The National Veteran Education Success Tracker, also known as NVEST, was created to gather comprehensive, detailed data on the academic progress of student veterans. Researchers sought to answer two primary questions:
- How did veterans who used the Post-9/11 GI Bill between August 2009 and December 2013 perform in higher education?
- Is the Post-9/11 GI Bill worth taxpayers’ continued support?
The results of this research showed that student veterans perform better than their peers and that federal investment in this program is producing demonstrable results.
NVEST, which analyzed nearly 1 million individual veteran records, showed that student veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill are more likely to graduate. It also showed that they prefer to attend public or nonprofit schools while seeking degrees in business, the health professions, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In the first six years, the Post-9/11 GI Bill funded nearly 450,000 degrees or certificates and could pay for approximately 100,000 degrees each subsequent year with adequate funding.
Seven out of 10 student veterans in the NVEST Project either had completed a degree or certificate or were working on one when the research was conducted.
Student veterans are also using the Post-9/11 GI Bill to position themselves for the civilian workforce by earning degrees in marketable, high-demand majors. One out of four student veterans (27%) complete degrees in business, management, marketing, or a related field—the most common individual field or major among the NVEST Project participants.
The NVEST Project Report includes a review of past research, explains the project’s methodology, and showcases the academic success of those using the Post-9/11 GI Bill. It also demonstrates the compelling public need for continued research on the program and its participants.