Military Educational Benefits Information
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Generally, eligible veterans have 36 months of benefits. For active duty service members, these benefits expire 10 years after separation from the service. For members of the reserve components, they expire 15 years after service member becomes eligible (normally upon completing IDAT (initial date active training) of 2 or more weeks).
- Benefits may be used while attending school to earn an undergraduate or graduate degree, diploma, or certificate.
- VA benefits do not pay for classes that are audited.
- Internships are typically covered as long as they are offered as a course through UWG.
- Students receiving benefits must adhere strictly to a planned program of study as indicated in their undergraduate or graduate catalog.
All students seeking military benefits (Veterans, Active Duty Military, and/or spouses & dependents using transferred benefits) must complete the Military Benefits Certification Request form each semester. Ideally this form will be completed once you have registered for classes for the term in which you are seeking benefits and then again if you change your schedule. This form is located in Student Self-Service under Student Services. Please note that if you do not complete this form or if you wait until the semester begins, your benefits may be delayed or denied and your schedule may not be protected from the drop for non-payment. Priority Deadline for Completion for VA Benefits is 2 weeks prior to the first day of class. Priority Deadline for Completion for TA Benefits is 3 weeks prior to the first day of class.
***Please attach documents such as your Certificate of Eligibility, DD214, Notice of Basic Eligibility, or Tuition Assistance Approval to the Military Benefits Certification Request Form.
***You may not be eligible for military benefits for courses outside of your degree program. Please meet with your advisor and ensure all registered courses will be applied to your program to maximize your benefits.
***If you are seeking benefits for courses you are enrolled in as a transient student at another institution, that institution will need to process your benefits. Contact us at registrar@westga.edu if you need assistance with this process.
Lastly, don't forget to file your FAFSA for financial aid.
UWG has multiple summer sessions and classes begin at various times throughout the summer semester. The veteran or dependent cannot receive payment for any full calendar month in which he/she does not enroll in classes. In other words, if your summer schedule ends June 5th, and your fall semester classes begin August 18th or later, you cannot get paid for July or any break between semesters, because the full calendar month of July intervenes between enrollments. It is advantageous for the student to sign up for classes that extend to the end of the summer semester.
Schedule Example: In order to be considered full-time for stipend purposes by the VA for summer the student must take either 6 credit hours in Session II OR 3 credit hours in Session III and 3 credit hours in Session IV. Students must take at least 2 credit hours in Session I, if they want to receive stipend benefits for that time period.
Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve provides education benefits for members actively participating in the Selected Reserve, including the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve, and the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. Eligible service members may receive up to 36 months of educational benefits.
Benefit Coverage: Housing Stipend direct pay to student.
Requested Documents
1. DD-214 (Member 2 or Member 4 Copy)
2. Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE) - Students may receive a NOBE from their unit when they become eligible for Chapter 1606 benefits.
OR
Certificate of Eligibility (COE) - Students can apply for their Certificate of Eligibility by completing the VONAPP through eBenefits.
More information regarding Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve
Montgomery GI Bill® benefits generally apply to Veterans who began active duty service for the first time after June 30, 1985, had their pay reduced $100 a month for 12 months, and received an honorable discharge. Eligible service members may receive up to 36 months of education benefits.
Benefit Coverage: Housing Stipend direct pay to student.
Requested Documents
1. DD-214 (Member 2 or Member 4 Copy)
2. Certificate of Eligibility (COE) - Students can apply for their Certificate of Eligibility by completing the VONAPP through eBenefits.
Mandatory Attendance Reporting
Students receiving Montgomery GI Bill® Active Duty (Chapter 30) benefits must verify their class attendance on or after the last day of each month before monthly payments are deposited into your account or mailed to you. You can do this quickly and easily online using the WAVE (Web Automated Verification of Enrollment) system or by calling 1-877-823-2378.
A Veteran may receive Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) services to help with job training, employment accommodations, resume development and skills coaching. VR&E is a way for service members to receive personalized counseling and support as they work to achieve their career goals.
A Veteran may be eligible for VR&E benefits if they:
• Have received, or will receive, a discharge that is other than dishonorable
• Have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10%, or a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the VA
• Apply for VR&E services
Students interested in applying for VR&E benefits can apply by logging in to their eBenefits.
Benefit Coverage: Tuition, Mandatory Fees, Course Fees, All required books, Housing Stipend, and some related expenses may be covered. Coverage amounts vary based on eligibility determined by VA.
