Rhode Island In-State Tuition for Service Members, Veterans and Families
Resident tuition rates without any waiting period for active duty members with more than 30 days of service, their spouses and dependents, any veteran eligible for the GI Bill, and transferees and Fry Scholarship recipients living in the state.
Also called: in-state tuition, 30-30.3-1, residency, GI Bill, Fry Scholarship, transferred benefits, thirty days.
For: Veteran or service member, spouse, child, survivor.
Rhode Island General Laws 30-30.3-1 removes the residency waiting period for tuition at an institution of higher education. Four groups pay the rates provided for Rhode Island residents "without regard to the length of time the person has lived in this state".
Any active duty member of any branch of the uniformed services who has been on active duty for more than thirty days, and the spouse or dependent of such a member.
Any active duty member injured while on active duty whose injuries cause them to be on active duty for a period of less than thirty days. That limb exists so that a member whose service was cut short by injury is not shut out by the thirty-day rule, and it is the one most likely to be missed at a registrar's desk.
Any veteran of the uniformed services who is eligible for federal GI Bill educational benefits. Note what this does not ask: not that the veteran is using the GI Bill, only that they are eligible for it. And not that they live in Rhode Island.
Any other individual eligible for transferred federal GI Bill benefits or the Fry Scholarship, provided they live in Rhode Island while attending a Rhode Island public postsecondary institution. The residence condition attaches to this fourth group and not to the first three.
"Uniformed services" rather than armed forces carries in the Public Health Service and NOAA commissioned corps.
The section was enacted by P.L. 2015, ch. 167 and ch. 197 to implement the federal Higher Education Act reauthorization and the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, and it directs the council of postsecondary education to develop the policy and regulations that make it operate.
No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this entry.
This is a rate, not a waiver. A veteran who also qualifies for the disabled veterans tuition waiver in this catalog at ten percent or more should claim that instead, because it removes the tuition rather than lowering it. The two reach different people: the waiver requires permanent Rhode Island residence and a rating, and this section requires neither.
Thresholds
Thresholds for Rhode Island In-State Tuition for Service Members, Veterans and Families
Gate
Rule
Thirty days of active duty, or injury before thirty days
An active duty member of the uniformed services with more than thirty days of service qualifies, as does a member whose injury on active duty caused their service to be shorter than thirty days. Spouses and dependents of the first group are included. No disability rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.
Eligibility for the GI Bill is enough for a veteran
Any veteran of the uniformed services who is eligible for federal GI Bill educational benefits qualifies, whether or not they are using them and without a Rhode Island residence condition.
Transferees and Fry Scholarship recipients must live in the state
A person eligible for transferred GI Bill benefits or the Fry Scholarship qualifies provided they live in Rhode Island while attending a Rhode Island public postsecondary institution. That residence condition applies only to this group.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.