Veterans education benefits

Here you will find the answers to the most common questions. If you have additional questions, please give us a call, or send us an email. You can find our contact information here.

How do I use my benefits?

Every quarter you wish to use your VA Education Benefits, you need to submit the Enrollment Certification Request. Once you know your schedule for the upcoming quarter, reach out to your academic adviser to set up an appointment. 

The Enrollment Certification Request is an online form, which will be completed by you and your adviser. When using DocuSign you will be asked to enter your adviser’s name and email. Once you complete your section of the form, it will automatically be sent to your adviser. After your adviser has completed their section the form will be sent to our office for processing. If you do not have UW NetID yet, or if you wish to use a PDF version instead please see our forms page for the PDF versions. We encourage you to use DocuSign when possible. 

We cannot certify your enrollment with the VA without this form, so make sure to complete it before each quarter. 

You can only be certified for courses that are required to complete your program. The course can be required as either general education credit or elective credit previously not filled. 

For repeating course(s) please see “ Can I repeat courses I’ve already taken?” 

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What’s the status of my form?

You can check the status of your forms here. If the form is signed by your adviser it will state Completed. If the form is not yet signed by your adviser it will state In Progress. Once your enrollment is certified you will receive an automated email from the VA.

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What if I make changes to my schedule?

If you make changes to your schedule by adding and/removing course(s), please submit an updated Enrollment Certification Request with your new schedule. Even if the total number of credits remains the same you need to submit an updated form. 

If you drop one or multiple classes, please contact our office.  

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What happens if I drop a course, or all my classes?  

If you drop a course or need to withdraw from school after the drop period please contact the Veterans Education Benefits Office as soon as possible. The drop or withdrawal will result in an overpayment of tuition and fees if you are using Post 9/11 benefits, as well as a potential overpayment in stipend.  The VA will automatically grant a 6-credit hour exclusion the first time you drop/withdraw from courses while using benefits. This one-time exclusion cannot be granted if you complete the quarter and receive a non-punitive grade.

If you have mitigating circumstances, the VA may forgive the debt owed. Mitigating circumstances are those beyond your control that prevent you from continuing to be enrolled or that cause you to reduce the number of credits. Examples include:

  • An illness or injury afflicting you during the enrollment period
  • An illness or death in your immediate family
  • An unavoidable change in your conditions of employment
  • Unanticipated active duty military service, including training
  • Immediate family or financial obligations beyond your control that require you to suspend pursuit of your education to gain employment.

Please contact the VA to let them know about your mitigating circumstances.

You can submit a petition to Student Fiscal Services to waive the tuition forfeiture owed. Please see this page for more details: https://finance.uw.edu/sfs/petitions

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What happens if I do a Former Quarter Drop?

The University of Washington understands that you may face a variety of challenges and obstacles while attending the University. The Former Quarter Drop process provides students with a method to petition for a grade earned in a former quarter to be changed to a Registrar Drop (RD). A grade of RD does not impact your cumulative GPA or academic standing.

If you complete a Former Quarter Drop with the Registrar’s office, let the Veterans Education Benefits Office know so they can report it to the VA. The VA will not cover tuition for RD grades, and the Former Quarter Drop will result in tuition overpayment to the VA.

You can submit a petition to Student Fiscal Services to waive the tuition forfeiture owed. Please see this page for more details: https://finance.uw.edu/sfs/petitions

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Can I repeat courses I’ve already taken?

Courses previously failed or for which the grade does not meet minimum requirements for graduation may be certified for VA purposes if they are repeated. If you repeat a course, you will need to have a Course Repeat form signed by your academic adviser. The VA will not pay for course repeats done in order to improve GPA, or repeating courses for a re-fresh. 

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Do I need to verify my enrollment?

If you are using Chapter 33, 30, 1606, or Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship you need to verify your attendance with the VA each month.

Starting Winter quarter 2022 students using Post 9/11 benefits (Chapter 33) have to verify their enrollment each month in order to receive their Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA).

