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The Diploma, Including for Women Who Left School During the War

Ohio Rev. Code §3313.616 lets a school district board or a chartered nonpublic school grant a high school diploma to an honorably discharged veteran of WWII, Korea or Vietnam who left before graduating and holds no prior diploma. Two things widen it beyond the usual version of this benefit. It covers leaving school DUE TO FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCES as well as to serve. And it expressly reaches WOMEN WHO LEFT SCHOOL DURING THE WAR — a group most states' wording quietly excludes. Apply through the county veterans service office; you need Ohio residency OR prior enrolment in an Ohio high school.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Ohio Rev. Code §3313.616 lets a school district board or a chartered nonpublic school grant a high school diploma to an honorably discharged veteran of WWII, Korea or Vietnam who left before graduating and holds no prior diploma. Two things widen it beyond the usual version of this benefit. It covers leaving school DUE TO FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCES as well as to serve. And it expressly reaches WOMEN WHO LEFT SCHOOL DURING THE WAR — a group most states' wording quietly excludes. Apply through the county veterans service office; you need Ohio residency OR prior enrolment in an Ohio high school.

What it's worth: A high school diploma granted by the district board or chartered nonpublic school

  • Covers honorably discharged veterans of WWII, the KOREAN CONFLICT and the VIETNAM CONFLICT.
  • It reaches those who left school TO SERVE OR DUE TO FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCES.
  • IT EXPRESSLY REACHES WOMEN WHO LEFT SCHOOL DURING THE WAR — a group most versions of this benefit leave out.
  • You must hold NO PRIOR DIPLOMA.
  • OHIO RESIDENCY, OR PRIOR ENROLMENT IN AN OHIO HIGH SCHOOL, is required.
  • Granted by a SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD or a CHARTERED NONPUBLIC SCHOOL.
  • Apply through the COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE; ODVS sets the verification procedures.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are in one of the groups who can pursue this.
  • The discharge was honorable.
  • School was left before graduating.
  • Ohio school districts.

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

  1. 1Go to the county veterans service office — they start this, and ODVS sets the verification procedure.
  2. 2If school was left because of family circumstances rather than to serve, apply anyway. That route is in the statute.
  3. 3Women who left school during the war are expressly covered; say so plainly on the application.
  4. 4Identify the district. If the school has closed or merged, the successor board grants it.
  5. 5If the veteran has died, ask anyway — such diplomas are commonly awarded posthumously.
Form
Application through your county veterans service office
File with
Your county veterans service office, with the school district board
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingMost states write this benefit around a boy who left school to enlist. Ohio's statute reaches the sister who left to keep the family going, and says so.

Sources

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