Explore your education benefits and other resources for veterans at UMGC Europe.
Our experience and familiarity with student veterans ensures that our expansive suite of student services will prove helpful as you move toward achieving your academic aspirations. You will find that many of our staff and faculty share your experiences, as they themselves are veterans or family members of veterans.
Veterans Assistance Fund
Student veterans: Apply for financial assistance from the Veterans Assistance Fund which is designed to help student veterans enrolled at UMGC cover costs related to education when Federal financial aid and VA benefits are unavailable or exhausted. The purpose of the fund is to offset costs related to academics, completion, or transition for individuals who demonstrate financial hardship.
VetSuccess on Campus
UMGC takes part in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Principles of Excellence program. The VA has also selected UMGC to participate in VetSuccess on Campus. The program provides veteran students with a full-time VA counselor. The counselor will help ease your transition to civilian life by supporting you and giving you guidance on VA benefits and services.
Helpful Tip: Federal grants and loans may be used in conjunction with your VA benefits so you can take advantage of as many funding options as possible. Learn how to apply for federal financial aid options.
Applying for VA Benefits
If you are a first-time applicant for the Post 9/11 GI Bill®1 (active duty or veteran), you must complete VA Form 22-1990 (Application for VA Education Benefits), through VA.gov.
Students using transferred benefits for the first time will need to complete the VA Form 22-1990E (after the transfer has been completed by the servicemember at the DoD level), through VA.gov.
Veterans must also submit a copy of their DD-214.
Change of Program or Place of Training
If you have previously used VA benefits at another university and have not changed your status, you must complete VA Form 22-1995 (Request for Change of Program or Place of Training) through VA.gov.
Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
After applying for your Certificate of Eligibility, it will take the VA Office about eight weeks to process. Upon receipt of your COE, please provide a copy to the UMGC VA Office by e-mailing a scan of the document to coeva@umgc.edu.
Requesting and Adjusting Certification of VA Benefits
If you wish to use VA education benefits, you must follow these instructions each registration period (Fall, Spring, Summer) to request certification of enrollments with UMGC:
Log in to MyUMGC Student Center Finances Click Request for Certification Select term Complete Request Form
Once submitted, the certification form will notify the UMGC VA office of the intent to use VA benefits for the current term.
If you enroll in any additional classes within the same term for which you have already requested certification, you must complete the "Adjust My Certification" request in MyUMGC. This will inform the UMGC Europe VA office of additional enrollments.
Any cancellations, drops, or withdrawals made to enrollments will be automatically processed and reported to the VA. No further action is required on your part. However, please note that, if a payment has already been received, you may be required to reimburse the VA or UMGC for any adjustment that results in an overpayment.
The Certification Process
UMGC acts as a certifying agent for the VA. Once the UMGC VA office receives your certification form through MyUMGC and course payment, the staff can forward VA form 22-1999 (Enrollment Certification) to the VA regional office. The primary responsibility of the university is to certify active enrollment of VA students; it is not to make decisions on individual claims.
Viewing Certification Status
You can view the status of requests in the MyUMGC by navigating to: Student Center My Academics (in Academics box) View My Certification Select term
Once UMGC has begun processing the certification form, the status of requests will change from "Pending" to "Received." Once certification has been completed for the enrollment dates, credit hours, and type of enrollment by UMGC and submitted to the VA , the status will change to "Submitted" and you will be able to see the date of submission. "Completed" is the last step in the certification process and will be completed after the drop period for your class. The certification will once again be completed for the enrollment dates, credit hours, and type of enrollment by UMGC and now the tuition costs will also be reported submitted to the VA.
Payments
VA payments are made by the Department of Veterans Affairs directly to you and are calculated in accordance with federal regulations. Education benefits are paid according to how the VA views both the nature of the courses and the course load you are taking. You should check with the UMGC Europe VA office regarding how VA benefits are paid for special format classes, such as online courses and seminars, as these payments may differ.
Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) Benefits and Payment Information
All amounts below are based on 100% eligibility rates. You may determine your rate of eligibility using the chart below. If you are less that 100% eligible, simply multiply your percentage by an amount.
| Individuals serving an aggregate period of active duty after September 10, 2001, of: | Percentage of Maximum Benefit Payable |
|---|---|
| At least 36 months | 100 |
| At least 30 continuous days and discharged due to service-connected disability | 100 |
| At least 30 months < 36 months | 90 |
| At least 24 months < 30 months | 80 |
| At least 18 months < 24 months | 70 |
| At least 12 months < 18 months | 60 |
| At least 6 months < 12 months | 50 |
| At least 90 days < 6 months | 40 |
Please note: Recipients of transferred benefits will always be 100% eligible.
Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, students are eligible to have all or a portion of their tuition paid directly to the university by the VA. Students are also eligible to receive up to $1000 per year for books and supplies. The books and supplies stipend is automatically calculated when a student's enrollments are submitted to the VA. Payment of this stipend is sent directly from the VA to the student.
Recipients of the Post 9/11 GI Bill® who are using transfer benefits from an Active Duty Servicemember (Spouse) are not eligible for the monthly housing stipend.
Effective 1 August 2011, in addition to the housing allowance being based on your percentage of eligibility, it is also prorated based on your "rate of pursuit." As of 1 October 2011, students enrolled only in online courses will be eligible for a monthly housing allowance equal to one-half the national average of the Basic Allowance for Housing for an E-5 with dependents. The payment will also be prorated based on your percentage of eligibility and your "rate of pursuit."
The VA calculates rate of pursuit by dividing the number of credit hours being pursued by the number of credit hours considered full-time.
Below are the rates of pursuit for course loads in undergraduate, graduate 3-term, and graduate 4-term programs.
Undergraduate Rate of Pursuit (for 8-Week Sessions)
3 credits = 60 percent rate of pursuit
4 credits = 80 percent rate of pursuit
5 credits = 90 percent rate of pursuit
6 credits = 100 percent rate of pursuit
Graduate Rate of Pursuit (for 3-term, 12-Week Sessions)
3 credits = 50 percent rate of pursuit
6 credits = 100 percent rate of pursuit
9 credits = 100 percent rate of pursuit
Graduate Rate of Pursuit (for 4-term, 11-Week Sessions)
6 credits = 100 percent rate of pursuit
You can find your percentage of eligibility on your Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) or by signing into your e-benefits page.
Your monthly housing allowance can be calculated using the following formula*:
(Your applicable Basic Allowance for Housing) X (Your percentage of eligibility) X (Your rate of pursuit)
*Be sure to convert your percentages to decimals before performing this calculation.
Payment and Benefit Information for Other VA Educational Benefit Programs
If you are receiving education benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill® (Chapter 30), MGIB Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606), or Reserve Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 1607), you must verify your monthly enrollments online via the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) in order to release monthly payments. You may verify only after the VA has processed the certification, which may take 6-8 weeks after they have received it from the UMGC Europe VA office.
Note: UMGC Europe is not eligible for the VA's Advanced Payment Program.
VA Students from Other Institutions
If you are not pursuing a UMGC degree, but wish to receive VA benefits for UMGC Europe courses, you must request written permission (a parent-school letter) for each course from your degree-granting school before enrolling. The parent-school letter must be submitted to the UMGC Europe VA office with the appropriate VA application and any necessary documentation.
Student Responsibilities
If you are receiving VA benefits, you are expected to follow all regulations and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs while attending UMGC Europe. At UMGC, all regulations of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are enforced. You should be aware of the following requirements:
You are expected to make satisfactory progress toward a degree or certificate; you must comply with the academic standards of UMGC Europe.
If you register for a course and then not attend, or cease to attend without officially withdrawing, you may be misusing federal funds, which may be punishable by law.
Payment of benefits will be disallowed for repeating a course for which transfer credit has been rated or for which a grade that meets minimum requirements for the degree has been earned.
Payment of benefits will be disallowed for any course that is not a requirement in your degree or certificate program.
Official Evaluation Requirement
VA regulations require that all VA students declare a major field of study and have an official evaluation of all prior academic course work and military training. This evaluation must be completed within two terms of your first VA enrollment. The Department of Veterans Affairs may seek reimbursement of benefits paid if you have received benefits for enrollments without having received an official evaluation after two terms. Upon receipt of your last required transcript, the official transcript will be completed in approximately 20 business days.
Documents required for an official evaluation include:
CLEP, USAFI/DANTES, Excelsior College Exams (ECEP - formerly RCEP, ACT/PEP), Advanced Placement, or other test results, as appropriate
Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended - use the Transcript Request (UMAA-002) form.
Appropriate military documents
Industry-specific certifications
Evaluation of any foreign credentials by one of the approved agencies
All records of previous educational experiences must be sent directly from each issuing institution (or other source, in the case of military documents) to:
Attn: Student Records
University of Maryland Global Campus
3501 University Boulevard East
Adelphi, MD 20783-8070 USA
Electronic transcripts, if available, may be e-mailed directly from the issuing institution to studentrecords@umgc.edu.
