Veterans Alliance is privately owned and operated to serve veterans. We are not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans Alliance — Veterans Alliance
← All Oklahoma benefits
educationstate

POW and MIA Tuition Waived — for the Veteran and for the Child

Oklahoma waives tuition in full — RESIDENT OR NONRESIDENT — at its state-supported institutions for a person declared a prisoner of war or missing in action by the Secretary of Defense, and for their child under 24. The residency test looks backwards: OKLAHOMA RESIDENCE ON ENTERING THE ARMED FORCES, or an official residence in Oklahoma. The nonresident half is what makes this unusual — most tuition waivers reduce you to the resident rate, and this one covers the nonresident rate too.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Oklahoma waives tuition in full — RESIDENT OR NONRESIDENT — at its state-supported institutions for a person declared a prisoner of war or missing in action by the Secretary of Defense, and for their child under 24. The residency test looks backwards: OKLAHOMA RESIDENCE ON ENTERING THE ARMED FORCES, or an official residence in Oklahoma. The nonresident half is what makes this unusual — most tuition waivers reduce you to the resident rate, and this one covers the nonresident rate too.

What it's worth: Full tuition waived — resident or nonresident — at state-supported institutions

  • FULL TUITION WAIVER, covering RESIDENT OR NONRESIDENT tuition.
  • Most tuition benefits reduce you to the resident rate. This one waives the nonresident rate too.
  • It reaches the person DECLARED A POW OR MISSING IN ACTION by the Secretary of Defense, AND THEIR CHILD UNDER 24.
  • The residency test is OKLAHOMA RESIDENCE ON ENTERING THE ARMED FORCES, or an official residence in Oklahoma.
  • Available at state-supported institutions of higher education.
  • Administered by the State Regents with the individual institutions.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are in one of the groups this reaches.
  • There is a POW or MIA declaration.
  • You are enrolled or applying.
  • Oklahoma state-supported institutions.

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: Child must be under 24
  1. 1Apply through the institution's residency or veterans office, citing the POW/MIA waiver.
  2. 2Have the Secretary of Defense declaration or the official record of the status.
  3. 3Check the residency test against WHERE THE MEMBER LIVED ON ENTERING SERVICE, not where the family lives now.
  4. 4Children should apply before turning 24 — that is the age limit.
  5. 5Ask specifically about nonresident tuition; the waiver covers it and institutions may not offer that unprompted.
Form
Application through the institution, under State Regents policy
File with
Your Oklahoma state-supported institution
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingThe nonresident coverage means a family that left Oklahoma after the declaration can still send a child back to an Oklahoma institution without paying out-of-state rates.

Sources

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