Certification for Veterans
Certification for Veterans
Submitting your certification request is important to getting your benefits set up to disburse at the start of term. Your Veterans Services Center team is here to support you! Let us know if you have any questions.
Certification Steps
Take these steps to use your benefits each term.
CalVet:
Eligibility for CalVet means that you shall not be charged mandatory system-wide tuition or fees while attending SFSU.
- CalVet recipients must establish eligibility for this benefit each Academic Year and upload an award letter that specifies the Academic Year as part of your certification request.
- Please note that College of Professional and Global Education (CPaGE) programs and courses are self-supported and are not covered by this benefit. Courses with a section number that includes the letter “Z” are CPaGE courses.
- Winter courses are not covered by CalVet.
VA Education Benefits (the VA will only pay for required courses):
- Courses must fulfill prerequisites of required courses on your Degree Progress Report (DPR) or fulfill uncompleted requirements on your DPR. If a course does not fulfill one of these criteria, it most likely is not certifiable. Check with your Veterans Services team if you are unsure.
- CH 31 or CH 33 recipients must satisfy two enrollment requirements to receive the full Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) amount:
- Full-Time enrollment
- One unit of in-person (Residential) instruction. Check SFSU Learning Modes to determine if a course qualifies. Check with your Veterans Services team if you are unsure.
- CH 35 recipients must be enrolled full-time to receive the full monthly payment amount.
DoD Tuition Assistance:
DoD Tuition Assistance requires submission of the Tuition Assistance Request (TAR) online.
- Once your certification request is submitted, your Veterans Services Center team will add the courses you registered for to the AI portal and notify you to complete the Tuition Assistance Request online.
- Once completed and approved, a copy of the TAR must be submitted by email to your Veterans Services Center team at veterans@sfsu.edu.
Register after meeting with an academic advisor.
The Undergraduate Advising Center has drop-in hours and appointments available.
The Division of Graduate Studies advising is available by Zoom.
Submit separate enrollment certification requests for each session or term in your Student Center/Gateway using the Certification Request Instructions once your class schedule is finalized.
Do Not Wait! You are encouraged to submit your enrollment certification request as soon as you register.
Certification requests will be processed in the order in which they are received and may take up to 10 business days to review. Upon review, if additional information or documentation is required, you will receive a follow up to your SFSU email. Please check your SFSU email account regularly. Your timely email response is important for our team to complete your certification in a timely manner.
Unit Guidelines for VA Benefits
| Academic Status | Undergraduate Units | Graduate* Units |
|---|---|---|
| Full Time | 12–19 units | 8 units of all upper-division or graduate-level courses |
| Three-quarter Time | 9–11 units | 6 units of all upper-division or graduate-level courses |
| Half Time | 6–8 units | 4 units of all upper-division or graduate-level courses |
| Less than Half Time | 1–5 units | 1–3 units of all upper-division or graduate-level courses |
| Academic Status | Undergraduate Units | Graduate* Units |
|---|---|---|
| Full Time | 2.5 or more units | 2 or more units |
| Academic Status | Undergraduate Units | Graduate* Units |
|---|---|---|
| Full Time | 12–19 units | 8 units of all upper-division or graduate-level courses |
| Three-quarter Time | 9–11 units | 6 units of all upper-division or graduate-level courses |
| Half Time | 6–8 units | 4 units of all upper-division or graduate-level courses |
| Less than Half Time | 1–5 units | 1–3 units of all upper-division or graduate-level courses |
| Academic Status | Undergraduate Units | Graduate* Units |
|---|---|---|
| Full Time | 4 or more units | 3 or more units** |
| Three-Quarter Time | 3 units | 2 units** |
| Half Time | 2 units | -- |
| Less Than Half Time | 1 unit | 1 unit** |
| Academic Status | Undergraduate Units | Graduate* Units |
|---|---|---|
| Full Time | 6 or more units | 4 or more units** |
| Three-Quarter Time | 4-5 units | 3 units** |
| Half Time | 3 units | 2 units** |
| Less Than Half Time | 1-2 units | 1 unit** |
| Academic Status | Undergraduate Units | Graduate* Units |
|---|---|---|
| Full Time | 7 or more units | 5 or more units** |
| Three-Quarter Time | 5-6 units | 4 units** |
| Half Time | 3-4 units | 2-3 units** |
| Less Than Half Time | 1-2 units | 1 unit** |
| Summer Session | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
| R3 | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
| R2 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
| R4 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Important!
Each session has its own unit requirement that cannot be combined with the other sessions. To receive the full housing allowance and or chapter 35 monthly stipend for the entire summer term, you will need to be enrolled full time based on the number of units needed for each session. Please note one of the units taken during the respected session must be in person.
FAQs related to Certification
Yes.
- You must furnish a Parent School Letter provided by your home school’s certifying official to the secondary school’s certifying official.
- The Parent School Letter will confirm that the classes taken at the secondary school will count towards the degree program taken at the home school.
No.
- You will need to furnish your military orders to SFSU Veterans Services.
- You will be granted a military leave of absence until your return.
- You will be withdrawn from all your classes and any refunds due to you will be given.
Please contact our office after you receive your orders for further advising.
- Phone: (415) 338-2336
- Email: veterans@sfsu.edu
The VA will pay for a failed grade that affects your GPA.
This includes grades of:
- F
- I
You cannot earn a NC or receive a W or WU grade because these grades do not affect your GPA and do not earn you credit towards graduation.
If you receive a "NC", "W" or "WU", you may owe the VA repayment if it affects your enrollment status.
- For Example: The W, WU or NC changes your enrollment from full-time to three quarter time.
- Any changes may affect Chapter 33 recipients due to the book stipend.
- Repayment to the VA could be in the form of a MHA debt and/or tuition and fees debt.
- Effective dates for "NC", "W" and "WU":
- For "NC", the effective date is the last date of the term.
- For "W", the effective date will be the date of withdrawal.
- For "WUs", the effective date will be the last date of attendance reported by your instructor.
VA Education Benefits:
Federal VA education benefits may not be used for study abroad programs coordinated by SFSU and the CSU Chancellor’s Office. The Veterans Services Center team encourages you to check with the Financial Aid Office for other types of aid that can help support you studying abroad.
CalVet Fee Waiver:
When considering studying abroad while utilizing the CalVet Fee Waiver, students should look for either of the following program types:
- A program coordinated through Study Abroad or through the CSU Chancellor’s Office that charge state tuition
- A program from another California public institution that charges state tuition
What will the CalVet Fee Waiver will cover:
- State tuition
What will the CalVet Fee Waiver will NOT cover:
- Additional fees
- Travel costs
- Courses taken through the College of Professional & Global Education (formerly College of Extended Learning)
The VA's Education Services provides detailed information about benefit programs, education news, electronic application forms, and enrollment verification. Please visit their GI Bill® website.
If claiming your VA benefits for the first time, start by setting up an eBenefits account and applying for your Veterans Benefits Administration education benefits. Your online eBenefits account will be an easy way to see your disability claims and other related veteran's education and healthcare information.
Policy on students entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33.