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VA Benefits

Apply for Veterans Benefits

New students who have never received VA benefits
To receive VA benefits at Guilford, you must:

  • Be admitted to the college as a degree-seeking student.
  • Apply to the Department of Veterans Affairs for education benefits. If approved, submit a copy of the Certificate of Eligibility to VA Certifying Official.
  • Register for courses.
  • Complete and submit Veteran Responsibility Contract to VA Certifying Official.

Transfer Students who have used benefits before at another institution
To receive VA benefits at Guilford, you must:

  • Be admitted to the college as a degree-seeking student.
  • Complete and submit VA Form 22-1995 (military and reservists) or 22-5495 (dependents/survivors) to VA Certifying Official.
  • Register for courses.
  • Complete and submit Veteran Responsibility Contact to VA Certifying Official.

Vocational Rehabilitation students

  • The process for receiving Chapter 31, Voc Rehab benefits is initiated with the Veterans Affairs Regional Office and coordinated with a Case Manager. Please call 800-827-1000, visit the Regional Office on 251 N. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC, 27155 or see the Voc Rehab website.

Forms can be emailed, mailed, or faxed to the Registrar’s Office VA Certifying Official:
Guilford College
Registrar’s Office
5800 W. Friendly Avenue
Greensboro, NC 27410
Fax (336) 316-2948
Email: dilgeraa@guilford.edu

Important Information for all VA students

Course Applicability: Only courses that satisfy requirements (see your degree evaluation on Bannerweb) can be certified for VA purposes.  If you take a course that does not satisfy a program requirement, it cannot be certified for VA purposes. Excessive free electives, for example, cannot be certified. Veteran Affairs does not allow payment for audited courses, courses for which transfer credit has been granted, and courses previously passed with a “D” or better (unless a better grade is required by your major for graduation). Courses that are credit/no credit graded (for example, PHYE 100 Physical Activity courses) can be certified for VA benefits only if the student is eligible for elective credit towards their current program of study.  Professional development workshops and courses taken for personal interest are not authorized for certification of VA education benefits.

Fast Track Courses: Fast Track courses affect full-time status. For example, a VA student who registers for one full-term course, one Fast Track I course and one Fast Track II course will NOT be considered a full-time student by the VA. You must register for 12 credits and all courses must be full-term in order to receive the full-time benefit rate for the entire semester.

Training Time: Full benefits will be paid for 12 or more credit hours, ¾ time for 9-11 credit hours, ½ time for 6-8 credit hours, less than ½ time for 4-5 credit hours during normal fall and spring sessions. For one five-week summer session, 4 credit hours are considered full-time and for the ten-week summer session, 7 credit hours are considered full-time. Payment rates are available on the VA website.

Post 9/11 GI Bill and Rate of Pursuit:: VA prorates housing allowance by rate of pursuit. Meaning, you must be registered for at least 7 credits during the normal fall and spring terms to be eligible for the basic housing allowance. In order to receive the full basic housing allowance, you must be registered for 12 credits (3 full-term courses). For one five-week summer session, 4 credits are considered full-time. For the ten-week summer session, 7 credits are considered full-time. If you are not eligible for the 100% tier, housing payment is also prorated by tier.

Post 9/11 GI Bill and Reduction in Credit Hours: An individual who withdraws from one or more courses will be charged an overpayment equal to the amount of ALL tuition and fees, basic housing allowance, and Yellow Ribbon, if applicable, for that period of enrollment. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, all reductions in credit hours (regardless of when they occur) are student debts. Any overage of funds on a student’s account due to a withdrawal from a course(s) will be refunded to the student in accordance with Guilford’s established refund policies. The student (not Guilford College) will be responsible for repaying VA.

Payments:  VA no longer pays for breaks between semesters; meaning, expect a prorated payment for the first and last months of the term. Also, it is important to note that because of the January term, the spring term now has a later start date which creates a significant break between fall and spring semesters.

For Post 9/11 GI Bill students, tuition/ fees, and book stipend awards are scheduled 14 days prior to the start of the term. If you register for a fast track II course, VA will not send payment for tuition/ fees and books until later in the semester even though both sessions are certified at the beginning of the term.

Generally, Post 9/11 GI Bill and Ch. 35 Survivors/Dependent students are paid the monthly allowance directly, at the beginning of each month for the previous month.  Ch. 30, 1606, and 1607 students receive payment within two weeks of verifying enrollment at the end of the month.

Grades: Please be aware that final grades can affect eligibility for benefits. Receiving a “W” grade may cause a large overpayment with the VA. “F” grades due to a lack of attendance will be reported to the VA and could also cause a large overpayment with the VA. Students must earn an overall 2.0 GPA each term to remain in good standing with the VA. Guilford is required to report a termination of benefits if an individual goes on academic suspension or dismissal. A termination of benefits will also result if there are two consecutive terms of GPA below 2.0.

Yellow Ribbon: Guilford is a Yellow Ribbon School. We have entered into an agreement with VA to fund up to 50 percent of the established charges not already covered under chapter 33. VA will match each additional dollar funded by the school. The combined amounts may not exceed the full cost of the school’s established charges. Only individuals entitled to the 100 percent benefit rate (based on service requirements) may receive this funding. Transfer of Entitlement spouses, when the transferor, service member is on active duty, are not eligible for the Yellow Ribbon program.

For Guilford Post 9/11 GI Bill students, VA will pay up to $18,077.50 per year for tuition and mandatory fees. Once the $18,077.50 cap is exhausted, the Yellow Ribbon contributions can be applied.

For more information: If have you questions regarding how to start up your Veterans Benefits at Guilford College, please contact Ashley Dilger, VA Certifying Official, at 316-2102 or dilgeraa@guilford.edu.

The Department of Veteran Affairs administers all benefit programs. If you need additional assistance, please call VA’s toll-free number 1-888-442-4551 to speak with a Veterans Benefits Counselor. These counselors are there to help with educational questions and benefits. To apply for benefits and learn what is happening with VA, please visit the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Education Service website.

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