VA Enrollment Information

Enrollment certifications cannot be submitted to the VA until APUS receives a copy of a student's Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and they have successfully enrolled in a class. Once the student's COE is processed and they have started classes, the VA School Certifying Official (SCO) will electronically submit their enrollment certification to the VA. All VA enrollment certifications will be submitted after the session add/drop period. Once a student's enrollment has been submitted, they will receive an email from the VA as verification.

Enrollment Verification

The VA requires that any student using GI Bill® benefits verify their enrollment monthly at the end of every month after their courses begin. Students can verify their enrollment online, via text message, via email, or by calling the Education Call Center (ECC) at 888-442-4551. For more information regarding monthly enrollment verification, students can visit the VA website.

Using Tuition Assistance and GI Bill® Benefits

Federal law prohibits active duty servicemembers from receiving VA education benefits for the same course tuition for which they receive Military Tuition Assistance (TA). If a student is using Chapter 33 benefits, TA must be applied to the registration first, and any remaining tuition can be submitted to the VA under Chapter 33 benefits. Active duty servicemembers who are eligible for Chapter 30 benefits can use non-active-duty TA in conjunction with VA education benefits. Students who are using Chapter 30 benefits and who are approved for active duty TA may use Tuition Assistance Top-Up if the course cost is not fully funded by TA.

Students who wish to apply for TA Top-Up should contact [email protected] to request a TA Top-Up Request Form. APUS will submit an enrollment certification to the VA to include the amount of tuition and fees not funded by TA. Please note that the use of Top-Up will exhaust a portion of a student's GI Bill® benefits. For more information regarding the Top-Up option, please visit the VA website.

VA Payments

Students using Montgomery GI Bill® benefits (Chapters 30, 35, and 1606) will receive monthly payments from the VA based on their monthly enrollment status. Payments are sent from the VA after students have verified their monthly attendance. APUS requires students using Chapters 30, 35, and 1606, to make payment arrangements with the university prior to the start of courses. An enrollment certification will not be submitted to the VA until payment arrangements have been finalized.

Tuition and fees for Chapter 33 are paid directly to APUS. If a student is not receiving the 100% benefit rate, payment arrangements for the remaining amount will need to be made to the university prior to course access being granted.

Current VA payment rates are viewable online.

If the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has not made payment within 90 days of APUS submitting an enrollment certification, APUS will not impose any penalties on students including assessment of late fees, denial of access to courses, library resources, or other student services. Additionally, there is no requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds due to delayed VA payment. This information pertains to students with a primary payment type of Post 9/11 GI Bill®  or Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E Chapter 31). Additionally, if APUS is notified by the VA that the student has exhausted VA entitlements or is not eligible for VA education benefits, the student will be responsible for tuition and fees and APUS collection policies will apply. 

Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)

Post 9/11 GI Bill® students (other than those on active duty) will receive a monthly housing allowance for online courses, which is equal to half of the national average for BAH. Students must be enrolled at a rate of pursuit greater than half-time (.51%) to receive this benefit. The housing allowance is pro-rated based on the student's enrollment status, percentage of eligibility, and dates of course enrollment.

Using VA Benefits at Multiple Institutions

The VA requires students to declare an institution at which they will receive a degree or certification. VA education benefits cannot be used at multiple institutions without declaration of a primary or "parent" school and subsequent secondary or "guest" school. For more information regarding using benefits at APUS and another institution, please contact [email protected]

VA Consent to Enrollments Submitted

When a student selects a VA payment option at the time of registration, they are consenting that they wish to have their enrollment for that particular course(s) submitted to the VA on their behalf. Students who register selecting a payment option other than VA will be prompted to provide consent at the time of registration to have the course(s) submitted to the VA on their behalf. Students who register before submitting required VA documents to APUS may be required to complete a Veterans Benefits Certification Request Form to identify courses or terms they would like to have submitted to the VA.

Change of Academic Program

When a student using VA education benefits changes their academic program with APUS, the VA will be notified of the change in academic pursuit. A credit evaluation will be completed by APUS for the new program and any credits that are applicable towards the new program of study will be applied. When registering for courses under the new program, students must provide consent for APUS to submit an enrollment certification to the VA on their behalf. If a student changes their program mid-term, they should avoid enrolling in courses under their new program until the term in which they are enrolled ends. The VA will not pay for any course(s) where there is an overlap with programs.

Yellow Ribbon Program

The Yellow Ribbon Program is an agreement between the VA and participating institutions to cover all, or a portion of tuition and fees charged after a student met or exceeded the yearly tuition cap. As a participating university in the Post 9/11 GI Bill® Yellow Ribbon Program, APUS agrees to make additional funds available for a qualifying student's education program without an additional charge to their GI Bill® entitlement. Students can view more information online about the Yellow Ribbon Program, and can contact [email protected] for questions about this program.

Course Drops/Withdrawals

APUS is required to report changes in enrollment to the VA. If a student drops or withdraws from a course(s), an amended enrollment certification will be sent to the VA within 30 days of the change in enrollment. A reduction or termination of enrolled credit hours could result in:

• A student debt with the VA for BAH and books/supplies if they are using the Post 9/11 GI Bill®
• A student debt with the VA for tuition and fees if they are using the Montgomery GI Bill®

Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, tuition and fee debts will be issued to the school if a student withdraws from a course(s) after the add/drop period. The VA will request repayment of tuition and fees and will send a debt letter to APUS. If the VA debt letter requests school repayment that exceeds the institutional refund policy, students may be assigned a debt to the school. For more information regarding GI Bill® debts, including ways to prevent a debt from occurring, students should review the VA's resources on withdrawing from courses.