If you fail to verify enrollment for two consecutive months, your MHA/kicker payments will be placed on hold.  In order to have your payments released, you will need to call the VA to verify your enrollment. When you call the VA to release your payments, you may also enroll in text message verification at that time.

Please see more details on the VA’s website.

This is in addition to submit your Enrollment Certification Request each quarter you wish to use your benefits.

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How do I verify my enrollment?

Chapter 33 – Post 9/11 benefits can verify their enrollment with the VA, via text or phone call.

Via Text Message:

  • Opt in: Students with a U.S. mobile phone number can use text messages as a simple, quick option for verifying monthly enrollment. As your enrollment approaches, you will receive the following opt-in text: “Post-9/11 GI Bill® housing and kicker payments now require monthly enrollment verification. Would you like to submit yours via text? Please reply YES or NO.” Reply “YES” to opt in. The text message link will expire 14 days after receipt, so please respond within that time frame.
  • Verify: After opting in, you can verify your enrollment every month simply by responding to the following text message from VA: “Did you remain enrolled in your courses in MON YYYY as certified? Please reply YES or NO. If you have dropped all your courses, you must reply NO.” Reply “YES” to verify enrollment for the previous month.

The VA will never ask for your personal information, such as social security number or bank account information, via text.

Please reach out to  the Education Call Center (ECC) at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) to update your contact information if you have not received a text message to opt-in. This will ensure that you receive the latest email updates on monthly enrollment verification and are able to opt-in to enrollment verification by text message.

Via Phone Call:

If you are unable to verify via text or email, you will need to contact the VA at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) and ask a representative to verify your enrollment. NOTE: VA wait times may be high due to the number of students verifying enrollment each month. If you’re not sure if the VA has your phone number and/or email on file, you can also contact the VA to update your contact information and ensure you can verify via text or email.

Chapter 30 and 1606 recipients are required to contact the VA on the last day of each month to verify their attendance. If you forget to call, your payment will be held. If the number of credits or enrollment status is incorrect when you are verifying your attendance, contact the Veterans Education Benefits Office with the correct information. Do not try to correct it through the VA website.

Verify by phone: 1-877-823-2378
Verify online: WAVE system

If you are using STEM scholarship you can verify your attendance using STEM text. Please see the VA’s PDF about the STEM Text for more details.  

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How are tuition and fee payments handled?

Post 9/11 benefits will cover resident tuition and mandatory fees up to your entitlement percentage. Examples of non-mandatory fees are late change fee, transcript fee, ID photo fee, and various WSA/UW USAS/WASHPIRG fees.

We certify enrollments in a two step process. Initially we will only certify your credits, and not report any tuition and fees. A few weeks into the quarter the certification is amended to reflect tuition and fees. As such your tuition will be paid after the tuition deadline, but you will not be assessed any late fees from Student Fiscal Services, as it is part of the normal certifying procedure.

The VA sends a letter stating they could not pay tuition and fees as the University of Washington reported $0 in tuition and fees. This is due to the fact that we report tuition and fees at a later date.

If you are using Chapter 30, Chapter 1606 or Chapter 35 you are responsible for paying your tuition after any financial aid, tuition waiver, and other resources have been applied. The benefits paid by the VA are monthly housing stipend paid directly to you.  

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Do I qualify for resident tuition?

Students who are eligible for VA education benefits are eligible for residency under RCW 28B.15.012(2)(k). The student does not need to live in Washington. The student does not need to be actively using educational benefits to qualify. Eligible students continue to be classified as residents as long as they are continuously enrolled at the same institution.

For more details please make sure to review our page about residency for military connected students here.

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Do I need to be full time to use my benefits?

You do not need to be enrolled full time in order to use your benefits. You can be enrolled part time and use your benefits. If you are less than full time your monthly stipend will be prorated to match your enrollment status. Please see the FAQ below for details how your Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) will be prorated. Your usage of Post 9/11 benefits will match the rate of pursuit so if you are enrolled half time you will only use half of your entitlement in comparison to full time.

