Career-Ready, Online Degrees for Military-Affiliated Students
We Welcome Active Military, Veterans and Their Families
2023-2024
Military Friendly® Silver Award
2022 Best for Vets — Military Times
If you’re a U.S. military veteran, active-duty service member, serving in the guard or the reserves or a member of a military family, EOU is a great fit for you. We’re committed to providing an exceptional experience and career-ready programs.
We have a dedicated military support team that ensures service members, veterans and their families can understand and make the most of the education benefits they so richly deserve. We’re here to help you:
- Determine eligibility for benefits
- Connect you to scholarships
- Help you find grants
- Maximize potential college credits for your military training
Learn More Today
Complete the form to learn more about this program.
GI Bill®
Yellow Ribbon
Tuition Assistance
Family Benefits
We’ll help connect you to the right combination of federal, state and EOU-sponsored benefits that result in the least out-of-pocket expense for your education.
Government-Based Education Assistance
There are a variety of GI Bill® programs that can be used by veterans as well as active-duty, guard and reserve service members, spouses and dependents. This is an irrevocable decision, meaning you can’t change your mind, so you can compare benefits easily by using the GI Bill Comparison Tool and viewing current payment rates.
Forever GI Bill®
The Forever GI Bill® brings significant changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill® that expand veterans’ eligibility for, and amount of, education benefits and the length of time they have to use them. See Full Details
Post-9/11 GI Bill®
If you’ve served on active duty after September 10, 2001, you may qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33).
If you’re a member of the reserves who lost education benefits when the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) ended in November 2015, you may qualify to receive restored benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
This GI Bill® could help you with tuition and fees, money for housing, books and supplies. See Full Details
Montgomery GI Bill® — Active Duty
The Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD) can help you pay for up to 36 months of education benefits. You need to have served at least two years on active duty and must meet eligibility requirements in one of four categories. See Full Details
Montgomery GI Bill — Selected Reserve
The Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) program offers up to 36 months of education and training benefits. If you’re a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard Reserve, Army National Guard or Air National Guard, and your obligation started after June 30, 1985, or for some types of training, after September 30, 1990, you may be eligible for this benefit. See Full Details
Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program (VEAP)
If you entered the service for the first time between January 1, 1977, and June 30, 1985 and put money into your VEAP account before April 1, 1987, you may be able to continue your education by using part of your military pay to help cover the cost of school. Find out if you can get benefits through VEAP — a $2-to-$1 government-match program for educational assistance. See Full Details
Designed by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, this program aims for the VA and degree-granting institutions to pay the difference between what is covered by GI Bill® benefits and the total cost of the program. The Yellow Ribbon Scholarship is automatically applied if your tuition costs exceed the maximum state cap for tuition reimbursement and if you are qualified for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® at the 100 percent rate. It does not apply for active duty personnel, their spouses or veterans receiving less than 100 percent of the benefit.
Eastern Oregon University contributes the difference in cost between in-state and out-of-state tuition. See Full Details
DoD Tuition Assistance
Active military students may be eligible to utilize Department of Defense (DoD) Tuition Assistance (TA) to fund their education. DoD TA covers tuition expenses equal to $165 per quarter credit (up to $250 per semester credit hour) for eligible students.
For more information regarding tuition assistance, visit your service branch:
Oregon National Guard State Tuition Assistance
Eligible to current Oregon National Guard Members who are seeking an undergraduate degree, a maximum of $208 per credit hour can be awarded to attend a community college, public or private university. See Details and Application
Active Duty Military Award
Once Tuition Assistance benefits have been applied, this award from EOU will cover the remaining tuition fees. You must be an active-duty military service member taking 100 percent online undergraduate coursework and submit paperwork for TA benefits through your branch of the military.
This award is applied automatically based on the submission of TA paperwork through the third-party billing desk of the student accounts office.
Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship
Under this scholarship, beginning with the 2018-2019 award year, a Pell-eligible student whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty is eligible to receive a maximum Pell Grant for the year their eligibility is determined. See Details and Application
Fry Scholarship
If you’re the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, or a member of the Selected Reserve who died from a service-connected disability on or after the same date, you may qualify for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship) which grants you up to 36 months of benefits including money for tuition, housing, books and supplies. Learn more about the Fry Scholarship
Post-9/11 GI Bill® Benefits
If you’re a qualified service member, you can transfer all 36 months or a portion of your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to a spouse or child. The DoD approves a transfer of benefits. Learn about transferring Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits
Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA)
If you’re the child or spouse of a veteran or service member who has died, is captured or missing or has disabilities, you may be able to receive between 36 and 455 months of benefits to pay for school or job training through the DEA program — also called Chapter 35. See Full Details
Veterans’ Dependent Tuition Waiver
Designed for children of a Purple Heart recipient or the child, spouse or un-remarried surviving spouse of a U.S. military service member who died or is 100 percent disabled from service, the waiver is a last-dollar award after all other money has been accounted for and applies towards tuition. See Details and Application
Veterans United Foundation Scholarships
If you are a surviving spouse or child of a deceased service member from a service-related death or of a veteran with a 100 percent service-connected disability, you could be eligible for a $2,000 scholarship from the Veterans United Foundation. See Details and Application
For more information regarding the GI Bill® or tuition benefits, contact:
Kerry Thompson, EOU Military and Veteran Coordinator & Online Advisor, kjthompson@eou.edu | military@eou.edu | 1-800-382-2114 | 541-289-2841.
Grants
Scholarships
Transfer Credits
Waivers
You can save time and money earning your degree by transferring credits and applying for grants and scholarships.If you feel you qualify for a program based on the descriptions below, be sure to click the link to read all the details regarding eligibility requirements and award amounts.
Once admitted to EOU, you will receive college credit for training completed during your U.S. military service. Credit will be awarded based on recommendations by the American Council on Education or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning and ASL. You may also transfer credits from prior college courses, or through CLEP or DANTES testing.
- Bachelor’s programs may accept up to 135 credit hours.
- Master’s programs may accept up to 15 credit hours.
You can order your transcripts using the appropriate military branch link below. Please note that you will likely be prompted to manually accept the DoD’s security certificates.
Scholarship and Grant Opportunities
We’ve curated a list of scholarships and scholarship search sites that apply to active military, veterans and their family members. The list is not meant to be all-encompassing and you should seek additional sources as you’re able.
Once Tuition Assistance benefits have been applied, this award from EOU will cover the remaining tuition fees. You must be an active-duty military service member taking 100 percent online undergraduate coursework and submit paperwork for TA benefits through your branch of the military.
This award is applied automatically based on the submission of TA paperwork through the third-party billing desk of the student accounts office.
If you are serving or have served in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) as part of the Oregon National Guard or in a military reserve component after 9/11, you could be eligible for this needs-based scholarship that awards up to $3,000 per academic year. See Details and Application
Fry Scholarship
If you’re the child or surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, or a member of the Selected Reserve who died from a service-connected disability on or after the same date, you may qualify for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship) which grants you up to 36 months of benefits including money for tuition, housing, books and supplies. Learn more about the Fry Scholarship
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants
If you are a child of a U.S. military service member who died due to military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after 9/11, you may be eligible for this federal grant which awards between $5,983.34 and $6,495 depending upon your eligibility. See Full Details
Veterans United Foundation Scholarships
If you are a surviving spouse or child of a deceased service member from a service-related death or of a veteran with a 100 percent service-connected disability, you could be eligible for a $2,000 scholarship from the Veterans United Foundation. See Details and Application
Eastern Oregon University endeavors to reduce your out-of-pocket education expense as much as possible. You can review the links below to determine what additional scholarships you may want to pursue.
- Review EOU scholarship opportunities here.
- Review military-based scholarship opportunities here.
- Find external scholarship search sites here.
Also, be sure tovisit the Federal Trade Commission’s Scholarship Scams page to educate and protect yourself and your loved ones from criminals working to gain access to your personal data.
Military Resources & Links
Get connected quickly to the teams that are meant to serve you.
Oregon Partnership’s Military Helpline
Offering 24-7 mental health crisis and suicide intervention, substance abuse crisis assistance and services referral across the state, the helpline is available to all military service members and their family, friends and relatives at 888-457-4838. Learn more here.
