UMass panel approves $8K fee break for veterans

May 28, 2008 01:56 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Globe Staff

Veterans returning from serving in Afghanistan and Iraq who want to attend the University of Massachusetts would get $8,000 taken off their fees under a proposal approved today by a committee of the university's board of trustees.

The veterans would get $2,000 in fees waived annually for up to four years, the trustees' administration and finance committee voted this morning. Veterans already don't have to pay tuition. The new break would result, for example, in a reduction of about $3,700 in the $10,232 in annual tuition and fees at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

The fee-waiver proposal must now be voted on by the university's full board at its June 12 meeting at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Robert J. Manning, chairman of the trustees, said he was pleased with the committee's unanimous vote.

"The least we can do for those who have served our country in combat zones is to honor their service and support their desire to pursue a degree," he said in a statement.

The new policy requires that students take 12 or more credits per semester. It does not apply to continuing education or online courses.

The university said that by some estimates, more than 26,000 Massachusetts residents have served in Iraq or Afghanistan and could qualify for the benefit.

Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are also eligible for a $1,000 grant from the state towards higher education.