Veteran Enrollment Certification

Upon admission into Rutgers University - Newark, students must provide the university with documentation regarding the VA Educational Benefits which they are entitled to use in pursuit of their degree.

These documents must be uploaded electronically to the Rutgers Veteran Request for Enrollment Certification (Vetcert) system. See instructions for "Uploading Proof of VA Eligibility documents" below.

The necessary VA documents include the following, based on the type of benefits the student is entitled to:

• Students receiving Chapter 1606, 1607, 30 benefits must upload a Notice of Basic Eligibility (NoBE), Certificate of Eligibility and/or Award Letter issued by the VA.
• Students receiving Chapter 31 benefits must upload the VA form 28-1905.
• Students receiving Chapter 33 benefits must upload the Certificate of Eligibility.
• Students receiving Chapter 35 benefits must upload the Certificate of Eligibility.
• Students receiving NJ National Tuition Waiver benefits must upload the Commander Certificate.
• Students who have been discharged from military duty must also scan and upload a copy of the Member Copy 4 of their DD-214 form.

Students must go online to apply for VA Educational Benefits at: http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/apply.asp.

Students using their benefits for the first time must apply for the VA Form 22-1990 (Application for VA Educational Benefits) .

Once the VA has processed your application and verified your eligibility, the VA will send you the Certificate of Eligibility detailing the VA Educational Benefits entitlements. Upon receipt of the document, scan and upload that document to the Rutgers VetCert system by following the instructions below.

Students who have used their VA Educational benefits at a previous institution must submit a VA Form 22-1995 "Change in Program or Place of Training" form to the VA via the eBenefits,  VONAPP or Vets.gov system. If you are receiving Chapter 35 (DEA) benefits then you must apply for the VA Form 22-5495 "Dependent's Request for Change in Program or Place of Training".

Transferring students who have registered for Rutgers courses may upload a copy of their most recent Award Letter, issued by the VA for the last Enrollment Certification they were awarded until they receive the official document from the VA.

Contact the VA School Certifying Official's at Rutgers University-Newark, Daniel R Villanueva or Mylene Tenorio at https://go.rutgers.edu/myrunsupport for questions regarding certification of Veteran Educational Benefits.

Prior to being certified for VA Educational Benefits, students must provide the documents indicated above, that describes the student's educational entitlements.

Students must upload documents to the Rutgers Request for Enrollment Certification (VetCert) system as follows:

• Students must first scan their VA document and save it as an electronic .pdf or .jpg file.
• Next, login to the Rutgers VetCert system using NetID or RUID.
• Once logged in to VetCert, click on the "My Supporting Documents" tab at the top of the page.
• Then scroll to the bottom and select the appropriate "Document Type".
• Click "Browse" to find the document on the computer, then select it and click "Upload".
• Verify that the document displays in the profile on VetCert.

Students must be enrolled as a matriculated student in a degree program in order to be certified for VA educational benefits.
Contact the Rutgers University - Newark Office of Admissions at 973.353.5205 or by email at newark@admissions.rutgers.edu for details regarding admission to Rutgers University.

Students taking courses at Rutgers University - Newark (RU-N) who are pursuing degrees at other institutions, please see instructions for Visiting Students below or contact the RU-N VA - School Certifying Official (VA-SCO).

Students enrolled as Non-Matriculating may be certified on a limited basis (2 terms) as per the VA guidelines see Non-matriculating students or students seeking certain certificate programs.

Students eligible under this provision should contact the RU-N VA-SCO at https://go.rutgers.edu/myrunsupport.

