Free Tuition for the Children of War Veterans — Eight Routes In
A child aged 26 or younger of a qualifying war veteran attends any state-supported college, university or technical college free of tuition for an undergraduate degree. Eight parent conditions qualify — including permanent and total disability, the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor for LIVING veterans, alongside the KIA, died-in-service, POW and MIA routes.
Verified August 21, 2026
What this benefit is
A child aged 26 or younger of a qualifying war veteran attends any state-supported college, university or technical college free of tuition for an undergraduate degree. Eight parent conditions qualify — including permanent and total disability, the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor for LIVING veterans, alongside the KIA, died-in-service, POW and MIA routes.
What it's worth: Undergraduate tuition free at any state-supported institution, child aged 26 or younger
- The tool models the permanent-and-total route; the seven other routes are listed in the steps.
Who is entitled to it
- The parent is permanently and totally disabled — one of the eight routes.
- The veteran meets the state residency tests.
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 the parent against the eight routes: killed in action; died from other causes in service; died of disease or disability resulting from service; POW; permanently and totally disabled per the VA; Medal of Honor; missing in action; or awarded the PURPLE HEART for combat wounds. The last three reach living veterans.
- 2Check the residency chain: the veteran was a resident at entry into service and during service — or gained a year of residency and still resides in the state; a deceased veteran must have resided in the state the year before death. The war-period service test applies throughout.
- 3Apply through the department's free tuition coordinator; the waiver then runs at any state-supported college, university or technical school for an undergraduate degree, dual-enrolment included, while work and conduct stay satisfactory.
- Form
- Free tuition application through the state veterans department
- File with
- The Department of Veterans Affairs free tuition coordinator
- Documents you will need
- va benefit summary letter · dd214
- Annual
- Claimed once a year.
Sources
- authority · statuteS.C. Code §59-111-20 — free tuition for children of certain war veterans
Why only one source type: The statute itself, read on the legislature's code site, lists all eight parent routes and the residency chain; the veterans department's application site refuses connections.
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.