Table of Contents
The GI Bills
The GI Bills and more: A good website from the VA which includes an approved programs site which itself includes a useful WEAMS institution search engine showing approved institutions and veterans contacts (certifying officials) — but it lacks a feature to look up by county or region.
Scholarship and Loan Programs
Students.gov is a great “one-source” resource for finding scholarships, GI Bill information, and more all in one place. It gets around the personal information issue that some *.com sites present. Its college matching wizard has a useful college finder which can get down to the local area and includes “associate degree” schools, though not as complete as the PA Dept. of Education’s site (next section).
What Pennsylvania Provides: The Pennsylvania Dept. of Education site, while not the easiest site to navigate or readily suggest it does anything for veterans, provides a wealth of information and resources. In using it one might overlook what the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs (also look at its Veterans Online Resource Directory for Education) and Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (Do not look the FAQ section in State Grants on the special provision for veterans) provide. So do not overlook them in the confusion or because of their lack of orientation on veterans and military seeking quick information related to their benefits. Use search engine features when necessary.
Specialized Scholarship Sites:Scholarships for Military Children and the Looking Glass website, which has a primary focus revolving around disabilities, including its own scholarship program are useful sites.
The LVMAC Scholarship Program: LVMAC offers its own scholarship program to support its community military-veterans community. For a brochure explaining the program, click here. For the veterans’ application form, click here. For the application form for a child or the un-remarried spouse of a KIA, click here.
Finding Schools
Schools in the Local Area: The PA Dept. of Education provides an excellent subsite for locating schools in your area. So many sites forget trade schools. Not this one. Used in conjunction with the WEAMS search engine, you get a running start at who to contact. You might want to look at LehighValleyPAOnline for schools or the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation website for education, training and employment also. See also this Student.gov site.
Getting Additional Help
Use the Division of Veterans/Military Education, PA Dept. of Education for advice if you are running into difficulties. Remember that the state has its own programs that might be of use, some veteran and military specific. These people ought to be able to help you find your way around. Veterans Advisors at approved schools are also often helpful for general information and definitely should guide you through the process at their school.
Last Updated: 29 February (link updates and formatting changes)