Once admitted, ALL students seeking to utilize their VA Educational Benefits must do the following prior to every semester in order to receive educational benefits:

• Register for courses.
• Once registered for the up coming semester, students who want to receive their benefits submit a Request for Enrollment Certification on the Rutgers VetCert system by following these steps:
• Login to the Rutgers VetCert system using NetID or RUID
• Click the "Request Enrollment Certification" tab at the top.
• Then complete the form under this tab.
• Select the "Benefit" that you wish to use for the term.
  (Note: when you select "Federal GI Bill Only" or the "BOTH" option, the section of the expands to present the different GI Bill types for selection.)
  (Also Note: students seeking Military Tuition Assistance must have completed the TA process with their branch of the military in order for the RU VA-SCO staff to certify those benefits.)
• Complete the remaining sections of the form.
  (Note: students must register for the semester in order for that term to be displayed in the drop down menu of the "Select Term" section.)
  (Also Note: that Newly Admitted students will only see the up coming term in "Select Term" section when their documents and VA Educational Benefits have been verified by the VA-SCO.)
• Click the Request Certification button at the bottom of the form.

In addition, students receiving specific benefits must also follow the steps below according to that benefit.

• Chapter 1606, 1607, and 30:
• Chapter 31:
• Chapter 33 Post 9/11
• Chapter 35
• NJ National Guard Tuition Waiver

(NOTE: All Undergraduate students using National Guard Tuition Waiver are required to file for Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) for every academic year. See National Guard Tuition Waiver Recipients below for more information.

Please also make sure to sign and upload the Commander Certificate authorized for the semester before uploading it into Rutgers VetCert.)

Montgomery G.I. Bill - Selected Reserve : Reserve Educational Assistance Program : Montgomery G.I. Bill - Active Duty:

• Students who are applying for benefits for the first time should read the information above regarding 1st time using VA Benefits at Rutgers.
• Chapter 1606, 1607, 30 (GI Bill) students receiving benefits must upload a Notice of Basic Eligibility (NoBE), Certificate of Eligibility and/or Award Letter issued by the VA.
• Students must register for courses prior to requesting Enrollment Certification.
• Once registered for the up coming semester, students must submit a Request for Enrollment Certification on Rutgers VetCert as described in the Procedures for submitting Enrollment Certification Requests.
• Those veteran students receiving these benefits are required by the University to pay for tuition and fees when due, prior to being certified by the VA-SCO.
• (NOTE: if a student is also using a NJ National Guard Tuition Waiver, please make sure to sign and upload the Commander Certificate authorized for the semester to Rutgers VetCert.
• At the end of each month students receiving these benefits MUST verify their attendance in order to receive their monthly allowance from the VA.
  This verification can be done either by using the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) application at: https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do or by using the Automated Telephone System (IVR) at: 1-877-823-2378

Vocational Rehabilitation:

• Students applying for benefits for the first time should read the information above regarding 1st time using VA Benefits at Rutgers.
• Students receiving VA Chapter 31 Voc. Rehab. benefits must obtain a VA Form 28-1905 (Authorization and Certification of Entrance or Reentrance into Rehabilitation and Certification of Status) every semester from their VR&E Case Manager.
  Upload a new VA Form 28-1905 authorized for the approaching semester to the Rutgers VetCert.
• Students must register for courses prior to requesting Enrollment Certification.
• Once registered for the up coming semester, students must submit a Request for Enrollment Certification on Rutgers VetCert  as described in the Procedures for submitting Enrollment Certification Requests.
• Upon review of the student's VA Form 28-1905, Request for Enrollment Certification and course registration, the VA-SCO will activate the student's term bill payment and initialize the student's certification to the VA.

Post 9/11 G.I. Bill:

• Students applying for benefits for the first time should read the information above regarding 1st time using VA Benefits at Rutgers.
• Chapter 33 students must upload a copy of their Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to Rutgers VetCert.
• Students must register for courses prior to requesting Enrollment Certification.
  NOTE students must be registered for greater than half time in order to receive monthly housing allowance.
• Once registered for the up coming semester, students must submit a Request for Enrollment Certification on the Rutgers VetCert as described in the Procedures for submitting Enrollment Certification Requests.
• (NOTE: if a student is also using a NJ National Guard Tuition Waiver, please make sure to sign and upload the Commander Certificate authorized for the semester to Rutgers VetCert.
• Upon review of the student's CoE, Request for Enrollment Certification and course registration, the VA-SCO will activate the student's term bill payment and initialize the student's certification to the VA.

