GI Bill® payments

Depending on your benefit and/or assistance eligibility, payments and coverage may vary. Below is an overview of basic information about veteran benefit payment processes, including GI Bill® programs, and what education-related expenses are covered.

The following are accommodations for students using VA education benefits:

  • Your tuition payment deadline is deferred until the end of the semester. Note: Your account must be paid in full by the end of the semester.
  • No late fees and/or installment plan fees. Please notify UVS if you receive a late fee.
  • No registration hold due to an unpaid student account awaiting VA education benefit funds. 

Payments and what's covered

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Chapter 1606, Chapter 30, and Chapter 35

How payments work

Payments will be sent via direct deposit to the bank account listed with the VA. Payments are made at the end of each month of enrollment.

Enrollment verification for Montgomery GI Bill® programs

To receive Chapter 30 or Chapter 1606 payments, you must verify your enrollment monthly through WAVE before the VA will release payment.

What's covered

Payments will be based on your rate of pursuit (number of enrolled credits) and mode of instruction. Students must enroll in at least 1 on-campus credit per term to receive the standard payment for their rate of pursuit. If you have questions about which courses are eligible for certification, contact us.

Chapter 33

How payments work

The Post 9/11 GI Bill® pays in three ways:

  1. Tuition and required fees paid directly to the school
  2. Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) paid directly to the benefit user
  3. Book stipend paid directly to the benefit user

The MHA and book stipend will be sent to the bank account listed for direct deposit when you completed the online application, also shown in your My VA profile.

How payments are determined

  • All tuition and required fees are covered by the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. Optional charges, like parking passes and bookstore purchases, are not covered.
  • Tuition and fees are paid based on your benefit eligibility percentage. To better estimate your Post 9/11 GI Bill® coverage, we recommend using the VA’s GI Bill Calculator to enter your specific details.
  • Tuition specific scholarships, fellowships, and grants will be deducted from the total tuition reported to the VA. Examples include, but are not limited to the National Scholarship and Graduate Assistant tuition benefits.

Other considerations

  • Studying abroad
  • Online-only enrollment: if you are enrolled exclusively in online classes, you can find info about your MHA benefits and rates by entering your details into the VA’s GI Bill Calculator.
  • Repeating courses: the VA will only pay for repeated courses if any of the following apply:

    • You did not receive a passing grade (the VA will pay for you to repeat a class once)
    • You did not receive a high enough grade for a course that has a minimum grade requirement to complete your major
    • You withdrew from the course and did not receive credit

    The VA will not pay for students to repeat courses they have previously completed with a grade that fulfills a degree requirement.

  • Non-applicable courses: the VA will only pay for credits that apply to degree requirements. Students need to review their APAS to ensure enrolled courses meet a declared major or minor requirement.
  • Suspension: the VA uses the same progress standards as the University of Minnesota. If your low grades lead to a suspension, the suspension will be reported to the VA.
  • Test coverage: If you’re a Veteran and you qualify for federal or state GI Bills®, you may be able to use part of your entitlement for reimbursement for college admissions tests—or tests required to become a licensed or certified professional.
  • Tutoring: First contact your department to see if free tutoring is available. Individual tutorial assistance can be reimbursed by the GI Bill® for Chapters 30, 33, 35 and 1606. The VA will pay up to $100 per month for tutoring and up to a total of $1,200.

Chapter 31

How payments work

Your tuition payments will be sent directly to your school and placed on your student account. You will see your Vocational Rehabilitation payment posted to your student account with a “Veterans Affairs, Dept Of” notation.

To receive your books and the allotted amount of supplies you must use the University Bookstore’s Scholarship desk. If you buy your books and supplies yourself you may not be eligible for reimbursement.

What's covered

Payments will be based on the authorizations from your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC). Typically an authorization will cover tuition, fees, books, and supplies. If you want to have additional fees/items covered by your benefit, you will need to work with your VRC.

Minnesota GI Bill®

How payments work

The Minnesota GI Bill® is a need-based form of financial aid. The benefit will be applied to eligible student accounts after all other VA education assistance, GI Bill® coverage, and financial aid/grants have been considered. 

What's covered

Students may be eligible to receive up to $5,000 per academic year. The program provides a lifetime maximum benefit of $15,000.

Debts with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

If you drop a class you may have a debt with the VA, the school, or both. Under the Post-9/11 Chapter 33 GI Bill®, a debt will be created for the cost of tuition, Monthly Housing Allowance, and possibly book money paid for that class. Other chapters will have a debt established for the monthly stipend you received for that class.

Feel free to contact us for more information on where the debt came from. If you have additional questions about repayment you can contact the VA Debt Management Center.

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 www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.