Wisconsin GI Bill® – Dependents

The Wisconsin GI Bill® provides tuition remission for up to 128 credits or 8 semesters, whichever is longer, to eligible Wisconsin veterans and their dependents. Each eligible dependent can get their own Wisconsin GI Bill® – the benefit is not shared. It can be used at any University of Wisconsin school or Wisconsin Technical College. All students using the benefit must be a Wisconsin resident for tuition purposes.

In order for dependents to use the Wisconsin GI Bill®, the veteran must have:

1. Served honorably in the armed forces during a qualifying period outlined in the WDVA B0105 (hint: Global War on Terrorism service qualifies)
2. Entered military service as a Wisconsin resident OR you have resided in the state for the past 5 consecutive years
3. A service-connected disability rating of at least 30%

Children using the Wisconsin GI Bill® must be at least 17 but not yet 26 years of age. Spouses and unmarried widows do not have an age restriction.

If you are a parent or spouse of an incoming UW-Madison student, we recommend involving the student in the education benefits process early. University Veteran Services is here to help everyone understand education benefits, but all correspondence from our office will go directly to the student once they are enrolled. Students have certain protections on what information can be shared and are most successful when given ownership over the use of their benefits.

This benefit can be used simultaneously with federal education benefits such as partial Post 9/11 GI Bill® , the Montgomery GI Bill® – Selected Reserve, or Dependents’ Educational Assistance. If you have eligibility for the Post 9/11 at 100%, you must exhaust the benefit before switching to the Wisconsin GI Bill®.

You are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 to take advantage of the Wisconsin GI Bill®.