Survivors & Dependents Assistance:

• Students applying for benefits for the first time should read the information above regarding 1st time using VA Benefits at Rutgers.
• Chapter 35 students must upload a copy of their Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to Rutgers VetCert.
• Students must register for courses prior to requesting Enrollment Certification.
• Once registered for the up coming semester, students must submit a Request for Enrollment Certification on Rutgers VetCert as described in the Procedures for submitting Enrollment Certification Requests.
• Students planning to train under Chapter 35 Survivors & Dependents, are required by the University to pay in advance for tuition, fees, books, and supplies when due. Students, in turn, will receive an allowance for each month of schooling based upon credit hours enrolled.

NJ National Guard and NJ Air Force/Army National Guard Tuition Waiver (NJANGTW) who are eligible to receive a Commander Certificate from their Guard unit:

• Students applying for benefits for the first time should read the information above regarding 1st time using VA Benefits at Rutgers.
• (NOTE: ALL Students (Graduate & Undergraduate) seeeking to use the National Guard Tuition Waiver are required to file for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for every academic year.
• Students must register for courses prior to requesting Enrollment Certification.
• Prior to every semester, National Guard student must upload a signed Commanders Certificate designated for the upcoming semester.
  NOTE: Please make sure that your Commander Certificate is signed by you and your Commander before uploading.
• NJ National Guard students who are also entitled to Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) benefits, may NOT elect to use the NJANGTW benefit only (i.e. must use only the Post 9/11, or use BOTH Post 9/11 and NJANGTW, but NOT NJANGTW by itself).
• Once registered for the up coming semester, students must submit a Request for Enrollment Certification on Rutgers VetCert as described in the Procedures for submitting Enrollment Certification Requests.
• Upon review of the student's FAFSA application, Commander Certificate, Request for Enrollment Certification and course registration, the Office of Financial Aid will certify the student's certification and apply the NJNGTW to the student's Financial Aid award.

The United States Veterans Administration operates various education assistance programs for eligible veterans, war orphans, surviving spouses or children of veterans killed while on duty with the Armed Forces, disabled veterans, dependents of veterans with service related total disability, and certain members of the selected reserve. Inquiries concerning eligibility may be directed to the Veterans Administration, US Dept. Regional Office (1-888-442-4551) or http://www.gibill.va.gov/.

Military Tuition Assistance Programs

For students who are receiving Tuition Assistance from your branch of the US Armed Services please obtain your authorized Tuition Assistance forms from your branch of the U.S. Armed Services then upload that document to the system.

• Army Tuition Assistance Program
• Marine Corps Tuition Assistance Program
• Navy College Program
• Air Force Tuition Assistance Program
• Coast Guard Tuition Assistance Program

Once the Tuition Assistance has been approved, obtain your authorized documents and upload an electronic copy to the Rutgers, Veteran Request for Enrollment Certification (VetCert) system by logging into the system with NetID and then click on the "My Supporting Documents" tab at the top of the page. Then browse your computer, then select Tuition Assistance Voucher from the menu of Document Types, then attach and upload the document.

The Office of Student Accounting will invoice the military and the SCOs will submit grades at the end of the term. Contact the RU-N Student Accounting staff for inquiries regarding the TA at 973.353.3762 or 973.353.5955.

The State Approving Agency (SAA) approves programs and courses of instruction so that educational benefits may be paid to eligible students under the programs administered by the Department of Veteran Administration (DVA). Therefore, students must be admitted as a matriculated student and pursuing an approved program of study in order for the VA-SCO to process the enrollment certification of VA benefits.

