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War Orphan Education — Tuition Waived, Plus a Living Stipend

A qualifying student — the child, 16 to 25, or the spouse of a veteran killed in action or dead of war service — is not charged tuition and fees at any in-state post-secondary institution, and the veterans department adds up to $1,000 a semester ($2,000 a year) toward room, board and books.

Verified August 22, 2026

What this benefit is

A qualifying student — the child, 16 to 25, or the spouse of a veteran killed in action or dead of war service — is not charged tuition and fees at any in-state post-secondary institution, and the veterans department adds up to $1,000 a semester ($2,000 a year) toward room, board and books.

What it's worth: Tuition and fees not charged, plus up to $2,000 a year toward room, board and books

  • The stipend fluctuates with the number of applications each semester; $1,000 a semester and $2,000 a year are the ceilings.

Who is entitled to it

  • The programme reaches the child and the spouse of the fallen veteran.
  • You are studying in this state.

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: August 31 for Fall; January 31 for Spring — never retroactive
  1. 1Check the veteran's side: active-duty service under Title 10 as declared by the President, this state designated as the state of record AT ENLISTMENT, and death in action or as a result of war service.
  2. 2Check the student's side: enrolled at an in-state post-secondary education or training institution, and — for a child — at least 16 but not more than 25. The veteran's spouse is exempt from the age test.
  3. 3File everything in one envelope: the application, proof of enrolment, the veteran's DD-214, and — where death came after discharge — proof of death and evidence tying the cause to war service.
  4. 4Mind the calendar: August 31 for Fall, January 31 for Spring, and the assistance is never granted retroactively.
Form
War Orphan Education Program application
File with
Department of Veterans Assistance, Office of the Cabinet Secretary, Charleston
Documents you will need
dd214 · death certificate
Each term
Claimed per academic term.
CorrectionSummaries tend to read this as a scholarship capped at $2,000. The $2,000 is only the living stipend: the institution-side benefit — tuition and fees not charged at all — is separate and typically worth far more. The gate most summaries omit is the state-of-record test: the veteran must have designated this state at enlistment, not merely lived here.

Sources

Why only one source type: The department's own application document states the whole programme — waiver, stipend ceilings, both eligibility sides, deadlines and the filing address. The legislature's code server renders empty pages to automated readers.

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