Undergraduate Catalog

Veteran Education Benefits

Veteran’s Benefits -- Student's Financial Responsibilities

Students should be aware of their financial responsibilities while utilizing VA benefits.

Gallaudet University, through the Registrar’s Office, Financial Aid Office, and Student Financial Services Office works in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to assist veterans and dependents eligible to participate in the VA’s education benefits programs.

Eligibility for benefits is determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs which has Education Benefits Counselors available at 888-GI-BILL-1 (888-442-4551). Once a student has determined his/her eligibility for benefits, they should review the guide information and contact the Registrar’s Office to discuss how to apply those benefits to their program of study at the university.

Once a student has begun using VA education benefits at the university it is their responsibility to check in with a School Certifying Official (SCO) in the Registrar’s Office every semester for re-certification of benefits. Additionally, students making changes to their enrollment after they have been certified for a semester are responsible for contacting the SCO in the Registrar’s Office so that any necessary adjustment to benefits can be processed.

The university will not assess financial penalties (late payment fees and/or interest charges) or enforce holds on registration or university services for students utilizing veterans’ education benefits permitted that:

  • The student has provided the university with valid authorization from the Department of Veterans Affairs confirming eligibility for benefits. The ‘Certificate of Eligibility’ (COE) letter from the VA is best to provide on/before the 1st semester of attendance to the Registrar’s Office.
  • The amount of any pending veterans’ education benefits for the current or prior term(s) fully covers the balance due on the student’s account.
  • Students being paid for education benefits directly (Chapters 30, 35 & 1606) show continuous effort to pay their account balances in a timely manner each semester*.

In the event that the amount of pending veteran’s education benefits for the current or prior term(s) does not cover the entirety of the balance due on the student account, the portion of the balance that are to be covered by the pending benefits can be exempted from financial penalties as described above.

Any portion of a student’s account balance that will not be paid by pending veterans’ education benefits for the current or prior term(s) *should be paid in accordance with the posted deadlines given by Student Financial Services.

*Students with charges in excess of pending VA payments, as well as students utilizing VA benefits that are paid directly to the student (chapters 30, 35 & 1606), who are unable to remit payment to the university in full at the start of the term are encouraged to utilize the optional monthly payment plan.