education Act of 2019

Why only one source type: The Act is administered institution by institution, and the state agency that would be the second source sits on a host that refuses us — dhewd.mo.gov returned an Incapsula block page rather than content. We publish from the administering institution’s own page and mark the record tier B rather than leave the benefit unrecorded.

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.