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It's hard getting an education while doing a hero's job. For the military service men and women stationed in Nevada it just got a little easier.

Active military members stationed in Nevada will no longer have to pay extra fees to attend UNLV, making pursuing a higher education degree virtually free for them.

In accordance with a policy shift by the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents, UNLV's President Len Jessup signed-off on the fee waiver program on June 5, on the eve of D-Day, one of our nation's greatest military victories.

"This policy will allow for most standard fees excluding the base registration fee, differential tuition, and special course fees to be waived," explained Rainier Spencer, associate vice provost for academic affairs. Spencer, a retired Army major and former West Point professor, said that the fee waiver is estimated to save service men and women about $350 a semester. The remainder per credit registration fee is covered by the military's Tuition Assistance Programs.

"UNLV has a long history of educating our American service men and women," said Jessup. "We are extremely grateful for the sacrifices they have made to protect our freedoms and are proud to offer this program as they prepare for their future."

In December, as a result of a recommendation by UNLV, the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents approved a measure that would allow the presidents of public higher education institutions in Nevada the ability to waive these fees.

Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Page said, "When I was first approached by UNLV to allow our universities the option of waiving the education fees for our military members I knew it was the right thing to do."

The fee waiver program will help cement UNLV's presence at Nellis Air Force base, where the school only recently returned after a four-year hiatus due to budget cuts during the Great Recession. UNLV's Nellis location consists of a full-time office and a classroom, with courses open to Nellis Air Force Base military personnel and their family members, as well as, civilian students on a "space available" basis. In addition to courses offered at the Nellis classroom, the fee waiver also applies to active duty military students stationed in Nevada who take UNLV classes on campus or online. This partnership is one of UNLV's many initiatives to assist and support its active duty student population in pursuit of their academic and career goals.

UNLV educates an estimated 1,475 active duty, reservists, National Guard members, veterans and their dependents. GI Jobs magazine named UNLV a military friendly school for the fifth consecutive, and in 2015 the university made Military Advanced Education's list of top military friendly colleges and universities.