Students are also expected to make satisfactory academic progress toward completion of a degree. Since most VA Educational Benefits have a limited time of use it is recommended that students keep in contact with their academic advisors to ensure they are meeting academic progress and staying on track to graduate in a timely manner. Find links to individual schools' Academic Advisement information here.

Once students become informed about the degree requirements of their chosen major/program, students must register for courses prior to being certified.

Any changes in enrollment including change of major, change of course, course deletions, and complete or partial withdrawals must be reported in writing to the RU-N VA-SCO via: Daniel R Villanueva or Mylene Tenorio at https://go.rutgers.edu/myrunsupport.

Failure to comply with the official school withdrawal procedure may affect both past and future benefits. Find semester dates and deadlines in our Academic Calendar here.
Payment of benefits will not be allowed for any course in which a non-punitive grade is assigned.
Payment will not be allowed for repeated courses which were previously transferred or previously had a passing grade assigned unless the course is a required course for graduation.
Payment will not be allowed for courses not required in a degree program.

It is the student's responsibility to make sure tuition and fees are paid in full.

Withdrawing from a course after the add/drop period must be reported to the VA. The VA will only pay for courses during the time the student is attending the courses towards completion. If withdrawal changes a students enrollment from Full time to less than full time, or results in a change in rate of pursuit, the VA may issue a Debt Management letter to the student.

Chapter 33 Post 9/11 students must register for greater than half time in order to receive Basic Allowance for Housing (also known as Monthly Housing Allowance - BAH/MHA).
Students receiving educational benefits under Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation and Chapter 33 Post 9/11 will have their tuition and fees paid (part or full) depending on eligibility, directly to the University.

Chapter 33 Post 9/11 students must register for greater than half time in order to receive Basic Allowance for Housing (also known as Monthly Housing Allowance - BAH/MHA).

For VA Enrollment Certification purposes the following enrollment status apply:

Enrollment Status for Undergraduate students

Including:

• NCAS (21),
• RBS (Undergraduate - 29)
• SPAA (Undergraduate - 40)
• SCJ (Undergraduate - 47)
• UC-N (62)

is determined during the Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer terms as follows:

Fall/Spring

12.0 or more credits = full-time (FT)
6.0-11.99 credits = half-time (HT)
fewer than 6.0 credits = less than half-time (LHT)

Summer Session

6.0 credits = full-time (FT)
3.0 credits = half-time (HT)

Winter Session

For the Winter Session, students are only permitted to take a single course or a total of 4 credits. There is no recognized part time status; all students are considered full time.

Enrollment Status for Graduate Students

Fall/Spring

SPAA (20), GSN (26), SCJ (27):
9.0 or more credits = full time
6.0-8.9 credits = three quarters time
4.5-5.9 credits = half time
0.0-4.4 credits = less than half time

RBS (22) & Law (23):
12.0 or more credits = full-time (FT)
9.0-11.99 credits = three quarter-time (3/4 Time)
6.0-8.99 credits = half-time (1/2 Time)
0.0-5.9 credits = less than half-time (LHT)

Summer Session

SPAA (20), GSN (26), SCJ (27):
4.5 or more credits = full time
3.0-4.4 credits = three quarters time
2.0-2.9 credits = half time
0.0-1.9 credits = less than half time

RBS (22):
12.0 or more credits = full-time (FT)
9.0-11.99 credits = three quarter-time (3/4 Time)
6.0-8.99 credits = half-time (1/2 Time)
0.0-5.9 credits = less than half-time (LHT)

Law (23):
6.0 credits = full-time (FT)
3.0 credits = half-time (HT)

Winter Session

For the Winter Session, students are only permitted to take a single course or a total of 4 credits. There is no recognized part time status; all students are considered full time.

New and transfer students can expect to begin receiving VA funding, including book and housing stipends (BAH), approximately four to eight weeks from the date the certification is submitted to the VA. Payment usually comes between the 1st and 15th of each month and is paid for the previous month. The VA does not consider a check as late until after the 10th of the month. Inquiries regarding check status or other payment issues may be made directly to the VA at: 1-888-442-4551.

