Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Purple Heart Recipients or Wounded Veterans
Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE)
Up to 100% of tuition and fees at Indiana public colleges (up to $5,000/yr at private nonprofits) for children of Purple Heart recipients or veterans wounded by enemy action.
- How much
- up to 100% of tuition and regularly assessed fees at Indiana public colleges; up to $5,000/yr at Indiana private nonprofits
- Who qualifies
- Child of a Purple Heart recipient or veteran wounded by enemy action (Indiana home of record or 5 years' Indiana residence)
- Eligible for resident tuition; apply before age 33; Title IV-eligible program; SAP; not in default on federal aid; male applicants 18+ registered with Selective Service.
- For students starting college, undergrads, grad students
- U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
- When to apply
- Apply any time no fixed deadline; one-time application, must first apply before age 33; FAFSA each year
- How to apply
- Submit the one-time application in ScholarTrack (shared with the disabled-veterans exemption), then file a complete FAFSA every year
- IDVA reviews the application
- What you'll need
- state application + FAFSA
- Last checked
- October 5, 2026, against the official page (in.gov) and page 2
The details
For biological or adopted (before 18) children of a veteran who received the Purple Heart or was wounded as a result of enemy action, was not dishonorably discharged, and either listed Indiana as home of record at enlistment or lived in Indiana at least five years before the student first applies. Covers up to 124 semester credit hours at the undergraduate resident tuition rate, usable at the undergraduate, graduate or professional level, within eight academic years of first use. If the veteran parent enlisted before July 1, 2011 it covers 100%; if on or after July 1, 2011 it covers 20% plus the parent's VA disability percentage. At Indiana private nonprofit colleges, students who graduated high school on or after Jan 1, 2023 can get up to $5,000 a year. Must first apply before age 33; must keep SAP. Applications are reviewed by the Indiana Department of Veterans' Affairs.
More money from Indiana
- Frank O'Bannon Grant2026-27: up to $10,600 (private), $5,300 (public), $4,050 (proprietary or Ivy Tech) per year, by SAI
- Mitch Daniels Early Graduation Scholarship$4,000 one-time
- Adult Student Grantup to $2,000 per year (by SAI: $2,000 / $1,750 / $1,250 / $750 / $500)
- 21st Century Scholars Programup to 100% of tuition at Indiana public colleges; part of tuition at eligible private colleges
- Next Level Jobs Workforce Ready Granttuition and mandatory fees for a qualifying certificate program (last-dollar, after Pell)
Keep looking
- Answer a few questions to see every program you qualify for
- Nearby states: Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio
- Federal aid and national scholarships (open to students in any state)
- The FAFSA in plain English (2027-28)
- Should I file the FAFSA if I don't think I'll qualify?
- FAFSA deadlines by state (2027-28)
- The FAFSA for parents: what you need to do
- How to save on textbooks: free, rented and cheaper options
We list programs; we don't decide who gets them. Always check the official page before you apply. Spot something wrong? Tell us.