The scholarship is the latest news resulting from a larger institutional effort to attract and retain student veterans and current service members at UMSL. (Photos by August Jennewein)
For those currently serving in the U.S. military, a University of Missouri–St. Louis education is now an even better deal.
This fall, UMSL will help active-duty students close the gap between the amount of Armed Forces Tuition Assistance they receive from the military and the full cost of a university education.
The result of a $50,000 commitment by the university, the UMSL Service Members Tuition Assistance Scholarship (SMTA) awards eligible students up to $1,000 per academic year. The scholarship applies to both undergraduate and graduate-level coursework. In the case of service members taking one or two three-credit courses at a time, SMTA makes up the tuition difference entirely.
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jim Craig, associate teaching professor and chair of the Department of Military and Veterans Studies
“In essence, a UMSL education is available tuition-free for most active-duty students,” said retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jim Craig, associate teaching professor and chair of the Department of Military and Veterans Studies. “It’s a great opportunity and speaks to UMSL’s increasing commitment to servicemembers seeking to pursue higher education.
“If you are active duty and you are using military tuition assistance, then the money is there for you,” Craig said. “You just have to apply.”
The scholarship is the latest news resulting from a larger institutional effort to attract and retain student veterans and current service members at UMSL.
Last fall, 429 veterans were enrolled at UMSL – an increase of 17 percent over the previous year. The university was recently named to the Military Times’ “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” list, and the UM System was also welcomed by the Pat Tillman Foundation as a university partner in the Tillman Scholars program.
For more information on the SMTA scholarship, contact the UMSL Veterans Center.
Media Coverage:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Associated Press (via KTVI)
