Military Educational Benefits

To obtain more information about various VA entitlements, eligibility requirements, and to see what you may qualify for, please call the VA’s education hotline or visit the VA website. Keep in mind, while the Military Educational Benefits Specialist is available to answer questions you might have, Biola does not determine eligibility on behalf of the VA.

Contact the VA:

• Website: https://www.va.gov/education/
• Hotline: 1-888-442-4551

Biola does not have access to VA records and is unable to verify your eligibility. You may request your benefits on the VA website and they will be able to confirm your eligibility. If you are a veteran who is entitled to Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits, you can get an online statement of benefits from the VA website while you wait for a copy in the mail. If you are a dependent or spouse, you must request a Certificate of Eligibility from the VA. In both cases, your Certificate of Eligibility will indicate the amount of entitlement you have remaining.

Students should check the public WEAMS site to ensure their program of choice is approved for VA and/or DOD educational benefits. Follow the steps below to see if your program is approved:

1. First, go to the public WEAMS site.
2. In the Search Filters:
   1. Institution Name- enter Biola
   2. Program Type- select Institution of Higher Learning
3. Select Biola University in the Search Results
4. Select the programs tab and check for your program

If you do not see your program listed be sure to reach out to the Military Educational Benefits Specialist.

No. The VA will only pay benefits for courses that are degree applicable (i.e., fulfilling a requirement towards the completion of your degree program). The only exception to this is during a student’s last semester of enrollment leading to their degree completion. If the student does not have enough required credits remaining to obtain a full-time status then the student can enroll in additional coursework. The nonrequired course(s) can help you maintain a full-time status so long as the course could have been used to satisfy a degree requirement and you haven’t already taken it.

The VA pays a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for eligible beneficiaries equivalent to the BAH of an E-5 with dependents. The amount depends on the location of the institution where you take a majority of your classes. Generally, a Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipient entitled to 100% of their earned benefit will receive the MHA so long as they are above a 50% rate of pursuit (i.e., taking more than half a full course load, and at least one of their classes is residential). Students taking online courses only will be eligible for the online MHA amount. Use the GI Bill® Comparison Tool to determine your housing allowance. Please note that the MHA is paid only to Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. Eligible students under different programs have varying entitlements paid to them. Additionally, active duty servicemembers and the spouses of active duty servicemembers using transferred benefits are not eligible for MHA.

No. The full Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) will not be applied if you are carrying less than a full time status. The amount is prorated according to your rate of pursuit. For example, if you are only pursuing ¾ of a full course load (9 credits out of 12 for undergraduates) then you will receive ¾ of the full MHA amount so long as you have at least one residential course. Additionally, you must be enrolled more than half-time to receive any MHA at all. For example, an undergraduate student taking 6 credits will not qualify for the MHA. You must be above a half-time course load to receive the prorated amount. Keep in mind that the MHA for residential students is different from their online counterparts. Students taking online only classes will receive the online MHA while students who have at least one residential class while maintaining over half a course load will receive the residential MHA. Use the GI Bill® Comparison Tool to find out how much you will receive in housing allowance.

The Yellow Ribbon program is a voluntary agreement between the VA and Biola that may help cover the cost of tuition and fees over the yearly cap amount set by the VA. The VA agrees to split the difference of the overage with participating schools. For example, if a student went over the yearly cap amount by $10,000.00, then the Yellow Ribbon program would contribute an additional $5,000.00 if the participating institution also contributed $5,000.00. To qualify for the Yellow Ribbon program, you must be a Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipient with 100% eligibility as determined by the VA. Students who have exhausted their Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits are not eligible to participate in the Yellow Ribbon program.

Some charges are not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill® or the Yellow Ribbon program. Any non-mandatory fees charged to your student account cannot be paid for by the Post-9/11 GI Bill® or Yellow Ribbon. These include but are not limited to, parking permits, fines, housing, and meal plans. These charges would need to be covered by the student or other forms of financial aid.

While the Post-9/11 GI Bill® is not refundable to students, refunds are available for some financial aid awards. If your financial aid exceeds your outstanding balance, you can request a refund of the excess aid once your tuition payment from the VA has been applied to your account. Note that some forms of aid are tuition specific and are not refundable. Generally, grants and scholarships not restricted to tuition are refundable. If you have any questions please contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@biola.edu.

The VA requires a two step certification process in order to ensure accuracy. We send the first certification roughly 30 days before classes begin and report $0 in tuition and fees. This ensures students get their book stipend before classes begin and there’s no delay in their monthly housing allowance. The second certification occurs after the add/drop period. Once tuition and fees are finalized, we report the final amount through an amendment to the original certification. You will get email updates from the VA as the process unfolds and your statement of benefits will reflect tuition and fees at that time.

Yes, Biola provides enrollment certification for Chapters 1606, 30, and 35. However, the VA does not send tuition payments to Biola University under these entitlements. The VA sends a monthly stipend directly to the student. While many students use these funds to offset the cost of tuition and fees, the amount of the stipend is typically not enough to pay the entire balance. For more information regarding payment plans, reach out to Student Accounts at student.accounts@biola.edu.

Yes! We have a robust group of veterans who leverage this benefit towards gainful employment. Our students pursue a variety of programs, everything from undergraduate degrees to Masters. This program may cover the cost of all tuition and fees, books and supplies, and other costs associated with a veteran’s individual employment plan. Check with the VA for eligibility and information.

There are instances when you may incur a debt to the VA. The VA sends debt letters to students only for amounts paid directly to the student. For example, if you dropped a course after the add/drop date and fell below full time status after the VA paid you the full monthly housing allowance (MHA) then they will request a return of the overage. Students will be required to remit payment. Keep in mind, the VA will not request repayment for funds sent to the university. For information on VA debts, visit the VA debt website.

You should submit a Benefits Authorization Form as early as possible, even if you are still working out the details of your schedule. While we will not certify your benefits until you have registered in courses, your Benefits Authorization Form indicates your enrollment and intentions to use benefits. We can make adjustments as the certification window approaches. Since we can only certify you for courses you are registered in, it is in your best interest to submit your Benefits Authorization Form as soon as possible. We aim to certify each student in a timely manner to avoid any disruptions to student benefits.

Once your Benefits Authorization Form is on file and you are registered for the semester, Biola will have the required paperwork to report your enrollment information to the VA. You will receive an email notification once your credits have been certified. If for any reason we cannot move forward with your request to use benefits, you will be notified with an explanation of the situation and what we need from you to move forward.

Yes, you must submit a Benefits Authorization Form for every semester you wish to use your education benefits. This is required by the VA and DOD. Failure to complete this form in a timely manner will delay the certification process, which in turn, might delay disbursement of benefits. Prompt attention to the Benefits Authorization Form each semester ensures a student's benefits are disbursed in a timely manner and are protected against unlawful access. Use the following steps to complete the form.

1. Visit Biola’s Veterans Scholarship & Benefits page
2. Scroll down to Military Benefits Forms
3. Select Biola Benefit Authorization Form
4. Complete the form and include the most recent copy of your Certificate of Eligibility.

If you make a change to your course schedule (i.e. add/drop/adjust course/s), you must notify us right away. In most cases, swapping one course for another won’t change anything. However, some course substitutions and/or credit reductions can impact the amount of benefit you receive. We are happy to discuss any desired changes to your schedule beforehand so that you will be aware of potential impacts.