Receiving financial aid/scholarships and using VA/military TA benefits
Helpful definitions to start with
- Financial aid refers to scholarships, loans and grants/waivers. There are two types of financial aid – restricted and unrestricted.
Restricted aid – financial aid that can ONLY be used to pay tuition/fees and cannot be used for other educational expenses like books, housing, etc. Examples include military tuition assistance, tuition waivers and any scholarships that are restricted to tuition/fees only (e.g. Hero’s Scholarship, out-of-state KU merit scholarships).
If students have more than one restricted aid, restricted aid is prioritized by: any tuition waivers/restricted scholarships apply first, then any federal military TA, any state military TA and/or any Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits
Unrestricted aid (which is more common) – financial aid that can be used for ANY educational expenses. Examples include student loans, Pell grants, unrestricted scholarships (including in-state KU merit-based scholarships)
How it works receiving financial aid with certain benefits
What it pays: Up to 100% of in-state tuition and fees (amounts vary based on percentage of eligibility and other criteria).
How it works with restricted aid: VA will only pay what is remaining of your tuition/fees after any/all other restricted aid pays on your tuition/fees. This is known as the “last-payer clause,” and is required by law.
How it works with unrestricted aid: you will receive unrestricted aid AND the VA will pay applicable tuition/fees. But your KU Enroll & Pay account will look weird for a little bit. Because all financial aid goes toward tuition/fees first in KU Enroll & Pay by default, that’s what will happen to your account, too. However, there are 2 options for having any unrestricted aid pay for other items on your account and/or any refunds issued to you.
Option 1: To receive unrestricted aid while waiting on VA to pay your tuition/fees, complete the VA Educational Benefits - Early Release of Funds (EROF)* form each semester. *A link to this form is included in the KU request for VA benefits form you complete each semester. Once you complete the EROF form, you may see the unrestricted aid pay other items on your KU account and then any refunds, if applicable, will be disbursed to you within 7-14 business days. Be sure to have direct deposit set up with KU.
Option 2: If you don’t complete the EROF form, you should receive your unrestricted aid once the VA pays tuition/fees a couple of months into the semester. You never lose the money you are entitled to; you may simply receive it later.
Once you receive a refund from KU, go back and check your KU Enroll & Pay account to make sure you don't still owe anything. If you have any questions or concerns about charges on your account, contact us.
What it pays: 100% of in-state tuition and fees and other expenses approved by your VR&E counselor (e.g. parking, books).
How it works with restricted aid: VA will only pay what is remaining of your tuition/fees after any/all other restricted aid pays on your tuition/fees. This is known as the “last-payer clause,” and is required by law.
How it works with unrestricted aid: you will receive unrestricted aid AND the VA will pay tuition/fees. But your KU Enroll & Pay account will look weird for a little bit. Because all financial aid goes toward tuition/fees first in KU Enroll & Pay by default, that’s what will happen to your account, too. However, once we receive a 28-1905 from your VR&E counselor for the year, we will place a “third party sponsorship” on your account each semester. Any unrestricted aid refunds, if applicable, will be disbursed to you. You never lose the money you are entitled to; you may simply receive it later.
Once you receive a refund from KU, go back and check your KU Enroll & Pay account to make sure you don't still owe anything. If you have charges on your account (i.e. bookstore) that you believe Ch. 31 should be covering, contact us.
Since the VA does not pay tuition/fees with these benefits, there are no unique factors to consider regarding any financial aid/scholarships. Students will receive all of what they are entitled to from both the VA and financial aid/scholarships.
If you have any questions or concerns about charges on your account, contact us.
What it pays: State TA pays up to 15 credit hours of tuition and fees for Kansas Army and Air National Guard members. The Kansas Board of Regents sets a specific maximum dollar amount each year. When State TA pays, it rounds to the nearest dollar amount.
How it works if you also have restricted aid – If you are receiving any other aid restricted to tuition/fees only (i.e. federal TA, Post-9/11 GI Bill, tuition waivers, etc.), the total amount of restricted aid cannot be greater than your tuition/fees. That means you will not receive any refunds if you are ONLY using State TA and other restricted aid.
If you have more than one restricted aid, restricted aid is prioritized by: any tuition waivers/restricted scholarships apply first, then any federal military TA, any state TA and/or any Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
How it works if you also have unrestricted aid – You will receive other financial aid, like scholarships, loans, grants. But your KU Enroll & Pay account will look weird for a little bit. Because all financial aid goes toward tuition/fees first in KU Enroll & Pay by default, that’s what will happen to your account, too.
Just before the KU bill is due each semester (Sept. 15/Feb. 15), we will place a temporary “third party sponsorship” on your account. This may or may not be the correct amount – we don’t get your exact TA amounts until a couple of weeks later. Until we know specific TA amounts, we also place a temporary refund hold on your KU account. This will help prevent you from getting a refund and then owing money back if TA doesn’t pay your entire bill.
Once KU receives the exact amount of your state TA, we will adjust the sponsorship to the actual dollar amount. At that time, unrestricted aid may pay on other items not covered by TA and then any refunds, if applicable, will be disbursed to you. You never lose the money you are entitled to; you may simply receive it later.
Once you receive a refund from KU, go back and check your KU Enroll & Pay account to make sure you don't still owe anything. If you have any questions or concerns about charges on your account, contact us.
What it pays: FTA pays up to $250 a credit hour for a certain number of credit hours (varies by branch) in a military fiscal year.
How it works if you also have restricted aid – If you are receiving any other aid restricted to tuition/fees only (i.e. federal TA, Post-9/11 GI Bill, tuition waivers, etc.), the total amount of restricted aid cannot be greater than your tuition/fees. That means you will not receive any refunds if you are only using State TA and other restricted aid.
If/when you have more than one restricted aid, restricted aid is prioritized by: any tuition waivers/restricted scholarships apply first, then any federal military TA, any state military TA and/or any Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
How it works if you also have unrestricted aid – You will receive other financial aid, like scholarships, loans, grants. But your KU Enroll & Pay account will look weird for a little bit. Because Enroll & Pay automatically has all financial aid pay tuition/fees first, that’s what will happen to your account, too. Once TA pays, you may see the unrestricted aid pay on other items on your KU account and then any refunds, if applicable, will be disbursed to you. You never lose the money you are entitled to; you may simply receive it later.
If you have questions, please contact the Military-Affiliated Student Center, 785-864-2458 or masc@ku.edu.