Veterans Administration
Familiarize yourself with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Find a VA location, learn more about benefits and health care and access your records.
Quick Links:
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
Explore Our Online, Career-Ready Programs
Study when and where it’s best for you to do so with our online delivery system. Be guided by expert faculty who are professionals in the field and incorporate their real-world skills into coursework so you’re ready to succeed in the career you choose.
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Try It Now“Being Active Duty, I need to have an incredibly flexible schedule and Eastern Oregon University has been able to provide that. Kerry Thompson, Military/Veteran Coordinator, has been most helpful in recommending which classes I should take and pointing me in the right direction for financial assistance. Everyone knows that school can be relatively expensive, but between Pell Grants, TA, and academic scholarships through EOU, I have not had to pay a dime starting my senior year. I would highly recommend EOU for any military members, past, present or future!”
– Hayden hawkins, u.s. army active duty, business administration major
Frequently Asked Questions
STEP 1: Apply for EOU Admission
You’ll be asked to submit all official transcripts – including your Military Training Transcripts
STEP 2: Apply for Student Federal Aid
EOU’s Federal school code is 003193
STEP 3: Apply for Military Education Benefits
A. Review your options for the military education benefits based on your eligibility. Compare benefits easily by using the GI Bill Comparison Tool and viewing current payment rates.
B. Apply online for your GI Bill® benefits
C. Contact appropriate EOU representative for support:
Dorothy Jones – EOU Veterans Certifying Official, Chapter 33, 35, 30, 31, 1606 and 1607
Nanda VanHouten – Military Tuition Assistance, Chapters 31 & 33
STEP 4: Admitted? Congrats! Connect with Kerry Thompson, EOU Military and Veteran Coordinator & Online Advisor, kjthompson@eou.edu | military@eou.edu | 1-800-382-2114 | 541-289-2841.
If you are a veteran, use the Find a Form link, search and complete VA Form 22-1990, Application for VA Education Benefits. You will be mailed a COE in approximately 8 weeks.
Yes, if you provide documentation that you are eligible for the benefit, and that you have applied. However, only the Department of Veteran Affairs can determine eligibility for VA benefits. We are only estimating what they will pay. You will be responsible for any amount of your debt VA has determined they will not pay for. If you are unsure, wait until your COE is mailed to you.
You don’t. The Yellow Ribbon is part of the Post-9/11 GI Bill® and is automatically applied if your tuition costs exceed the maximum state cap for tuition reimbursement and if you are qualified for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® at the 100 percent rate. The Yellow Ribbon does not apply for active-duty personnel, their spouses or veterans receiving less than 100 percent of the benefit.
You can apply for grants, scholarships, waivers and federal financial aid. See the Save Time & Money tab above for the many options available.
You can also apply for student federal aid: EOU’s Federal school code is 003193
It depends on the type of benefit. We are required to report the net tuition cost to the VA after applying grants, scholarships, discounts, etc. that apply to tuition. The balance is what VA will pay under chapter 33.
Request and provide an official copy of your JST or CCAF transcript during the admissions process along with your prior college transcripts and high school transcripts so they can be evaluated.
You can order your transcripts using the appropriate military branch link below. Please note that you will likely be prompted to manually accept the DoD’s security certificates.
It is possible. If you’re authorized to use more than one GI Bill® benefit you’re allowed to use up to 48 months of benefits, but one at a time. If you have used up your entire chapter 30 and have never used a different chapter (31, 32, 34, 35, 1606 or 1607) you could be eligible for an additional 12 months if you have not reached your delimiting date.
No. You will not receive a W-2 from the VA and benefits paid under any law administered by VA should not be reported as income to the IRS.
Please contact Kerry Thompson, EOU Military and Veteran Coordinator & Online Advisor, kjthompson@eou.edu | military@eou.edu | 1-800-382-2114 | 541-289-2841.
You can also visit www.gibill.va.gov.
EOU’s policy states that any student with orders to report for active military duty may withdraw at any time during the term and receive a full refund. You may review the full policy here.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.