FAQs for Veterans
The Veterans Services office certifies military-affiliated students for a range of federal and state benefits. Below is the current list of education benefits that can be used at NEIU.
For veterans and current service members:
Federal Tuition Assistance (TA) - only
ROTC: ÃØÃÜÑо¿Ëùs State Tuition Waiver
For spouses and dependent children:
()
(Fry Scholars only)
from the State of ÃØÃÜÑо¿Ëùs.
No, ÃØÃÜÑо¿Ëùn does not participate. As a public institution, the cost of tuition and mandatory fees is fully covered by the VA, so coverage through the Yellow Ribbon program is not needed.
Please refer to ROTC at ÃØÃÜÑо¿Ëùn for more information.
Undergraduate applicants no longer have to pay an application fee.
For prospective graduate students, application fees can be waived if there is a demonstrated financial need. Please discuss your circumstances with Graduate ÃØÃÜÑо¿Ëù (gradadmissions@neiu.edu) to determine if you meet the waiver requirements.
Yes, four general elective credits are awarded to veterans who have been honorably discharged and have served a minimum of one year on active duty or in the guard/reserve. Veterans must submit a copy 4 of their DD214 to the ÃØÃÜÑо¿Ëù Operations Office (admissiondocs@neiu.edu) to receive this credit.
Transfer credit is also granted from based on military education and training. Military transcripts must be sent directly to the ÃØÃÜÑо¿Ëù Operations Office, preferably by email, student submissions are not allowed.
No, if you are utilizing veteran education benefits you do not need to make a down payment.
Specific paperwork depends on which education benefit will be used, but every veteran, service member, or dependent must provide the following documents during their initial intake:
Documentation of Military Affiliation (1 document only):
- Copy 4 of DD-214 (dependents will need to provide their sponsor's DD-214)
- Notice of Basic Eligibility for Reservists (NOBE)
- Statement of Service
Proof of Eligibility for Education Benefits
- Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from the VA, and/or
- Award Letter from ISAC or ILDVA (for IVG, ING or MIA/POW)
More specific information is available on the Request for Certification page.
Students using veteran education benefits must submit the Veteran Request for Certification (VRC) form every semester they intend to use benefits.
Students using a federal benefit* must also work with an advisor to fill out the Academic Advising Verification form.
Forms should be submitted to the Veterans Services Office within the first 30 days of classes.
*Students using Chapter 31 (VR&E) benefits do not have to submit an Academic Advising Verification form.
Yes, you can! All students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA to determine what aid they are eligible to receive. Contact the Financial Aid Office (financial-aid@neiu.edu) to find out what other financial aid awards you may qualify for.
VR&E is the only benefit that will typically* cover one transportation fee: either a parking fee or the CTA U-Pass fee. No other education benefit covers these fees.
If you do not opt out of the CTA U-Pass fee or if you decide to add on a parking fee, you will be responsible for these out-of-pocket fees.
*The final decision to provide coverage of a transportation fee is at the discretion of your individual VR&E counselor. Students are encouraged to confirm their coverage beforehand.
Currently, the only program that covers the full cost of textbooks is Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E).
Students using the Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) or the Fry Scholarship receive a , based on the number of credit hours they are enrolled in.
Note: DEA (Chapter 35) does not pay an allowance for books.
Chapter 33 & Fry Scholars only:
As of , the VA gives students up to $1,000 each academic year to help pay for books & supplies. The actual amount is based on enrolled credit hours, not the actual cost of textbooks. Specifically, students will receive $41.67 per credit hour, capped at $1,000 per academic year (Fall through Summer).
Below is an example of the amounts you would receive for an academic year, as a full-time undergraduate student:
Fall Semester: 12 credit hours = $500.04 ($41.76 x 12)
Spring Semester: 12 credit hours = $499.96 ($1,000 minus the $500.04 that was already sent for the Fall semester)
Summer Semester: 12 credit hours = $0 (the textbook stipend has been used up for the academic year)
Chapter 33 & Fry Scholars only:
The textbook stipend is paid directly to the student by VA. It is typically the very first payment sent by VA at the beginning of a term, once your first enrollment certification has been submitted by our office. The VA handles the payment processing of the textbook stipend and the Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA).
If you have not received payments, make sure your with the VA and that your hours have been certified for the term.
Contact if you have questions about approximate payment dates, amounts, or other processing issues.
Yes, developmental (also known as remedial) courses are covered, but if you are using a federal benefit, they cannot be in an online-only format, they must be held on campus.
Once we receive your VRC and Advising Verification forms, we will submit the first certification of your enrollment to the VA. For this first certification, we will only submit your credit hours- this allows VA to process your book stipend amount and calculate your initial Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) payment before the start of classes. After classes begin and the Open Registration period is over, we will send a second certification to the VA to confirm your credit hours and request tuition & fees.
Once the VA sends the tuition and fees payment to the school, the deposit is verified for receipt and accuracy. After the payment is verified, it is posted to your student's account. Payment processing is not automatic and can take 2-8 weeks after the office transmits the data to the VA. Once the payments are posted to a student’s account, any excess financial aid that is refundable is released to the student via a refund, and any late fees that were charged will be removed from your bill.
During standard semesters (Full Fall or Full Spring) undergraduate students are considered full-time at 12+ credits and graduate students are considered full-time at 9+ credits.
In order to qualify for the , a student’s Rate of Pursuit must be at least 51% or more. For undergraduate students, this means 7 or more credits. For graduate students, this means 5 or more credits.
Undergraduate students enrolled in 7-11 credits and graduate students enrolled in 5-8 credits will receive a prorated MHA amount. Students can contact the to find out the final prorated amount.
Students are also encouraged to take at least one class in-person per term. Otherwise, MHA will be paid out at the rate which is significantly less than the in-person rate.
At the end of every month that you are enrolled in classes, you will have to confirm your enrollment status with the VA in order to receive your monthly payment.
is required for students using federal VA benefits (Chapter 30, 33, 35, & 1606) and can be done online, via text, email, or phone.
If you attended the class and did not pass, you will not be expected to pay benefits back to the VA or to the state.
If you did not attend the class at all or stopped attending during the semester, VA will determine your potential financial impact. If you are not doing well in a class, we encourage you to reach out to the NEIU Academic Support Center to find out what tutoring options are available prior to the end of the class.
Students using Federal Tuition Assistance (TA) may have to pay back failed classes to the military. Reach out to your installation’s Army Education Counselor or contact your assigned Education Center for more information.
If you are using state benefits only (IVG, ING, MIA/POW), you do not have to pay back benefits to NEIU, but your scholarship units will still be reduced to cover the dropped class.
If you are using federal benefits, it is recommended that you meet with the Veterans Services Office prior to dropping the course in order to discuss any potential financial obligations. Oftentimes, a student can mitigate the financial impact due to a variety of issues that may have impacted your decision. Drops and withdrawals use up benefit entitlement and may need to be repaid back to the VA.
Service members facing a school absence due to a call to active duty or medical treatment for a service-related condition must notify Veterans Services (veterans@neiu.edu), within 10 days of notice to ensure proper application of the Student Military Leave Policy.