If you are using other types of benefits, please use the GI Bill® comparison tool to see how the benefits would work.  

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How is the Monthly Housing Allowance calculated?

Post 9/11 benefits pay a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) which is based on the BAH rate for E5 with dependents for the zip code of where you take the majority of your courses and your enrollment status (rate of pursuit).

If you are full time and if you are taking the majority of your courses on the Seattle campus, the MHA rate for Academic Year 2023-2024 is $2,910 per month, for a full month of enrollment. This may change based on the enrollment status, location of course(s) and days of enrollment.

If you are taking all online courses, the MHA rate is $988 per month.
If you attend over half-time, but less than full time, the VA prorates the MHA amount, taking your rate of pursuit and rounding to the nearest multiple of 10.

Undergraduate/Professional Students

If you’re taking this many credits Your rate of pursuit is Your MHA is this rate
12 100% 100%
11 91% 90%
10 83% 80%
9 75% 80%
8 66% 70%
7 58% 60%
6 or below 50% or less 0%

Graduate Students

If you’re taking this many credits Your rate of pursuit is Your MHA is this rate
10 100% 100%
9 90% 90%
8 80% 80%
7 70% 70%
6 60% 60%
5 or below 50% or less 0%

 

If you are using other types of benefits, please use the GI Bill® comparison tool to see how the benefits would work.  

If you are attending Summer Quarter please see our FAQ about Summer Quarter.

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How do I pay Housing and Food Services, or my rent?

The monthly housing stipend is paid directly to you by the VA. This means you are responsible for paying rent or any housing charges you have depending on your situation. If you do have room and board through UW, please contact Housing and Food Services to let them know you are using benefits, so you can set up a payment plan with them.

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How does Summer Quarter work?

You can use your benefits during Summer Quarter, taking classes that are required for your degree program. Every quarter you wish to use your benefits, you need to submit the Enrollment Certification Request.

Full time for summer quarter is 12 credits for undergraduates/professional students, and 10 credits for graduate students. As with any other quarter for the academic year, if you are using Post 9/11 benefits, and you are taking all online courses, the your Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) will be adjusted to reflect all distance courses.

However, since summer quarter is shorter than a regular quarter the VA will pay benefits at a full time rate when enrolled in less than full time. Summer Quarter is not only shorter, it also consists for different terms. The curriculum is organize between A-term, B-term and Full-term. Please see the UW Calendar for exact dates. Some classes will take place in only A-term or B-term, and some will be for the Full-term. Please see the chart below for when the VA will pay at a full time rate.

Term Undergraduate Graduate Professional
A-term 4 credits 3 credits 4 credits
B-term 4 credits 3 credits 4 credits
Full-term 9 credits 8 credits 9 credits

Here are a few scenarios to illustrate how the VA will consider the Summer Quarter.

  • If you are an undergraduate student, and you are taking two 4 credit classes, one in A-term and one in B-term, you would receive a stipend at a full time rate for both A-term and B-term.
  • If you are an undergraduate student, and you are taking two classes in Full-term, one 4 credit class, and one 5 credits class, you would receive a stipend at a full time rate for the whole Full-term.
  • If you are an undergraduate student, and you are taking two 4 credits classes, one in A-term and one in Full-term,  you would not receive a stipend at a full time rate for the whole duration of the quarter. You would be paid at the full time rate during A-term, but during the last portion of the Full-term you would be considered to be enrolled in less than half time for VA purposes.

As there are many different scenarios, please reach out to us if you have questions about your specific schedule.

If you are using financial aid, please note the full-time and part-time enrollment requirements for Summer Quarter are the same as for any quarter for the academic year. For the process of applying for aid for summer quarter, please see this page.

If you have any questions about your benefits or financial aid please contact us at veteran@uw.edu.

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How do I use Tuition Assistance?

