Enlisting: A financial relief for college students – The Cauldron
As Ana Crangle prepared for her second college semester, she visited her father, who along with her mother, had been helping her pay for college. During lunch at a small sub shop near her hometown in Independence, she and her father discussed her family’s financial struggles, which made paying for college tuition increasingly difficult.
Disheartened by the fact that her education was now at risk, Crangle searched for any possible option that would allow her to move forward in her academic career. Her scholarships had only been awarded for a single semester and her part-time job wasn’t nearly enough to support the total amount of college tuition.
In her search for additional college funding, Crangle came across several financial benefits offered by the military when becoming an active member. Realizing that joining the military was an available option to help relieve her financial burden, Crangle decided to enlist in the National Guard.
“I remember being really excited after making the decision because joining the National Guard would pay for my tuition,” shared Crangle, 19, a social work major at Cleveland State University (CSU). “It felt as though someone had taken a weight off my shoulders.”
Crangle is one of many students that join the military to avoid the financial burden of college tuition and relieve the burden of having to pay back debt.
According to a 2018 study done by the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, 32% of service members join the military to access its benefits, including the GI Bill—a federal program that pays for soldiers’ college tuition.
Kionna Byous, a staff sergeant at CSU, agrees that joining the military can open doors for those struggling with the cost of school.
“It’s probably the number one reason why people join the military,” said Byous, 21. “Especially with the cost of school specifically.”
Many students don’t realize, Byous said, that there are added benefits when the military pays for college.
“When people join the military for education reasons, there’s an added bonus,” Byous said. “You don’t just get your school paid for, you are able to get help with all the other aspects of life.”
According to Byous, not only can joining the military cover up to the full cost of tuition, but GI Bill benefits also account for additional college life expenses including housing, food and textbooks.
Byous claims that the military has also helped students tremendously with making these educational benefits easier to access over the years.
“The military has come a long way with making [benefits] more accessible,” Byous said. “Now you’re automatically entitled to so many.”
Ana Crangle. Photo Credit: Matt Keyerleber