187-A:20 Tuition Waived. –
I. If a person is domiciled in this state while serving in or with the armed forces of the United States and is, after February 28, 1961, reported or listed as missing, or missing in action, or interned in a neutral country, or beleaguered, besieged, or captured by the enemy during the South East Asian conflict, any child of such person, enrolled after August 16, 1981, in the university of New Hampshire, Plymouth state university, or Keene state college shall, so long as said person is so reported, listed, interned, beleaguered, besieged, or captured, not be required to pay tuition for attendance at such institutions. Any person entitled to free tuition under this paragraph shall apply to the board of trustees of the university system, and said board may require such proof as they may deem necessary in order for a person to qualify for free tuition under this paragraph.
II. (a) If a person, while serving in or with the armed forces of the United States, has received a discharge other than dishonorable from service, and is totally and permanently disabled from such service-connected disability, and was domiciled in the state of New Hampshire at the time they entered military service or when he or she was determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be so disabled, whether on original decision or appeal, and is currently a resident of New Hampshire or was a resident of New Hampshire at the time of their death, any child of such person enrolled in an institution that is part of the university system of New Hampshire shall not be required to pay tuition for attendance at such institution. For the purpose of this paragraph, "child" shall mean a biological, adopted, or stepchild from marriage who meets the university system's residency requirements, provided in the case of a stepchild that the parents are still married at the time of application and remain so during the entire time of matriculation under this paragraph.
(b) Any person entitled to free tuition under this paragraph shall apply to the board of trustees of the university system. The board shall, for proof of disability, only require a determination of disability letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs indicating that the disability of the sponsoring parent is 100 percent total, permanent, service connected and that the character of discharge was other than dishonorable, in order for a person to qualify for free tuition under this paragraph. The board may also require such evidence as it deems necessary to establish residence at the time of service entry or the time of disability determination and proof of relation to sponsoring veteran. The child of a veteran shall remain eligible for free tuition under this paragraph through the end of the semester in which he or she attains the age of 27, provided that the child shall be financially liable for the cost of any studies continuing in the semester following his or her 27th birthday.
(c) All applicants shall complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and shall cooperate with the institution in filling out such applications for grants and other financial assistance as the institution may request in order to offset the tuition waiver cost to the institution. This shall not include any benefits provided directly to the student by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under 38 U.S.C. sections 3500-3566, et seq. Failure to cooperate shall be considered grounds to deny a tuition waiver under this paragraph, provided that the applicant shall not be required to apply for loans or other funding that will cause the applicant to incur future debt. Non-eligibility for grants or other funding shall not be grounds to deny a tuition waiver under this paragraph.
Source. 1981, 331:1. 1985, 140:7. 2003, 159:1, eff. Aug. 16, 2003. 2020, 34:1, eff. July 1, 2021. 2022, 28:1, eff. June 17, 2022.