The Department of Defense (DoD) Tuition Assistance (TA) program covers up to 100% tuition and fees, not to exceed $166 per quarter credit hours, or $4,500.00 per fiscal year (Oct. 1 through Sept. 30). Tuition assistance is available to active duty, National Guard and Reserve Component service members.

For more details about using TA, please see our page here.

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Do I qualify for a tuition waiver as a service member?

As a service member, you may also qualify for additional tuition assistance through one of the state waiver programs. You are eligible to receive a waiver of your tuition and fees (up to 50% of in-state rate) if you are:

  • a Washington state domicile who was an active or reserve member of the United States military or a national guard member called to active duty,
  • who served in active federal service, under either the Title 10 or Title 32,
  • in a war or conflict fought on foreign soil or in international waters or in another location in support of those serving on foreign soil or in international waters, and
  • if discharged from service, has received an honorable discharge.

For more details about the waiver, how to apply and additional conditions that need to be met, please see our page here.

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How does the Post 9/11 benefits work with the tuition waiver for service members?

If you are eligible for Post 9/11 benefits you can use the tuition waiver (assuming you meet the requirements for the tuition waiver) if you have less than 100% entitlement. If you have 100% Post 9/11 entitlement the VA will cover the full resident tuition, and the waiver is not necessary.

If you have less than 100% entitlement, you can use both the waiver and the VA education benefits. You will still have a tuition balance not covered by the waiver and the Post 9/11 benefits. The VA will only pay towards the net tuition meaning the tuition amount after the waiver has been applied.

For example, if you have 50% entitlement and the tuition is $4,000 for the quarter, the tuition waiver will waive $2,000 (50%), and we will report the remaining $2,000 to the VA. The VA will pay your 50% entitlement of it, or $1,000. The outstanding balance is $1,000.

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Do I qualify for a tuition waiver as a dependent?

As a dependent, you may also qualify for additional assistance through the state waiver program.

You are eligible to receive a waiver of all resident tuition and fees if your parent or spouse is a Washington state domicile who:

  • was an active or reserve member of the United States military, or a national guard member called to active duty, who served in active federal service, under either the Title 10 or Title 32, in a war or conflict fought on foreign soil or in international waters or in another location in support of those serving on foreign soil or in international waters, has received an honorable discharge,
  • and became totally disabled (a person who has been determined to be one hundred percent disabled by the Federal Department of Veteran Affairs);
  • or who lost his or her life while engaged in active federal military or naval service;
  • or who is determined by the federal government to be a prisoner of war or missing in action.

For more details about the waiver, how to apply and additional conditions that need to be met, please see our page here.

If you are eligible for the tuition waiver, you may be eligible for Chapter 35. Please apply to use the benefits with the VA through their website: https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/

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What if I am Non Matriculated Student?

As a non-matriculated (not yet degree-seeking) student, you can use VA education benefits for up to two quarters assuming you have a pending admission application with the UW, and the courses you are taking must satisfy either prerequisites or degree requirements for the program for which you have a pending application on file.

If you are non-matriculated (not yet degree-seeking), you will need to complete a Non Matriculated Student Status form to be signed by your adviser. When using DocuSign you will be asked to enter your adviser’s name and email. Once you complete your section of the form, it will automatically be sent to your adviser. After the adviser has completed their section the form will be sent to our office for processing.

If you are not yet assigned an academic adviser, or if you are using general advising, you need to set up an appointment or use drop-in advising before you start the form so you can talk with an adviser before you start the process.

If you do not have UW NetID yet, or if you wish to use a PDF version instead please see our forms page for the PDF versions. We encourage you to use DocuSign when possible.

Please note that you must also submit an application for admission to UW, and your courses must count toward the degree you plan to pursue.

If you are a guest student at UW, please see “I am a guest student – how do I use my benefits? “ 

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I am a guest student – how do I use my benefits?

