Using VA Benefits

• Active duty servicemember or veteran with an honorable discharge who enrolled and pay $100 per month for 12 months.
• At least 2 years of active duty.
• Must fall into one of four service categories.

• Up to 36 months.
• Depend on the following factors:
  1. Length of service.
  2. Type of educational or training program.
  3. Whether you qualify for a college fund or kicker.
  4. If/how much you paid into the $600 Buy-Up program.
• Can be converted to Ch. 33.
• May be eligible for additional 12 months of Ch. 33 after exhausting all of Ch. 30.
• The VA will pay students based on enrollment status (full-time, part-time). View current rates. For trainees on active duty, payment is limited to reimbursement of tuition and fees for the training taken.
• Does not pay tuition/fees, housing or books.
• Recipients must report school attendance each month by logging into WAVE or by calling (877) 823-2378.

For more information on Ch. 30, visit the VA benefits website.

• Veterans who have received, or will receive, a discharge that is "other than dishonorable."
• Have a service-related disability rating of at least 10% or a VA disability rating of 20% or more.
• Are in need of vocational rehabilitation due to disability and employment handicap. ​
• ​Veterans must apply.

• ​Dedicated VetSuccess on Campus ​counselor on the KU campus who can help you with vocational testing, career counseling, or getting faster access to certain VA benefits while you’re attending college.
• Tuition/fees, books, supplies paid at the 100% rate.
• Monthly allowance.

Eligibility:

Servicemember or veteran with an honorable discharge with:

• At least 90 days of aggregated active duty service after 9/10/01
• Discharged with service-connected disability after 30 days
• Purple Heart recipient awarded on or after 09/11/01, regardless of time spent on active duty.

Family members who have received transferred benefits while servicemember was on active duty.

Benefits:

• Up to 36 months of education benefits. (Based on length of active duty service).
• Full tuition & fees are paid directly to the school for all public university in-state students.
  • Students living in Kansas while attend KU are eligible for in-state tuition via Armed Forces Residency. (No need for Yellow Ribbon Program)
  • Students living in Missouri while attending KU may be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program. (Students living in Kansas do not need Yellow Ribbon)
• A monthly housing allowance directly to you (even if you live in on-campus housing). View current housing rates.
• 100% online students receive half of the BAH national average​.
• An annual books & supplies stipend (up to $1,000) to you. Paid out each semester at $41.67 per credit hour enrolled until you hit the max ($1,000) rate.

​For more information on Ch. 33, visit the VA benefits website.

Eligibilty:

• Spouses and children of veterans who died, or are permanently and totally disabled, as a result of service.
• Children may use benefits between the ages of 18 and 26.
• Spouses - visit the Ch. 35 site for latest criteria.

Benefits:

• 36 months for those who first use benefits on or after Aug. 1, 2018.
• 45 months for those who first used benefits before Aug. 1, 2018.
• Monthly stipend paid directly to the student. View current Ch. 35 payment rates.​
• Does not pay tuition/fees, housing, or books.
• Other factors to consider.
• Students living in Kansas while attend KU are eligible for in-state tuition via Armed Forces Residency.

For more information on Ch. 35, visit the VA benefits website.

Eligibility:

• All GI Bill users
• Transitioning servicemembers within six months prior to discharge from active duty
• Free service - does not cause you to use any of your other GI Bill benefits

Services include assisting with:

Career choice: Understand the best career options based on your interests and capabilities

Benefits coaching: Maximizing VA benefits and/or other resources to achieve education and career goals

Personalized support: Academic or adjustment counseling and personalized support to help remove any barriers to success

To receive this benefit:

• Apply via the VA's website.

​Eligibility:

• Provides Ch. 33 benefits for children and spouses of servicemembers who died in the line of duty after 9/10/11.
• Spouses have the benefit until they remarry.

Benefits:

• 36 months of education benefits
• Full tuition & fees are paid directly to the school for all public university in-state students.
  • Students living in Kansas while attend KU are eligible for in-state tuition via Armed Forces Residency. (No need for Yellow Ribbon Program).
  • Students living in Missouri while attending KU may be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
• A monthly housing allowance directly to you. View current housing rates.
• 100% online students receive half of the BAH national average​.
• An annual books & supplies stipend (up to $1,000) to you. Paid out each semester at $41.67 per credit hour enrolled until you hit the max ($1,000) rate.

For more information on the Fry Scholarship, visit the VA benefits website or contact us at veterans@ku.edu.

Eligibility:

• Guard/Reservists with a six-year obligation in the Selected Reserve who are actively drilling.
• Eligibility for the program normally ends the day you leave the Selected Reserve.
• You get the DD Form 2384-1, Notice of Basic Eligibility, when you become eligible for the program from your unit. Your unit will also code your eligibility into the DoD personnel system so VA may verify your eligibility.

​Benefits:​

• ​​Up to 36 months.
• Monthly stipend paid directly to student.​ View current payment rates.
• Does not pay tuition/fees, housing or books.
• Recipients must report school attendance each month by logging into WAVE or calling (877) 823-2378.

For more information on Ch. 1606, visit the VA benefits website.

- Post-9/11 GI Bill users: obtain a copy of your Statement of Benefits.
- All other GI Bill users: Click the "Ask a Question" button (login required) on the GI Bill website and submit a query for the VA to mail copy of your COE.

