COLUMBIA S.C. — Legislators want to make it easier for veterans to go to college in South Carolina by paying tuition at in-state rates, though bills differ on how to do that.
Rep. Joe Daning, R-Goose Creek, said the effort is about honoring veterans in this military-friendly state. He said he also hopes it serves as a recruitment tool for a state with a veteran population that already exceeds 400,000, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Every military student who comes into this state is highly disciplined, highly skilled,” he said. “Hopefully, we can get them employed right here.”
At least 19 states already allow veterans to pay in-state tuition, either through state law or like neighboring Georgia the policy of a college oversight board. Of those, at least 13 extend the benefit to dependents too, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Daning’s bill, which passed the House unanimously last week, would waive the one-year residency requirement for veterans and their dependents who prove they intend to make South Carolina their permanent home. It would allow them to enroll immediately in a public college without paying up to $18,000 extra. They would just need to show proof such as a state driver’s license before classes start.
“A lot of veterans coming back have to sit on their hands for 12 months while they wait to qualify for in-state rates,” said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Jim Lorraine, executive director of the Augusta-Aiken Warrior Project, which seeks to reduce homelessness and unemployment among veterans.
He said he began advocating for the change after trying to help an Air Force major who wanted to come back home to Aiken after eight years in the military, but she couldn’t afford the $9,000 difference at USC-Aiken or the wait. So she moved elsewhere.