Mitigating Circumstances

Mitigating circumstances are circumstances beyond the student's control that prevent the student from continuing in school or that cause the student to reduce credits. The VA requires schools to document potential mitigating circumstances. If mitigating circumstances cannot be validated, the VA may request repayment of BAH, books/supplies, or tuition and fees, as of the first date of the term. View more information on mitigating circumstances.

Rounding Out

The practice of “rounding out” provides eligible GI Bill® students who are in their last term with the option to take additional classes to bring their course load to full-time status and receive up to full-time benefit payments or the maximum allowable monthly housing allowance. Classes that have been previously completed cannot be used to round out the student’s course load. Students may contact [email protected] for more information about this program.

Graduations

When a student using VA education benefits has successfully completed the requirements for their program of study and has officially conferred from the program of study, APUS will report the student’s graduation to the VA via electronic certification. Students using Chapter 33 benefits and students using Chapter 30 benefits who are on active duty may have the graduation fee accessed by APUS paid for by the VA as long as their GI Bill® benefits were used for their last course required to complete their program of study.

Master's Capstone/Practicum Courses

University policy states Capstone and Practicum Courses must be the last course of a student's degree program and may be taken only after the completion of all coursework. Additionally, no concurrent coursework is permitted. Capstone/Practicum courses are only offered in 16-week sessions. VA regulations state students must have a rate of pursuit greater than half time (.51%) in order to be eligible to receive BAH under the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. The VA will cover course tuition and fees up to the percentage for which a student is eligible. Many of our Capstone/Practicum courses have been classified as a research course due to the intensive coursework in and out of the classroom. Accordingly, research classified Capstone/Practicum courses will qualify for full time BAH. If a student's Capstone/Practicum course is not a research-intensive course, their course load will not qualify them for BAH. Please contact [email protected] for a complete list of programs approved for full-time Capstone/Practicum requirements.

Graduate Comprehensive Exam Courses

University policy states the Comprehensive Exam Course must be the last course of a student's degree program and may be taken only after the completion of all coursework. Additionally, no concurrent coursework is permitted. Comp Exam courses are only offered in non-credit, pass/fail 8-week sessions. VA regulations state students must have a rate of pursuit greater than half time (.51%) in order to be eligible to receive BAH under the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. The VA will cover course tuition and fees up to the percentage for which a student is eligible. However, the course load will not qualify a student for BAH, as their enrollment will be reported as one credit hour.

Course Extensions

If a student is granted a course extension from their professor, they will not receive VA education benefits during the extension period. The VA will automatically discontinue benefits on the day after the student's original term ending date. Benefits will not start until a new course has been enrolled in and an enrollment certification has been sent to the VA. Submission of a course extension for VA education benefits will likely result in an adjustment to the student's rate of pursuit and an overpayment which will require future repayment.

Unsatisfactory Academic Progress, Conduct and Attendance

VA requires APUS to report when students using GI Bill® benefits are not meeting the institution’s academic standards. When APUS is made aware of a student no longer meeting academic standards, notification will be electronically reported to the VA.

Excessive Credits

Students who are using VA education benefits may not register for courses that are not applicable to their current program of study. Any course that is deemed not applicable to the current program of study will be considered an excessive credit and an enrollment certification for the course will not be submitted.

Prior Credits

The VA requires that all prior credit must be evaluated by APUS prior to a student’s initial enrollment. Students must identify any prior credit that has been earned. Additionally, a Joint Services Transcript (JST) or Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcript must be received by APUS for all students who will be using VA education benefits. Students who are currently having prior credits evaluated are strongly encouraged to register only for courses for which they know they will not receive prior credit. If prior credit is later given for a course a student is currently taking using VA education benefits, APUS must terminate the enrollment certification with the VA, as this would constitute an excessive credit. Terminations of enrollment will likely result in a reduction in tuition and fess, BAH and/or books and supplies payment for the course for which a prior credit was awarded.

Courses for Transfer Programs

Students who are enrolled in an Undergraduate Courses for Transfer program at APUS are restricted by VA policy on which courses can be submitted under VA education benefits. A student must be below a junior in academic standing. Please note that the junior status also includes any credits previously taken at other institutions. Only general education courses can be submitted to the VA while a student has an undeclared program, unless a valid Parent School Letter is on file stating the course taken at APUS will transfer to the student's primary or "parent" school. Pre-requisite courses and courses which apply to a CCAF degree may also be approved for submission to the VA.

Graduate Courses for Transfer courses are not eligible for certification to the VA unless a valid Parent School Letter is on file stating the course taken at APUS will transfer to the student's primary or "parent" school.

Student Tuition and Fees Debts

APUS will not refund any payments sent directly to APUS for GI Bill® beneficiaries regardless of the refund policy to students. VA will notify APUS of these tuition and fee debts at a future date and APUS will return the tuition and fee payments to the VA. APUS will hold all tuition and fee refund amounts on a student’s account until notification is received by the VA to return the funds. Please note that it may take the VA several weeks to issue a debt notification to APUS after a change in enrollment  status for dropping or withdrawing from a course has been reported.

Students who were anticipating a refund of VA tuition and fees may not receive this refund. Students will be able to see the funds that will be returned to the VA on their student ledger. Students will be absolved from incurring a tuition and fees debt with the VA, but students who receive BAH payments and/or a books and supplies stipend from the VA may still be required to repay a portion or all of the funds received to the VA. Students may also owe a debt to APUS if the tuition and fees requested to be returned to the VA exceeds the school’s refund policy. For more information regarding GI Bill® debts, to include ways to precent a debt from occurring, please review the information provided on the VA website.

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