More than half of the veterans who used GI Bill benefits to attend college since 2009 have completed their academic or training programs, according to new data released on Monday.
The Million Records Project – a study conducted by Student Veterans of America (SVA) in conjunction with the National Student Clearinghouse and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – found that 51.7 percent of a sample of 788,915 former military service members who pursued some kind of postsecondary credential earned one within a 10-year time frame. "Million Records" refers to the number the groups started with; they were able to analyze 788,915, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Experts on veteran issues say the Million Records Project is the most comprehensive study to date on a sparsely researched subject — how vets are performing under a GI Bill program that has spent nearly $35 billion since 2009, reported The Associated Press.
The graduation rate in the report reflects those veterans who began using their GI Bill benefits between 2002 and 2010 and who completed a degree by June 2013, the most-recent degree information provided to researchers by the National Student Clearinghouse.
The veterans' completion rate only slightly lags that of the general student population. Veterans also take longer to earn their credentials, but that may be due in part to their often lengthy military deployments.
"The majority of student veterans accessing their G.I. Bill benefits are completing degrees and showing unparalleled determination to do so, despite many unique barriers," said Wayne Robinson, SVA's president and CEO, in a written statement. "A single deployment can interrupt a student veteran’s education for at least 9 to 13 months, but they're returning to the classroom and completing."
Related Links
Million Records Project
http://www.studentveterans.org/what-we-do/million-records-project.html#data
The Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/article/National-Data-Signal-College/145535
The Associated Press
http://www.boston.com/news/education/2014/03/23/report-estimates-half-vets-bill-graduate/NeFNL0b892a0U6rbI3tByI/story.html