A scholarship fund shall be established for Vietnam era veterans, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, who have been accepted for admission on a full-time basis in a degree-granting program at any independent, nontheological college in the state, provided such veteran is a resident of the state at the time of his acceptance, as defined in sections 10a-28, 10a-29 and 10a-30. The board shall adopt, by regulation, guidelines for qualifying for scholarship funds, taking into consideration the special needs of such veterans, such as marital status, parental responsibilities and sources of support.