You can track the status of your transcripts in MyUMGC.
VA Chapters/Programs Available to UMGC Europe Students
With your veterans benefits, you can move one step closer to reaching your highest educational goals. You could qualify for benefits that help you afford your education, including tuition assistance, an annual stipend for books and supplies, payments to cover loans, and more. UMGC Europe makes it easy to determine which benefit program is best for you. Read below to learn about eligibility requirements and specific benefits for each of the available programs.
Chapter 30: Montgomery GI Bill1—Active Duty
You receive monthly benefits payments based on your training time and can use them to help pay for tuition and books. You must complete a monthly verification of enrollment.
Chapter 31: Veteran Readiness and Employment
Your monthly benefits are paid directly to UMGC and are based on your training time. You also receive assistance with purchasing textbooks and supplies. You may be eligible to have your application fee paid. You must get approval from your case managers on your VA Authorization Form.
Chapter 32: Veterans Educational Assistance Program
You receive monthly benefits payments based on your training time and can use them to help pay for tuition and books.
Chapter 33: Post‐9/11 GI Bill®
Your monthly benefits are paid directly to UMGC and are based on your rate of pursuit and length of service percentage. You receive a book allowance and may also be eligible for a housing allowance based on your length of service percentage.
Chapter 1606: Montgomery G.I. Bill®—Selected Reserve
You receive monthly benefits payments based on your training time and can use them to help pay for tuition and books. You must complete a monthly verification of enrollment...
Choosing Your GI Bill® Benefits
If you meet the eligibility requirements for the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, as well as other GI Bills, such as the Montgomery GI Bill®, you will be required to choose which benefit you wish to receive. For some individuals, your choice may be irrevocable. The Post 9/11 GI Bill® may provide a better benefits package in terms of eligibility criteria, period of eligibility, and financial value in comparison to existing educational benefit programs that remain in effect. However, the best program for you, if you are eligible for multiple educational benefit programs, will depend on your individual circumstance. Please review the eligibility requirements that apply for specific benefits and compare these benefits to those offered under other GI Bills for more information.
For More Information
For assistance and questions, contact a UMGC Europe Veterans Affairs Advisor (contact information below). For more details about the bill, visit the GI Bill® website.
Tuition Assistance Top-Up (TATU)
Chapter 30 Recipients
Active duty servicemembers may not receive standard Chapter 30 benefits for the same courses for which they are already receiving tuition assistance (TA) from the military. If you take several courses, you can only receive Chapter 30 benefits for the courses that TA is not being paid. If you are an active duty servicemember and are taking a course which TA has partially covered, you may use the Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill® to cover the difference.
If using Top-Up, you must submit a request for certification and also have the TA amount posted to your account. Please indicate that you are using Top-Up so UMGC can certify your status accurately. Also, indicate "yes" when asked if you are receiving TA benefits.
*Chapter 33 recipients are not required to use the Tuition Assistance Top-Up program. You should request benefits through MyUMGC for courses which are partially or not covered by TA. Please note if you are utilizing the Post-9/11 GI Bill®. This entitlement is charged based on your enrollment training time. If you attend classes at the half-time training level, you will be charged a half month of Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits for each month you are enrolled and received GI Bill® benefits, regardless of how much money you are reimbursed.
Note: Find out more about Tuition Assistance Top-Up.
Tuition Assistance
Tuition assistance is a Department of Defense (DoD) program. VA does not administer TA. TA rules vary by branch of service and can even vary between units depending on whether the unit is active, reserve, or National Guard. If you receive education benefits from VA and receive TA benefits from the military, please know that duplication of benefits may be an issue. The issue might involve VA regulations, DoD regulations, or both, since VA and DoD both have regulations about receiving VA benefits and TA at the same time. Please contact the UMGC Europe VA Office for more information.
UMGC VA Office Contact
Contact Information
- Civilian: +49-(0)631-56000-90000
- va-europe@umgc.edu
APO Mail
UMGC Europe
ATTN: VA Office
Unit 29216
APO AE 09004
Civilian Mail
UMGC Europe
ATTN: VA Office
Hertelsbrunnenring 10
67657 Kaiserslautern
Germany
VA Regional Office Contact
Contact Information
- Civilian: +1-918-781-5678
- VA Ask a Question
Civilian Mail
VARO
P.O. Box 4616
Buffalo, NY 14240-4616
1 GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website.
1 GI Bill is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More information about education benefits offered by VA is available on the U.S. government GI Bill website.