Using GI Bill® Benefits

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Where to start in your GI Bill® Benefits process

The VA Academic year is defined as Aug 1-July 31.

For general questions about how your benefits may work at St. Ed’s, feel free to call us or to schedule an appointment. We want to make sure you’re fully informed about what to expect from your GI Bill® benefits when using them to pursue any approved degree or certificate program.

Have you applied for GI Bill® benefits with the VA?

If you have not, please visit VA.gov and apply at your convenience.

Are you working with a Ch.31 VA Vocational Readiness and Employment Counselor to establish benefits?

Please contact us and share the name and VA email address of your VR&E counselor. We’ll coordinate from there.

Have you already applied for GI Bill® benefits and received a determination from the VA?

Please upload your GI Bill® Certificate of Eligibility, or a Post-9/11 GI Bill® statement from VA.gov, through our secure veteran benefits portal.

-Once we review and verify, we will be in touch shortly with additional information.

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. 

 

Request to be Certified for GI Bill® benefits                                                              Upload your Veteran Benefits paperwork

The Ch. 33, Post 9/11 GI Bill® at 100% eligibility, funding levels for the VA ’24-’25 academic year

The VA will provide up to $28,937.09 in Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition and fees funding for Post-9/11 GI Bill® beneficiaries at the 100% eligibility level who attend a private university during the 2024-2025 academic year. St. Edward’s is a private university.

*If you are not 100% eligible, you can factor in your eligibility percentage against the full 100% Post 9/11 GI Bill® funding rate to determine your ’24-’25 allotment.

Ch. 33 rate tables

Yellow Ribbon program, funding levels for the VA ’24-’25 academic year:

When the Post 9/11 GI Bill® beneficiary exhausts all $28937.09 in Post 9/11 GI Bill® funding, the VA will provide up to an additional $10,000 for tuition and fees charges occurring during the same VA academic year. Each VA Yellow Ribbon funding dollar received by St. Edward’s will be matched by St. Edward’s Yellow Ribbon funding. This can provide the eligible student up to an additional $20,000 in combined VA/St. Edward’s matched Yellow Ribbon funding for tuition and fee charges during the VA ’24-’24 academic year.

Total ’24-’25 Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition/fees funding at 100% eligibility with all possible Yellow Ribbon: $48,937.09

*The Yellow Ribbon program is only available to students at 100% Post 9/11 GI Bill® eligibility.

"The VA will provide up to $ $28,937.09  in Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition and fees"

-As of August 2022, eligible students on active duty can use the Yellow Ribbon program.


Ch. 35 DEA: The student is paid a stipend based upon their certified rate of pursuit.

St. Edward’s full-time undergraduate rate of pursuit is defined as 12 credit hours, and graduate is 9 credit hours. We certify all credit hours meeting degree requirements to the VA.

Ch. 35 rate tables


Ch.31 VR&E: All tuition and fees are paid for courses meeting degree requirements, per the student’s CH.31 degree program agreement provided by VA VR&E to St. Edward’s

St. Ed’s verifies your program eligibility when your VR&E counselor provides us with an education “purchase order”. Please contact us and share the name and VA email address of your VR&E counselor. We’ll coordinate from there.

We invoice VR&E for the tuition and fees per any semester the student requests to be certified.

The student’s purchase order will detail the degree program the VA wishes to pay for. If the Ch.31 VR&E student is taking courses outside of the VA approved degree plan, we will reach out to the student’s VR&E counselor to understand if they will provide funding for such coursework.

St. Ed’s bookstore, a third-party contract with Barnes and Noble, invoices separately for Ch. 31 students. We inform the student’s VR&E counselor to send a separate purchase order to the St. Ed’s bookstore.


Ch. 30, Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB-AD): The student is paid a stipend based upon their certified semester rate of pursuit.

St. Edward’s full-time undergraduate rate of pursuit is defined as 12 credit hours, and graduate is 9 credit hours. We certify all credit hours meeting degree requirements to the VA. 

Ch. 30 rate tables


Ch. 1606, Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR): The student is paid a stipend based upon their certified rate of pursuit.

St. Edward’s full-time undergraduate rate of pursuit is defined as 12 credit hours; graduate is 9 credit hours. We certify all credit hours meeting degree requirements to the VA.

Ch. 1606 rate tables

The Yellow Ribbon program provides additional funding beyond the defined academic year's tuition and standard fees cap for students using the Ch.33 Post-9/11 benefit at the 100% eligibility level. This excludes students who are serving on Active Duty or spouses in receipt of transferred benefits from a service member still on Active Duty.

  • We have 250 slots for veterans and their dependents
  • Our annual amount is $20,000 in additional funds ($10,000 from SEU and $10,000 from VA) and helps offset a portion of tuition and fees. Students are responsible for any outstanding balance outside of their Veterans benefits. 

The criteria for participation in the Yellow Ribbon program are as follows:

  • Eligible for the Post 9/11 (Chapter 33) GI Bill® education benefit at the 100% level
  • Maintain good academic standing at St. Edward's University, must be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.
  • Be admitted as a degree-seeking student with net tuition and fee charges above the VA’s annual maximum rate as posted at www.gibill.va.gov.

    Note: Unused funding does not roll to the next academic year.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is available to most degree programs offered at St. Edward’s. Contact the Military & Veterans Affairs Coordinator for more information.

Institution's Policy on Return of Unearned TA Funds to the Government

Return of Tuition Assistance: Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption the student will attend the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded.  St. Edward's University will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned founds returned based upon when a student stops attending.

16-week Course Withdraw submitted

Before or during Week 1                    100% return

During Weeks 2-4                                75% return

During Weeks 5-8                                50% return

During Week 9-10                                40% return (60% of course completed)

During Weeks 11-16                               0% return

12-week Course Withdraw submitted

Before or during Week 1                    100% return

During Weeks 2-4                                75% return

During Weeks 5-6                                50% return

During Week 7                                      40% return (60% of course completed)

During Weeks 8-12                               0% return

8-week Course (Including Distance Education) Withdraw submitted

Before or during Week 1                    100% return

During Week 2                                      75% return

During Weeks 3-4                               50% return

During Week 5                                     40% return (60% of course completed)

During Weeks 6-8                               0% return

By phone: 888-442-4551

Web: Ask.va.gov

You should contact the VA when:

  1. You have a question about any VA GI Bill education benefit
  2. You would like information about what you were/will be paid as a result of your GI Bill certification
  3. You would like to confirm your remaining benefits or ask about a submitted application for benefits.
  4. You want to change your direct deposit, address, or phone number on record.

As a private university, St. Edward’s is unable to participate in the Hazlewood Program.

  • The Hazlewood Act exempts qualified students taking classes at public institutions of higher education in Texas from tuition and fee charges but does not include property deposits or student services fees.

Contact Us

Hours

Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location

Main Building 
Student Financial Services Room 204

Get in Touch

Dustin Noll 
dnoll@gregorybgallagher.com 
(512) 492-3193

Submit Financial Aid Paperwork

Mailing Address

Student Financial Services
St. Edward's University
3001 S Congress Ave
Austin, Texas 78704