Remember that the payment is made to the student for the number of days the student is certified for the month. If a student is certified for a whole month, the full monthly benefit is paid. If the student is only certified for part of the month, the benefit is prorated.

Students planning to train under Chapter 1606 Selected Reserve, Chapter 1607 Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP), Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill, or Chapter 35 Survivors & Dependents, are required by the University to pay in advance for tuition, fees, books, and supplies when due. Students, in turn, are certified to the VA and the VA will disburse monthly allowances/stipends for each month of schooling based upon credit hours enrolled.

Vet-Monthly Cert of Attendance

All students who are receiving Chapter 1606 Selected Reserve, Chapter 1607 Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP), or Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill benefits MUST verify their enrollment monthly to receive payment.

Verification of Attendance can be done either by using the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) application at: https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do or by using the Automated Telephone System (IVR) at: 1-877-823-2378.

Vet Pay Rates

For a list of current pay rates, visit the VA Education Website at: http://www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/resources/benefits_resources/rate_tables.asp.

Students seeking degrees at other institutions, may attend Rutgers to fulfill requirements of that degree.

Visiting US Military and Veteran students seeking to be certified for VA Educational Benefits, must inform the VA SCO at their Primary (Home) institution to obtain a "Primary School Letter". The letter should identify the following:

• Identify the student name, as a student at "Home School Name:".
• Include the statement, “The courses listed below satisfy the requirements of the "Degree and Program Name" and will transfer at full value to "Home School Name".
• List the courses the student is taking or will take at the Secondary (Host) school (Rutgers) that the "Home" school will accept as transfer credit towards the student’s program.
• Include the statement, “Student's Full Name"> intends to take the above courses at Rutgers during the identify "Specific Semester/Term" (for example, "Fall 2016")

Present the Primary School Letter to the VA-SCO at the Rutgers school in which the student is attending.

The VA-SCO at the specified "Host" school within Rutgers will certify the course(s) to VA as the secondary school. VA data and history for both primary and secondary schools will be entered in to VA-ONCE.

According to the VA, other students enrolled as Non-Matriculating may only be certified if the course(s) are "... pending admission to your school. ... The only courses that can be certified are those required for admission and those required if admitted." (SCO Handbook (5th Ed.) Pg 46).
As such, students must confirm to the VA-SCO of the status of their admissions application into the program in which they are being conditionally admitted as a Non-matriculated student.

Students enrolled as Non-Matriculating in a specific Certificate Program may be certified as a regular degree seeking student. Please note that this applies to the following Certificate Programs only.

• Certificate in Governmental and Financial Management, offered by the Rutgers Business School - Newark (Graduate)
• Certificate in Budgeting and Financial Management, offered by the Rutgers School of Public Affairs & Administration - (Graduate)

Please provide proof of admission to these programs to the VA-SCO

If you are called to active duty, inform your school's dean and the VA-SCO. Failure to comply could result in you incurring a debt to the VA.

Rutgers' Policy for Military Leave, Academic Credit, and Tuition Refunds for undergraduate and graduate students who are called to active duty is explained on the following link (http://policies.rutgers.edu/PDF/Section10/10.3.5-current.pdf).

The VA will only pay educational assistance allowance retroactively for school enrollment periods up to one year prior to the date the claim and certification of enrollment are received in the VA regional processing office. As such, students have one year from the beginning date of their training in which to file an application and to receive benefits for a specific semester.

• The VA's eBenefits website
• Log in to the VA's WAVE system.
• Find more resources offered by the VA at Military OneSource.
• Explore the VA to find out about more VA benefits you may be eligible to receive.
• How to use the US Military Tuition Assistance Program
• Veterans On-Line Application (VONAPP)
• Vets.gov