Veterans Affairs

National Guard

Tuition exemption

Tuition exemption is NOT a GI Bill®program. This is a state program for the Louisiana National Guard. To use this benefit, you must contact your full-time Unit Readiness NCO and the State Education Service Office. They will then send notification to LSUHSC, Student Financial Aid Office. It is YOUR responsibility to visit the Student Financial Aid Office to have this benefit applied to your account.

Patriot Scholarship

The Patriot Scholarship is a Louisiana law passed in 2023 to work in conjunction with the State Tuition Exemption Program (STEP) to help Louisiana Army and Air National Guardsmen work towards an undergraduate degree and Graduate Debt Free.

How do I sign up for Patriot Scholarship?

All Louisiana Army and Air National Guard members became eligible for the Patriot Scholarship when the law went into effect on 01 August 2023. To use this benefit, the process is similar to STEP. Your school will have a list of all members eligible for STEP and the Patriot Scholarship. If you are on the list, you are signed up. If you are not on the list, you can contact the LANG Education Services Office and then can help you prove eligibility.

The VA School Certifying Official at LSUHSC is not responsible for reporting National Guard tuition exemption or scholarship information to the Financial Aid office. 

For more information about the programs visit https://geauxguard.la.gov/education/.

 

State Dependent Exemption

Fee Exemption Certificate (Title 29)

This is NOT a GI Bill® benefit, it is a Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LVDA) program.

This benefit provides educational assistance to dependents of certain veterans of the state of Louisiana:

  • Children and surviving spouses of veterans who died in service in the Armed Forces of the United States or died of a service connected disability incurred during a wartime period.
  • Children of living veterans who are rated 90% or above disabled, including 100% individual unemployability, by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs "Schedule for Rating Disabilities," as a result of a disability or disabilities incurred in service in the Armed Forces of the United States.
  • Eligible students are exempt from paying tuition and school-imposed fees. Student-imposed fees are not exempt.

For more information about the program or to apply for Title 29 contact your local Parish Veterans Service Office .  For additional information you may also visit the LDVA website.

Eligible students will receive a Fee Exemption Certificate from the Louisiana Department of Veteran Affairs bearing the department's seal.  You must submit the original certificate to LSUHSC Student Financial Aid Office to receive the exemption. They can be reached via email at finaid@lsuhsc.edu , telephone: (504) 568-4820 or fax: (504) 599-1390.