Other universities, including Western Michigan and the University of Michigan, have improved taken steps to improve their veterans assistance programs in the last year. However, MSU’s cover-all-costs program is believed to be the first of its kind at a public university.

“Veterans’ benefits from the federal government don’t cover the full cost of an education here,” Rick Shipman, MSU’s director of the Office of Financial Aid, said in a statement. “We want to ensure that these students don’t have to worry about money to complete their undergraduate educations.”

In order to be eligible for the program, veterans must be Michigan residents and will be expected to work 10-12 hours a week.

Shipman said it’s difficult to predict how many veterans will use the new program. 207 veterans are currently enrolled at MSU and receive some benefits. 19 of those student veterans are disabled.

“Veterans, in particular those who return home with disabilities, have paid a high price in service to our country,” MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said in a statement. “We are very proud to offer this financial aid to those who have sacrificed so much. We’re hopeful that this will help veterans gain the knowledge they will need to re-enter the work force.”