The VA will send you a letter each semester regarding the amount of entitlement you used and the amount remaining.

- Chapter 31 (VR&E) - you can check with your VR&E counselor for the details of your benefits. 

- Chapter 33 (Post 9-11) - check your Post-9/11 GI Bill Statement of Benefits on va.gov website.

- All other GI Bill users: Use the GI Bill Ask a Question feature or call the GI BIll hotline at 888-442-4551 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CDT.

- Students will upload their COE when they complete the New KU Request for Benefits form (beginning Summer/Fall 2020 semester). Students will only need to submit a COE the first time they are using a VA benefit.
- GI Bill users applying for the Armed Forces Residency Benefit will not have to submit a COE if they already completed the New KU Request for Benefit form and uploaded their COE.

Yes, the GI Bill will cover all of the classes for one minor. Students may change minors before they are complete, but cannot have more than one minor at a time. Students can also have 2 majors AND one minor.

Certificate programs are not approved for the GI Bill, unfortunately. The certificate program courses must fulfill some other graduation requirement.

No. Only classes that fulfill a requirement for your degree program, minor, dual degree, or dual major, can be reported to the VA for the purpose of determining your rate of pursuit. Speak with your advisor to ensure your course fits some sort of graduation requirement.

The VA will not pay for repeat courses unless you received an “F” or must pass with a certain grade in order to move forward in your program.

Part of it depends on when you submit your KU request for benefits. On average, it takes KU 7-10 business days to send your paperwork to the VA (peak times, August & January, may take longer). The VA has 30 days from that point to process your paperwork and will email you once it's complete. You should then receive your monthly stipend at the beginning of the next month.

The VA typically pays around the first of every month for the previous month. For example, Sept. 1 you’ll get a check for the days you were in classes in August. Payments are prorated, meaning you will received less based on semester start/end dates (August, December, January and May). For VA purposes, each month has 30 days so you can calculate prorated amounts by dividing your stipend by 30 and multiplying by number of days school is in session (e.g. if classes being Aug. 20 and BAH is $1494, your BAH for August would be $498). Visit the GI Bill Comparison Tool to see your specific rates.

When you have completed your Using VA Benefits paperwork forms above for the semester, you are placed on deferment, giving you/the VA until the end of the semester to pay your tuition and fees. If you receive a late fee, contact us to confirm you have completed your paperwork for the semester. Contact us by Dec. 1/May 1 if you still have charges on your account.

Students must be enrolled full time in term-long classes to receive full GI Bill benefits, as your benefits are charged by day. This means short-term and non-standard courses can affect your full-time status and, therefore, your benefits (and housing allowance if you're using the Post-9/11 GI Bill). 

For example, undergraduate students must be in 12 credits that all start at the beginning of the semester and end at the end of the semester. If you have 12 credits but one of those courses starts later (e.g. October), you will be part time until that course starts. If you're in 15 credits and one of the 3 credit hour courses starts later, there is no issue since you're in 12 credits for the entire semester. 

Before you enroll in shorter classes, it's a good idea to reach out to someone in the Military-Affiliated Student Center or the VA Certifying Official to learn how the short courses can potentially affect your benefits.

If you are switching your VA benefits program while at KU, you will need to complete a second "new VA benefits request" instead of a "continued request." You will need to upload your new Certificate of Eligibility.

Visit the GI Bill Comparison Tool for specific information.

If you receive grants/scholarships that are designated solely for tuition, you may want to think twice about using your VA benefits. The VA requires KU to apply those funds toward tuition first and, if you have the Post-9/11 GI Bill^®, the VA will pay any remaining tuition/fees. Contact the VA Certifying Official at the contact info at the bottom of the page.

Financial aid awards to be deducted before reporting your tuition to the VA include: Federal or State Tuition Assistance and any other types of restricted aid designated for tuition and required fees only.
Not all scholarships/grants are designated for tuition. Unrestricted financial aid funds like the PELL Grant, student loans, unrestricted scholarships, etc. will be yours to pay other bills on your KU account. Anything left over will be dispersed to you. Post-9/11 GI Bill users: to receive that money while waiting on the VA to pay your tuition and fees, complete the VA Educational Benefits - Early Release of Funds* form each semester. *A link to this form is included in the KU request for VA benefits form you complete each semester.

Yes, but if you plan to live in Kansas while attending KU, you will not need Yellow Ribbon. Apply for in-state tuition rates per the Armed Forces Residency Benefit instead. If you are using Post-9/11 GI Bill at 100% and live in Missouri while attending classes at KU, please complete the Yellow Ribbon Application each semester you have benefits.

It depends. If you are a veteran using the Post-9/11 GI Bill and this is the first VA benefit you have used, yes, the VA will pay for the entire semester. If you have combined benefits (e.g., used 36 months of the Montgomery GI Bill and 12 months of the Post-9/11 GI Bill) and will exceed your 48th month during the semester, the VA will only make payments for tuition and BAH up to the last day of that 48th month.

For spouses and dependents, no, the VA will stop payments on the last day of your benefits. For Ch. 33 Post-9/11 GI Bill users, that means your tuition and BAH will be prorated. Similarly, Ch. 35 DEA students may not exceed the limit of their benefits, except under rare circumstances (which must be approved by the VA). Spouses/dependents may combine their Ch. 33 and 35 benefits for a maximum of 81 months of combined eligibility.