When Senator Jim Webb, a Democrat from Virginia, introduced his "21st-Century GI Bill" last year, he predicted that it would give veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan the same educational opportunities that World War II veterans received under the original GI Bill of Rights, signed into law more than a half century ago. Webb's bill, which was signed into law late last month, will provide military personnel and recent veterans with enough aid to attend the most expensive public college in their states. Supporters say it has the potential to significantly expand college access for veterans and to increase their ranks at traditional four-year institutions. However, recent enrollment trends and interviews with veterans suggest that cost is not the only factor keeping today's troops out of nonprofit, four-year institutions. Many veterans prefer community colleges and for-profit institutions because they are more convenient and cater to their needs. Those trends, coupled with the much smaller size of today's military, mean that Webb's bill is unlikely to transform higher education in the same way that many historians believe its 20th-century predecessor did, even though it may open up new opportunities for thousands of veterans.