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If you can afford to pay OOS tuition out-of-pocket (with or without loans and/or outside scholarships), then you most certainly can if you’re willing to do that.</p>
<p>States, like Texas and Alaska, have great education benefits like fee (and even complete tuition waivers for veterans, but unfortunately (for the OOS vet) veterans of that state, meaning they enlisted at a MEPS in that state and their home of record is in that state, are the only vets eligible.</p>
<p>Good news: Texas A&M University participates in YRP with 25 slots for $10k each (so an extra $20k in financial assistance!).
Bad news: Those 25 slots are for the entire University Park campus (all programs and majors, undergrad and grad). So few spots at such large schools usually means there is a wait list to gain the benefit and many vets end up graduating before they can use that benefit because of this. Or, a large pool of vets are required to reapply for the program every year, so it’s not guaranteed the entire college stay. Get on the hook with A&M and find out their YRP policy to determine of that option is feasible for you. Otherwise, your 9-11 GIB will still cover a huge chunk of the cost - up to the entire in-state rate. 9-11GIB + max federal student loan usually gets the student veteran to having to come up with a couple thousand out-of-pocket, which might be covered via work, savings, leftover VA housing allowance, etc. For example, if I’m doing my math right, T A&M OOS tuition for a full-time (12 units) engineering student is around $13,000 each semester, so $26,000/yr. 9-11 GIB will cover the in-state amount of $9,400/yr. That coupled with your independent student fed loan (about another 9k) brings the total covered to $18.5k or so. About $7.5k more to go. The YRP looks like it would help tremendously here, if you could get it.</p>
<p>University of Alaska doesn’t participate in YRP at all (according to the VA website). Their OOS tuition and fees look about $19K/ year (6-7k of it covered as in-state from 911GIB).</p>
<p>Visit the websites and do some number crunching to see which one would be a financial viability for you.</p>
<p>I hope you will still apply to USC anyway.</p>
<p>Once you start school, set up shop right away. Set up a bank account, get some type of job and get involved in the community. Look up the state residency reqs (typically 12 months stay with ties to the state like previous advice to set up bank accounts etc). Change your river’s license / state ID asap and you should be on your way to residency status and lower tuition. Some ppl will say that you cannot est. residency if you are just in the state to attend school, so don’t be in the state just to attend school. Don’t take trips out of the state during school breaks (especailly in that first year), set up financial ties (bank accounts with in-state mailing address, buy real property if you can afford it, or at least a car with state plates, join a non-student group to be “involved” . . . )</p>
<p>I’m rambling and it’s late. Hope this helps. Best of luck.</p>