Required Documents
All required documents will be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by assigned VR&E counselor after application for VR&E has been approved.
Book Vouchers: Students will receive their book voucher from the Office of the Registrar at the time of certification. Email registrar@westga.edu if you have any questions.
More Information Regarding VR&E Chapter 31
Post 9/11 GI Bill® benefits generally apply to Veterans who have at least 90 days of aggregate active duty service after September 10, 2001, and are still on active duty, or were honorably discharged or were discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. Eligible service members and/or dependents may receive up to 36 months of education benefits. In addition, a monthly housing allowance and annual books and supplies stipend may be available.
To Apply with the VA: We recommend applying through ID.me to use the new Enhanced 22-1990 Application for the fastest decision regarding your eligibility. (New August 2022).
Benefit Coverage: Tuition, Mandatory Fees, Course Fees, Books up to $1000/year, and Housing Stipend. Coverage amounts vary based on eligibility determined by VA.
Requested Documents
1. DD-214 (Member 2 or Member 4 Copy) - Veteran Students Only
2. Certificate of Eligibility (COE) - Students can apply for their Certificate of Eligibility by completing the VONAPP through eBenefits.
Mandatory Attendance Reporting
Students receiving Post 9/11 GI Bill® or Chapter 33 benefits must verify their class attendance on or after the last day of each month before monthly payments are deposited into your account or mailed to you. You can do this by calling 1-877-823-2378. If you opt into text verification you will receive enrollment verification texts from the following short code beginning April 28, 2022: 44354. You will receive this text on the last day of the month. If you have dropped any courses you must reply, 'No'. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Enrollment Verification Information.
Dependents Educational Assistance program offers education benefits to eligible dependents of Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition or of Veterans who died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition. Eligible dependents may receive up to 45 months of education benefits.
Benefit Coverage: Housing Stipend direct pay to student.
Required Documents/Information
1. Veteran/Sponsor's Social Security Number (Please do not send via email or provide over the phone. Please submit a copy directly to the Office of the Registrar School Certifying Official or Student Solutions Team in the Momentum Center.)
Requested Documents
1. Certificate of Eligibility (COE) - Students can apply for their Certificate of Eligibility by completing the VONAPP through eBenefits.
The University of West Georgia maintains a Voluntary Education Partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD) and has an active Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that ensures UWG is a good choice for military-connected students. Specifically, UWG agrees to number of different practices that are ethical and friendly to military-connected students. Please visit our DoD Memorandum of Understanding webpage for additional information regarding this partnership.
Military Tuition Assistance is a benefit paid to eligible service members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. Each branch of the military has its own eligibility criteria, application process and restrictions.
Military Tuition Assistance provides financial assistance for voluntary off-duty educational programs in support of a service member's professional and personal self-development goals. All Active Duty service members (officers, warrant officers, enlisted) are authorized to participate in the TA program through their respective branches. This includes members of the Active Guard Reserve, as well as Reserve Component Service Members who are activated under U.S. Code Title 10 or Title 32.
Service members should speak with their Education Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within their Military Service prior to enrolling. Eligible Service members must receive approval to use TA prior to enrolling in classes. More information regarding Military Tuition Assistance can be found through the service member’s branch of service or from TA DECIDE.
Benefit Coverage: Tuition up to $250/credit hour. Mandatory Fees waived at UWG.
Army Tuition Assistance: All students seeking Army Tuition Assistance will request Tuition Assistance via the AI Portal Website (Edge and Firefox are the preferred browsers).
- Soldiers are required to complete Virtual TA Training when creating an account and annually, thereafter.
- Soldiers must request TA between 60 and 7 days prior to the course start date. All TA must be approved prior to the start date of the course. Soldiers will be solely responsible for all tuition costs without this prior approval.
- UWG does not have courses loaded into the current Army Portal. Courses will need to manually added by the student.
- Tuition Assistance is applied to the tuition rate per semester hour.
- Fiscal Year Limits: 16 semester hours per fiscal year (October 1 through September 30) and fiscal year limit of $4000, whichever is reached first.
- Lifetime Limits: Undergraduates 130 Semester Hours; Graduates 39 Semester Hours.
Air Force Tuition Assistance: Students must sign and submit form online through the Air Force Portal.
Navy Tuition Assistance: Create an account with MyNavy Education. Students must submit signed approval form directly to the Office of the Registrar.
