VA Education Benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers several education benefits to service members, veterans, and dependents to cover all or part of their educational expenses.

We are committed to making a quality education affordable for our military and veteran students. Military students are eligible to apply for World Campus scholarships. Visit our scholarships page to learn more about scholarships open to service members, veterans, and their families. 

How to Use VA Education Benefits

You must take several steps to verify your eligibility and to use VA education benefits at Penn State World Campus.

To use VA benefits at Penn State World Campus for the first time, you must complete the following steps:

  1. Apply with the VA. It typically takes the VA 4–6 weeks to process your application. Once your application has been processed, they will mail your Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) to you.
  2. Enroll in classes at Penn State World Campus. Your academic adviser can help you choose classes and learn how to enroll.
  3. Complete the Military-Connected Student Questionnaire. You can find this questionnaire in your To-Do List in LionPATH.
  4. After you've enrolled in classes and completed the Military-Connected Student Questionnaire, submit the VA Enrollment Certification Request form in LionPATH. Note that you will not have access to submit the VA Enrollment Certification Request form until after you complete your Military-Connected Student Questionnaire.

For detailed information about how to submit the VA Enrollment Certification Request form in LionPATH, view the VA Enrollment Certification Request tutorial, which is available on the LionPATH Support page in the Getting Started with LionPATH section.

Note that if you have used your benefits at another institution, you will need to submit a VA 1995 for change of institution.

When you submit the form in LionPATH, you will need to attach supporting documentation. The documentation required depends upon your student status.

All students must attach their CoE. You can scan your CoE or provide a screenshot of your education entitlement information from VA.gov or eBenefits. Please attach your CoE or screenshot to your Enrollment Certification Request form.

Undergraduate Degree Students (Not Including Pre-Major)

You must also attach your degree audit. If you do not attach your degree audit, your form will be returned to you. We cannot process your certification request until we receive your degree audit.

Tutorials showing how to run a degree audit in LionPATH are available on the LionPATH Support page in the Degree Audit section.

  1. If you are in a degree program, you will need to run a degree audit. Use the Running a Degree Audit tutorial.
  2. Pre-major students are exempt from submitting a degree audit.

Graduate Degree Students and Graduate and Undergraduate Certificate Students

You are not required to attach a degree audit and can submit the form without including this attachment. 

Continuing to Use VA Benefits Each Semester

Complete the Military-Connected Student Questionnaire and submit the VA Enrollment Certification Request Form in LionPATH after you've enrolled in classes for each semester in which you would like to use your benefits. If your benefit eligibility has changed, please attach an updated copy of your CoE when you submit your certification request form. A delay in the submission of the certification request form could result in late fees and delayed housing stipends.

Post-9/11 GI Bill® — Chapter 33

Recipients of the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) may receive a percentage of payment for tuition and fees paid directly to the University, a monthly housing allowance, and a books stipend of up to $1000 per year paid directly to the student.

Find more information and eligibility details for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Once we receive your CoE and your VA Benefits Certification Request Form, we will post your benefit percentage to your Penn State account and it will be reflected in your tuition bill. You will need to pay any remaining tuition amount.

Veteran Readiness and Employment — Chapter 31

Veterans with a service-connected disability may qualify for Chapter 31 benefits, which may include help exploring employment options and required training needs.

Find more information and eligibility details for Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits. 

If you would like to use Chapter 31 benefits at Penn State World Campus, you must apply with the VA. When you are approved, a VA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) in your area will contact you to make an appointment. Your VRC will submit an authorization to Penn State World Campus for you to use your Chapter 31 benefits. You will also need to submit the VA Benefits Certification Request form in LionPATH.

To discuss using Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits at Penn State World Campus and learn about disability services for students, contact a disability contact specialist by completing the Student Disability Services General Inquiry form.  

Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA) — Chapter 35

The DEA program offers education and training opportunities to eligible surviving dependents or dependents of veterans who are permanently or totally disabled due to a service-connected disability.

Find more information and eligibility details for Dependents Educational Assistance. 

You must pay out-of-pocket for your classes, and you will receive a monthly stipend from the VA.

Montgomery GI Bill — Chapters 30 and 1606

The Montgomery GI Bill provides education benefits for tuition, books, and fees paid directly to service members and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. The VA offers two unique benefits: The Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD, Chapter 30) and the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR, Chapter 1606).

Find more information and eligibility details:

You must pay out-of-pocket for your classes, and you will receive a monthly stipend from the VA once you have confirmed your attendance through VA WAVE.

Tuition Assistance Top-Up

Military students who are eligible for Chapter 30 or 33 GI Bill — and approved to use military Tuition Assistance (TA) — can elect to receive their VA education benefit to cover part of the remaining expenses when TA does not cover 100% of tuition and fees.

Find more information and eligibility details for the Tuition Assistance Top-Up benefit. 

If you are on active duty and plan to combine TA with VA benefits, please be sure to indicate on your VA Benefits Certification Request Form that you are using TA.

Yellow Ribbon Program

Penn State is proud to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. However, because Penn State World Campus students qualify for in-state tuition, Yellow Ribbon payments are not necessary.

Parent Institution Letter Request

A student may take courses at more than one institution. If the student is enrolled at the primary and secondary school at the same time (concurrent enrollment), the VA will pay for the combined credit.

*The school that will grant the degree is the student’s primary school. All other schools are considered secondary schools.

Students receiving this VA education benefit must get a Parent Institution Letter (PIL) from the primary school to receive VA benefits at the secondary school. The PIL gives the receiving school assurance that the class, if completed successfully, will apply to the student’s intended academic program.

To ensure efficiency and compliance with VA guidelines, any courses you take at another institution must contribute directly to your VA–approved program. To facilitate this process, we recommend following these steps:

  1. Utilize the Penn State Transfer Credit Tool to confirm the course you plan to take outside Penn State will be a direct transfer.
  2. Please contact your academic adviser for approval and planning. Any transfer courses must be included in your academic evaluation before we can generate a parent letter on your behalf. If you do not see an adviser assigned to you in LionPATH or Starfish, please contact Academic Advising and Student Disability Services for assistance.
  3. In addition to the PIL provided by your primary institution, the secondary institution may also have paperwork for you to complete. Contact their School Certifying Official to find out if there is any additional information needed.

VA Benefits Housing Allowance for Graduate Students

Graduate students using VA benefits may be eligible for a housing allowance.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) calculates housing allowances for graduate students based on the number of credits you are enrolled in and your school’s credit requirements to be considered full-time.

If you are enrolled less than full-time, but more than half-time, your VA housing allowance will be calculated based on how many credits you are enrolled in. The percentage will be rounded to the nearest 10%.

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