The Post-9/11 GI Bill and its Role in For-Profit University Enrollment

There is limited research on the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, known as the 9/11 GI Bill, which provides educational benefits to veterans who have served in the United States military on active duty for 90 days. While outcomes for public and nonprofit universities are well known, less is known about whether proprietary universities are successful in recruitment and enrollment of veterans under the 9/11 GI Bill. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences that veterans who were Post 9/11 Bill beneficiaries had with recruitment strategies and institutional public policy practices from for-profit institutions. Ten veterans who participated in this study received Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits and enrolled in a for-profit institution based in Florida. Data was collected using the transcripts of the responses from the face-to-face interviews. These data were inductively coded and analyzed using a modified Van Kaam analysis procedure. The findings indicated that for-profit institutions used excessive recruitment strategies and aggressive targeting to attract veterans who received Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits. The findings also suggested that for-profit universities appear to need institutional policy changes and programs to assist veterans in transitioning from academic to civilian life. Recommendations to Veterans\u27 Affairs Offices, legislators, and leaders of proprietary institutions that support positive social change include mandatory reporting of federal funds, development of civilian transition programs, and adopting of key collaborations within departments. These recommendations may promote successful educational outcomes and sustainable employment for veterans