Financial Aid...Veterans...Eligibility

The Department of Veterans Affairs has set policies governing who qualifies for veterans' benefits, how to stay eligible, and what it will and won't pay for.

Who is eligible?
To collect VA benefits you must:

Declare a program of study.
Attend classes.

How do I stay eligible?
A student will be considered in good standing as long as the classes taken are required for graduation in his/her program, the student is not repeating classes already successfully completed, the student has not been on Academic Probation for two consecutive quarters (of enrollment) and does not earn less than a 2.0 for the quarter, the student has not been Academically Dismissed by the College and does not earn a 2.0 GPA for the quarter. (See Grading and Academic Procedures in the College Catalogue)

Once a student has been reported to the VA for Unsatisfactory Progress, benefits will be suspended and the student will be notified. Students must reapply for their benefits by contacting the VA Coordinator.

Administrative Withdrawals
Students who miss two or more weeks of classes may be administratively dropped from their classes. Once a class is dropped the VA will be notified to adjust rate payment accordingly. If you need to miss class, please make sure you notify your instructor to avoid administrative withdrawals.

What will VA benefits pay for?
VA Benefits generally pay for classes required for graduation in a program.

One exception to this rule: VA benefits will pay for Vocational Rehabilitation students with Counselor approval.

VA benefits will not be paid for Auditing classes.

Veterans' benefits will pay for remedial classes as long as they are required to obtain a degree. Students determine which remedial classes they must take according to their scores on the COMPASS placement test. The VA considers all Columbus State’s DEVXXX classes and ENGL 100 as remedial.

Reporting Changes
To avoid a delay, suspension, or overpayment of your VA benefits, students must report all changes to the College VA Office:

Address changes
Name changes
Change in credit hours
Withdrawal from school
Program of study changes