Veterans Education Benefits

The federal government provides educational benefits to veterans of the United States Armed Forces in recognition of their service. Find out more about how to take advantage of those benefits at Dominican University of California.

Through the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, Yellow Ribbon Program, Vocational Rehabilitation, or ROTC, military veterans and military-connected students can attend Dominican at little-to-no out-of-pocket expense. These tuition benefits are separate from any other aid for which the student may be eligible through submitting a FAFSA (Federal Financial Aid) application.

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 at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

 

Service members may be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® if they served at least 90 aggregate days on active duty after September 10, 2001, or were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability after serving 30 continuous days following September 10, 2001.

Visit the GI Bill® website or contact the VA at 1 (877) 838-2778 to obtain in-depth information about the program.

Note: Children of U.S. Armed Forces members who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001 may be eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits under the Marine Gunnery John David Fry Scholarship Program.

 

Prospective students are encouraged to contact the U.S. Office of Veterans Affairs (VA) and request a COE early in the application process. The average time for the VA to process education claims is 30 days. Once the VA has verified eligibility, the COE will be mailed to the student.
The COE can be obtained from the VA from the following two options:

  • Paper
  • Electronic
    • Go to the GI Bill® website and select the Apply for Benefits link for the online application.

Upon admission to the University and prior to registering for classes, students must submit their Certificate of Eligibility letter and DD-214 to the Veterans Service Officer at finaid@dominican.edu.

 

Tuition and school fees, plus certain program fees (depending on the student’s eligibility percentage) are paid directly to Dominican. The VA pays tuition and fees capped at the national maximum rate set by the VA on an annual basis. The national maximum rate as of August 2021 is $26,042.81 for the award year.

Students who exhaust the national maximum rate may be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program. See next section for more information.

In addition to the tuition and fees paid to the school, the VA will pay the following entitlement directly to the student:

  1. A monthly housing allowance paid to the student equal to:
    • The basic allowance for housing (BAH) tied to their eligibility percentage, and their rate of pursuit, payable for the zip code of the institution (94901), or training site as applicable.
    • One-half the BAH national average for students training solely by distance learning.
  2. A books and supplies stipend paid to the student of up to $1,000 per year.

 

As a Yellow Ribbon participating institution, 100% Post-9/11 GI-Bill® eligible veterans and/or transferees also qualify for additional assistance through the Yellow Ribbon program. Dominican offers a 100% match with the VA of a Chapter 33 eligible student’s remaining tuition and fees after their Post-9/11 GI Bill® entitlement has been exhausted for the award year.

At this time, you are not eligible for the maximum benefit rate under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® if you’re an active-duty service member or the spouse of an active-duty service member who qualifies at the 100% level, or the spouse using the transferred benefits of an active-duty service member who qualifies at the 100% level.

For additional information visit the VA’s Yellow Ribbon Program page or contact the VA at (800) 827-1000.

 

Eligibility

Veterans

  • The veteran must have received a discharge that is other than dishonorable.
  • Have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% from the VA

Active Duty

  • Expect to receive an honorable or other than dishonorable discharge upon separation from active duty
  • Obtain a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Basic Period of Eligibility

  • The basic period of eligibility ends 12 years from the date of notification of one of the following:
  1. Date of separation from active military service
  2. The date the veteran was first notified by VA of a service-connected disability rating

How to Apply

  1. Complete the online application or download VA Form 28-1900, Application for Vocational Rehabilitation, and mail in application to the Department of Veterans Affairs, VR&E Center.
  2. Eligible veterans are scheduled to meet with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) for a comprehensive evaluation to determine if they are entitled to services. A comprehensive evaluation is completed with a VRC that includes:
    • A full assessment of the veteran's interests, aptitudes, and abilities to determine whether the veteran is 'entitled' to VR& E-services
    • An assessment of whether service-connected disabilities impair the veteran's ability to find and/or hold a job using the occupational skills already attained
    • Vocational exploration and goal development leading to employment and/or maximum independence at home and in the veteran's community
    • Explore the labor market and wage information
    • Narrow vocational options to identify a suitable employment goal
    • Select a VR& E program track leading to an employment or independent living goal
    • Develop an individualized rehabilitation plan to achieve the identified employment and/or independent living goal
    • Once you have been approved by the VA as eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation, your assigned VA case manager completes a VA Form 22-1905 and you will need to request that they forward it to Dominican's Veterans Service Officer at finaid@dominican.edu.
    • All requests for personal reimbursements should be completed on a VA Form 28-1905M.