If you are attending UW Seattle as a guest student from another institution (including UW Bothell and Tacoma), you need to have your School Certifying Official at your home institution send our office a Parent School Letter verifying that the courses you are taking here are required and will transfer to your degree at your home school.

If you are a UW Seattle student attending another institution, please see below.

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Can I take courses at another school – Parent School Letter?

If you decide to take classes at another institution we need to send the other institution a Parent School Letter. Please complete the Parent School Letter Request form. Once the form is signed by your academic adviser here at UW, we will send a Parent School Letter to the School Certifying Official at the other school.

If you are using financial aid, please make sure to contact us regarding the process and how it affects your financial aid.

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Can I do Study Abroad?

The ability to use your VA benefits while pursuing a study abroad program is very limited. Please make sure to check with our office before enrolling in a study abroad program. The VA will only cover UW faculty-led programs. You will not be able to use your VA education benefits for direct exchange programs or third party programs such as CIEE, SIT, and IES. If you are attending a UW faculty-led program, you are able to use your benefits, assuming your courses are required for your degree program, either as core requirement(s) or as elective credit(s). Your monthly housing stipend will be based on your enrollment at the UW and the actual dates for the program.

If you are using Post 9/11 benefits, the benefits will not cover any fees associated with the study abroad, unless the study abroad option is mandatory for your degree program. It will not cover any costs related to travel, or third-party charges. The benefits will cover the instructional cost for the study abroad program. Please note that this will be different from the study abroad charge as posted on your MyUW.

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What is FERPA?

In order for us to release any information to another person, such as a spouse or parent, we need permission to release information on file. This can be done either online or via a PDF form. Both versions can be found on the Office of Student Financial Aid website.

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How do I apply for Short Term Loan?

If you find yourself in a situation where there is a time lag between your VA benefits being applied and/or your financial aid is pending, go to MyUW and apply for a Short Term Emergency Loan. For more information about the loan, check the Student Financial Aid website.

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Do I need to meet Satisfactory Progress?

If you are pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you are expected to make satisfactory progress toward attaining the degree. In addition, you are expected to enter a major and graduate after completion of a reasonable number of credits.

Students are placed on academic probation at the end of any quarter – except for the first quarter at the UW, in which their cumulative GPA is below 2.0. Students on probation will be dropped the following quarter unless their quarter GPA is at least 2.5 or their cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher.

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What grades does the VA cover?

The VA pays for passing grades, including S, C and N grades. The VA will also cover 0.0 grades, I or incomplete grades (for undergraduates only).

The VA will not pay for X, NS, Audit, RD, or NC grades. If you are using Post 9/11 benefits, and received grades the VA will not cover, you may be responsible for all or a portion of the tuition payment, and you may owe some of the Monthly Housing Allowance back.

If you are repeating a course, please see our FAQ section about Course Repeat. 

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Can I change my grade to S/NS or C/NC?

You can change your grade to S/NS or C/NC but depending on the grade you receive you may owe some of your benefits back.

The VA pays for passing grades, including S, C and N grades.

The VA will not pay for NS, or NC grades. If you are using Post 9/11 benefits, and received grades the VA will not cover, you may be responsible for all or a portion of the tuition payment, and you may owe some of the Monthly Housing Allowance back. If you are using other types of benefits, and you receive NS or NC grade you may owe some of your stipend back.

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What is “rounding out”, and how does it work?

The practice of “rounding out” provides eligible students in their last quarter with the option to take additional classes to bring their course load to full-time and receive a full-time monthly housing allowance. During your last quarter for your degree program, you can add additional courses such as additional electives in order to be enrolled at full time status. The additional course(s) need to be part of the program curriculum and cannot have been previously completed. You can only use the round out option once for your degree program. 

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Can I pursue dual degree, or multiple degrees at the same time? 

If you are seeking a dual major or have a declared minor, you must complete a Request for Multiple Objectives form. 

You can pursue two or more degree programs at the same time, or a degree program and a certificate program. However, you cannot pursue two or more certificate programs at the same time.

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