The University of Phoenix and American Intercontinental University top veteran college enrollment lists, according to a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article appearing yesterday. As the first batch of post 9/11 veterans begins re-assimilating to civilian life, many are taking advantage of the Montgomery GI Bill to acquire degrees. The bill provides a stipend that covers the cost of most community colleges and online schools but falls short of most public university tuition levels.

While the Post-9/11 Veterans’ Assistance Act (which we blogged about previously) will provide a much more generous aid package to veterans, it doesn’t go into effect until August of 2009. The result has been that veterans either start at a two year program with hopes of transferring to a larger school, or simply pursue a degree online while working to support themselves.

Although traditional institutions often belittle online schools, the results speak for themselves: some 17,000 veterans enrolled in the University of Phoenix alone last year. What we’re seeing is a prime example of the private sector meeting a crucial demand in an area that the public sector has neglected. In their haste to be dismissive of online schools, public universities have forgotten that not everyone has the luxury of attending classes full-time—and in doing so have underserved a key demographic.

Whether or not this trend is reversed once the new bill goes into effect next year remains to be seen, but it’s unlikely that much will change. The new bill only provides 36 months of benefits up to the cost of the most expensive public university in the state—which means that even if veterans choose to attend a university they will still have to cover their own expensive in their final year.

Tags: Career Education, Non-Traditional Students, Online Education