What it Pays for:

  • The VA will pay for tuition and fees, required books, parking, and expendable supplies each term while approved for training.
  • The VA will also provide a monthly subsistence allowance to help with living expenses.

For additional information visit the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Employment Services webpage or contact the VA directly at 1 (800) 827-1000.

 

Eligibility

Students participating in an ROTC program may use their benefits to attend Dominican even if the ROTC program is on another school’s campus.

What it Pays for

  • Full tuition benefits depending on the student’s merit and grades
  • Monthly stipends for living expenses

Details

  • The student enrolls and takes classes at Dominican and participates in the ROTC program through the University of California Berkeley (Cal), or the University of San Francisco (USF).
  • Cal offers an Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC program
  • USF offers an Army ROTC program

For more information about Cal and USF’s ROTC programs you may visit:

 

September 16, 2019

Policy Addendum: Section 103 of the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018

If payment for any student receiving VA educational benefits under Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) or Chapter 31 (Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment) is pending from VA, then Dominican University of California will not:

  • Prevent the student from enrolling;
  • Assess the student a late penalty fee;
  • Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding;
  • Deny the student access to any resources available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution. Examples include (but are not limited to) access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities.

However, to qualify for this provision, Dominican may require an eligible recipient of VA educational benefits to provide the following:

  • VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by the first day of class;
  • A written request to be certified;
  • Additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as requested by Dominican's Veterans Service Officer.

This policy supersedes any policy that Dominican University may have regarding payment of tuition, fees, and other charges. You may contact Dominican's Veterans Service Officer in the Office of Financial Aid for all requirements, or additional information at FinAid@Dominican.edu or by phone at (415) 257-1350.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are using VA education benefits for the first time, it is the student's responsibility to apply for benefits with the VA. You may apply for VA education benefits here.

It will take the VA approximately 30 days to process your application. Once your application is processed you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) which you would submit to Dominican's Veterans Service Officier via email at finaid@dominican.edu.

New Students

If you have applied for benefits through the VA, or have been determined to be eligible and have received your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) letter from the VA, you may submit your COE to Dominican's Veterans Service Officer via email at finaid@dominican.edu.

Transfer Students

Students who have received benefits previously at another institution and are transferring to Dominican must submit VA Form 22-1995: Request Change of Program or Place of Training or use the online tool to submit a transfer request to the VA. Transfer students may contact Dominican’s Veterans Service Officer for help completing the claim. The VA usually processes claims within 30 days and student will receive a new Certificate of Eligibility in the mail which should be submitted to Dominican’s Veterans Service Officer at Dominican via email at
finaid@dominican.edu.

Only units that apply toward completion of your program can be certified with the VA. Courses or classes that do not fulfill a program requirement will not be certified for VA benefits.

Dominican University is an approved VA work-study site. The VA Work-Study Program provides additional payments of VA educational assistance benefits in return for work. Students that participate in the VA Work-Study Program receive payments equal to the minimum wage (federal or state minimum wage whichever is higher) for each hour of service performed. 

Students may receive both VA education benefits and financial aid by submitting their FAFSA application. You may be eligible for federal, state, and/or institutional aid. This aid may be in the form of gift aid (scholarships and grants), and/or loan aid. For further questions about the FAFSA application and financial aid, you may contact Dominican's Veteran Service Officer for assistance at finaid@dominican.edu.

Chapter 33 payments for tuition and fees will be paid directly to Dominican University. All other benefit payments will be paid directly to the student. It is recommended that students set up their direct deposit, and keep their direct deposit information current with the VA. Students may call the VA Direct Deposit Center at  1(877) 838-2778 to set up or change their direct deposit.