If a service member received approval to use TA, thhey must then submit a Military Benefits Certification Request in order to use TA at UWG. Please follow these steps:
- Login to Student Self Service
- Click on “Military Benefits Certification Request”
- Complete form
- Attach eligibility documents
- Submit form
- You do not need to notify us of submission as we will automatically receive your request
- You will receive a confirmation email when processing is complete
NOTE: The Office of the Registrar cannot waive mandatory institution fees without an approved TA Form or Portal update. The Office of the Registrar cannot protect the student's schedule against drop for any amount without the approved and signed TA form or portal update with dollar amounts greater than zero.
***Please note students cannot receive the GA National Guard Service Cancelable Loan and Tuition Assistance for the same classes. Likewise students cannot receive the HOPE Scholarship and Tuition Assistance for the same classes.
The Georgia National Guard Service Cancelable Loan is a student financial aid program that provides loans to be used towards the cost of tuition in an undergraduate program at an eligible postsecondary institution. The program is for eligible members of the Georgia National Guard. The funds can be repaid through service cancellation.
Service loans are available each academic year. This loan will cover resident tuition for all courses for which resident tuition is charged. Other non-repayable aid that covers resident tuition will be subtracted from the resident tuition and the Georgia National Guard award will cover the remaining resident tuition owed. Payment of all fees, special course fees, student activity and facility fees, assessment fees and others are the responsibility of the student.
The UWG Office of Financial Aid will place approved funds on student accounts. Please note students cannot receive the GA National Guard Service Cancelable Loan and Tuition Assistance for the same classes.
More information regarding the Georgia National Guard Service Cancelable Loan can be found on the GAfutures website.
Information on the National Guard
Georgia National Guard Education Officer Contact Information
How to Apply for Federal Tuition Assistance
The Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship is for Veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill® and Fry Scholars, allowing them to extend their benefits by up to 9 months or $30,000. They must:
- Be enrolled in a qualifying STEM program (contact registrar@westga.edu),
- Have completed a certain amount of time on their degree,
- Have 6 months or less of their benefits left.
More information regarding the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship can be found on the VA Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship webpage.
Students are not permitted to receive a refund of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) tuition payments or military Tuition Assistance. Moreover, UWG is required to return unearned VA and military Tuition Assistance funds to the correct source.
As with our Return to Title IV policy, UWG uses the date of withdrawal or the last date of recorded attendance when classes are reporting as failing to determine when a student stopped working on a course. It is important for students using VA and DoD funds to speak with an academic advisor and financial aid prior to withdrawing. Students must also inform the School Certifying Official through the Military Benefits Certification Request form after withdrawing from one or more classes.
Refunds will be based on a proportional percentage determined by the number of calendar days in the Semester that the student completed along with the total number of calendar days in a Semester. The unearned portion shall be refunded up to the 60% point in time. Students who withdraw after the 60% point in time are not entitled to a refund of charges. For more information, please view the Office of Student Accounts and Billing Services page.
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2016 ended REAP on November 25, 2015. Some individuals will remain eligible for REAP benefits until November 25, 2019, while others are no longer eligible for Reserve Educational Assistance Program benefits. If you’re a member of the Reserves who lost education benefits when the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) ended in November 2015, you may qualify to receive restored benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill®.
Mandatory Fees are necessary to provide a complete range of student services that support the academic environment and provide the best possible services to the widest possible range of students at a reasonable cost. University fees enhance the experience of our students and the quality of the UWG community. The itemized list of Mandatory Fees and their explanations is available on the Office of Student Accounts and Billing Services website.
Students Utilizing Military Tuition Assistance
University System of Georgia Policy
Policy 7.3.4.2, #7 states that an institution may waive mandatory fees for “Members of the armed services utilizing the military’s tuition assistance programs or paying their own way to attend the institution.” (BoR Minutes, Nov. 2014, February 2015; March 2016)
In a decision announced on May 27, 2016, University of West Georgia President Kyle Marrero decided to exempt active duty service members and reservists who receive Military Tuition Assistance from Mandatory Fees. The policy would take effect starting with the Fall 2016 term could save service members as much as $981 for full-time enrollment. Please note that fee exemption applies only to courses paid for by Tuition Assistance.
