WVU Potomac State College Catalog

Veterans

In this section:

Center for Veteran, Military and Family Programs

The Center for Veteran, Military and Family Programs (CVMF) at WVU assists in providing academic, personal and professional support for all military connected students in a welcoming environment. The center is open to all veterans, armed forces personnel and dependents of current and former military service members.  

For information on how to begin your VA educational benefits (Chapter 30, 33, 35, and 1606) go to: VA Education And Training Benefits | Veterans Affairs.

All students receiving VA educational benefits for the first time will need to apply for the benefit at VA Education And Training Benefits | Veterans Affairs. If you are approved, you will be sent a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) in the mail. Please note this process may take 30-45 days. All students using VA educational benefits and Chapter 31 will need to complete the Intake Form found on the main page of Veterans at West Virginia University.

Veterans who meet qualifications for Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), must apply through Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31) | Veterans Affairs. If approved, the assigned VA counselor will be your point of contact for any changes to your education plan.

Undergraduate students who wish to receive the full stipend of VA Educational benefits in the fall and spring semesters, must maintain a minimum of 12-degree pursuant credit hours for the full semester. Degree pursuant coursework can be defined as courses recorded as degree requirements, degree electives, course prerequisites, required general education courses, military science credit for ROTC and minors required by a chosen major as stated in the WVU Catalog. 

CVMF automatically certifies students for fall and spring semesters; however, for other semesters such as Winter Intersession, Maymester and summer classes, the student must request to be certified in writing. The student can email veterans@mail.wvu.edu or contact their designated certifying official.

Students receiving Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) benefits, please note, any charges for housing and meal plans will be the student's responsibility to pay up front.

Students receiving a book stipend from the VA (Chapter 33) who DO NOT opt-out of First Day Complete, must pay the $360 book charge from the book stipend money provided by the VA.

Chapter 31 students will receive a book voucher from the assigned VA Counselor; therefore, will need to OPT-OUT of First Day Complete.

Declaring a Major

Undergraduate students receiving benefits must declare a major or non-exploratory pathway by the time they reach 29 earned hours. Students must matriculate into their intended degree program by 59 earned hours. If this does not happen, the student cannot be certified for benefits.

Modality of Courses and MHA

For VA purposes, students receiving benefits will be certified as on-campus, hybrid (low-modality) or online. On-campus and hybrid programs receive a higher rate for Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) than completely online students. Visit the GI Bill Comparison Tool to compare rates. Hybrid programs are those in which on-campus student attendance is required at least one time per term. Students must sign in for the academic session and inform the professor to send proof of attendance to the certifying official on campus. The certifying official will recertify benefits at the higher MHA rate. Meetings that take place before or after the class begins or ends (such as orientations), will not count toward hybrid certification. *MHA will not be affected for active duty students receiving Federal Tuition Assistance.

For more information on modality definitions, visit WVU Catalog.

In-State Tuition

Any veteran with at least a general discharge (to include National Guard/Reservist), students using GI Bill® benefits, students who are actively serving in a WV National Guard/WV Reserve unit and dependents with a sponsor on active duty orders, will receive in-state tuition rates.

If benefits exhaust while attending WVU, the student will remain at the in-state rate.

Veterans who meet the criteria above, but do not have GI Bill® benefits to use, will need to work with the Office of Admissions to receive the in-state rate. All students with benefits will be served through CVMF.

Any scholarships assessed at the out-of-state rate will be reassessed at the in-state rate. This will impact the amount of scholarship money received. Please reach out to financial aid at Scholarships | Financial Aid | West Virginia University to discuss the impact of being reassessed at in-state rates.

*In-state rates will not be applied until all required documents have been received, i.e. DD-214, Certificate of Eligibility or sponsor’s active duty orders.  

State Tuition Assistance

West Virginia Army and Air National Guard will apply for state tuition assistance by going to: WV Educational Encouragement Program.

WV Army National Guard students must apply for and be approved for Federal Tuition Assistance before State Tuition Assistance will be approved. Please contact WVNG for any questions.

Federal Tuition Assistance

Active duty service members and WV Army National Guard Students and Reservist can use federal tuition assistance. Please visit the Center for Veteran, Military and Family Programs to see the stipulations for each branch of service.Once approved for FTA,  student will need to send the approved funding document to veterans@mail.wvu.edu and OSATPS@mail.wvu.edu. This is needed for student accounts to apply FTA money to your account.

If you have questions or issues with FTA, please contact your education center.  

Credit Hours for Full Time Status

For information concerning full time status, eligibility of benefits, book stipends, and housing rates for WVU, call the VA Education Hotline at 888-442-4551 or visit the GI Bill Comparison Tool.

*Graduate hours needed for full time status may change depending on how many weeks the class is in session.

*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 https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

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Registration for Veterans

West Virginia University offers priority registration to veterans as part of the Forever GI Bill - Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act. 

Additional information regarding attendance, leave policies for activations and withdrawal policies can be found under the Enrollment tab of the Advising, Enrollment and Grades section of the catalog.

Contact Information:

The Center for Veteran, Military, and Family Programs (CVMF)
Aka "Mountaineer Bunker"
WVU Mountainlair, Room 214
Email: veterans@mail.wvu.edu
Phone: 304-293-8825
Website: https://veterans.wvu.edu/
Facebook: WVUVeteransHQ
Instagram: wvuveterans

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Student Account Policies

Policies are in place concerning late fees, financial holds, removal from class and collections. Students should review the Student Accounts Financial Responsibility page for the most up to date information about Payment Due Dates, Late Payment Fees, Financial Holds and the Collection Policy. 

Section 103

On December 31, 2018, the President signed into law the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018. It contains a provision (Section 103) that took effect on August 1, 2019.  Therefore, despite any policy to the contrary, for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from the VA, WVU will not:

  • Prevent their enrollment;
  • Assess a late penalty fee to;
  • Require they secure alternative or additional funding;
  • Deny their access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

However, to qualify for this provision, such students may be required to:

  • Produce the VA’s Certificate of Eligibility by the first day of class;
  • Provide written request to be certified;
  • Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies (see our VA School Certifying Official for all requirements).