The HOPE Scholarship (including Zell Miller) does not negatively affect CH 30, CH 31, CH 35, and CH 1606 VA educational benefits. Use of HOPE and military Tuition Assistance (TA) or Post-9/11 GI Bill® (CH 33) can never result in a refund of either benefit. See below for special information about how HOPE works with TA or CH 33.
HOPE and CH 33
For Post 9/11 benefits: HOPE, TA, or any other scholarship that specifically pays tuition will apply towards the tuition/fee charges prior to VA benefits being applied. The VA benefits will then pay any remaining balance for applicable tuition and fees based on the percentage on the Certificate of Eligibility. Please be aware that neither HOPE nor Post 9/11 GI Bill® can be applied to housing or meal plan costs.
EXAMPLE:
Fall Semester eligible tuition and fees $3700
HOPE Scholarship (applied first) -$2280
Billed to the VA $1420
HOPE and TA
HOPE, National Guard Service Cancellable Loan, or any other scholarship that specifically pays tuition will negate the need for TA. If you are HOPE eligible and wish to use TA, notify the Office of the Registrar to coordinate with Financial Aid to ensure HOPE is only applied for the classes in which TA is not being used.
UWG partners with Air Force ROTC Detachment 165, which is housed on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Students accepted to the program will participate in physical training and military course work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is wise to plan to be in Atlanta all day on both days and to not schedule any face-to-face classes at UWG on those days. At this time, transportation is the responsibility of the student.
The two best benefits of joining the Air Force are growth and opportunities. Both the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp (AFROTC) and Air Force will provide financial gain, but nothing will compare to the personal development growth that everyone experiences.
During your first days in the Air Force, you will feel overwhelmed, intimidated, and challenged physically and mentally. As the days progress, you will realize that you can overcome any impediment that the world throws at you. You will realize that you are more capable, diligent, and savvier than you peers. You will experience and see things that only less than 2% of this country will ever think about in their lifetimes. More importantly, you will become the “why” for our nation’s air dominance in the world.
Finally, the Air Force will offer you opportunities to see the world, work with multiple different nations, and private sector companies as an Air Force officer. The question you should not be asking yourself is, “Why join the Air Force?”, but more importantly, “Why not join the Air Force?” To start the process, it is best to contact AFROTC Detachment 165 first and then complete the paperwork UWG needs using the ROTC button below.
University System of Georgia Policy
Policy 7.3.5.3 Military Service Refunds governs the issuing of tuition and mandatory fees and pro rata refunds of elective fees due to a military withdrawal.
University of West Georgia Policy
Students who are members of the Georgia National Guard or other reserve components of the Armed Forces who receive reasonable documentation for military duty are entitled to a full refund of matriculation fees paid for that semester, in accordance with guidelines previously listed. ***Please note the Office of the Registrar will review documentation beginning November 15, 2021.
UWG students who are called to active duty or who are deployed during the term may be eligible for a military withdrawal. Students who withdraw for military reasons will receive a WM grade in all courses and receive a refund of tuition and mandatory fees. Students who would like to withdraw for military reasons must submit a copy of their official orders to the Office of the Registrar (UCC 311). Military withdrawals do not count as part of the six (maximum) allowed withdrawals for undergraduate students - Limited Course Withdrawal Policy.
Additionally, if a UWG student has to withdraw due to being called to active duty or deployed during a term, UWG works with student to return without penalty. UWG's Graduate School works with service members on a case-by-case basis to support them when their military duties interrupt their educational endeavors. Many graduate programs use cohort models, and students who stop out often can return as part of a new cohort where they left off. Undergraduate Admissions has a Readmission page that helps students who have not been enrolled for three (3) or more consecutive semesters return to UWG. Students who have been away for military duty and have not attended other colleges and universities do not have to pay an application fee for the readmission process. Students who have been away for less than 3 consecutive semesters do not have to reapply.
The following resources are provided by the UWG Office of the Registrar, but please note we do not own the material within these resources and may not be associated with these entities in any way.
- The University System of Georgia (USG) offers educational opportunities for veterans and military service members.
- The American Council on Education offers a Military Evaluations Program.
- The Defense Activity for Nontraditional Educational Support (DANTES) provides education and career-planning programs for the U.S. Armed Forces military members.
- The My Army Benefits site provides a list of military benefits offered by state.
- GI Bill® (Education & Training)
- Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
- Georgia Department of Veterans Service
- Veterans' Guide to Getting Hired
- Best Online Guide to Scholarships and Resources for Military Veterans
Military FriendlyGI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
