Guide for VA Education Benefits at KSU

After applying for admission to the university, students should complete the KSU VA Intake Form and submit their current Certificate of Eligibility to their VA School Certifying Official.  Please see our Get Started page for more information. 

The information below pertains to ALL students using VA education benefits:

Each semester that you wish to use your VA education benefit, you will need to submit a Request for Certification form.

The VA requires that we only certify classes that are applicable to your degree.  This means we cannot certify:

• Classes that are not required for your degree program (unused courses in DegreeWorks)
• Repeats of a class for which you already have a degree-satisfying grade
• Classes for which no credit hours are earned (audits, classes for zero credit hours, co‑ops)

If you enroll in classes that are not degree-applicable, you will be responsible for the payment.

Certifications: Each semester, you must submit the Request for Certification form.  Once you have submitted the form, your name will be placed on our list of students requesting certification.  This form must be completed each semester that you wish to use your benefit. We use your Owl Express account and DegreeWorks to determine your enrollment, and ensure classes are required for your degree program. Only degree-required classes are certified for your benefit.  Your Request for Certification form needs to be submitted no later than one week prior to the start of the semester to ensure your “early” certification. 

If you change your enrollment after a certification has been submitted, the change will be submitted to the VA after drop/add ends.  If your Request for Certification form is submitted after the deadline (one week prior to the start of the semester/term), it may cause a delay in your certification, benefit payment(s), and can risk your schedule being deleted for nonpayment (Chapter 33 and 31). Once your certification is submitted to the VA, you will receive payment from the beginning date of the semester.

Grades and Withdrawals:  If you withdraw from a class, it may create a debt to KSU for tuition/fees and the VA for overpayment of benefits.  The VA will send you a letter that will explain how to pay.  If you stop attending a class without withdrawing, be aware that the professor can report this at the end of the semester as a withdrawal, which will create the debt to the VA.  Also, we are required to report failing grades (with last date of attendance) to the VA, which could create a debt to the VA.

Tuition and fees:  It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Tuition Classification Officer at tuitionclassification@kennesaw.edu to determine if they are eligible for in-state tuition.  For Chapter 33 students, the VA will only pay the in-state rate.  If you do not receive resident status or a waiver, you will be responsible for the difference between the in-state and out-of-state tuition rate.

Communication with Students:  We use the KSU student email account to send information to our students.  It is the student’s responsibility to check their email on a regular basis.  Students emailing the KSU Certifying Officials should use their student email account and provide their name and student ID number.

For Veterans:  Veterans may elect to have their military training and experience considered for transfer credit.  If you elect this option, you will need to complete the Military Transfer Credit Agreement Form and submit it to the Office of the Registrar.

Students are responsible for paying all university bills. You must adhere to published payment deadlines. Please check your account one week prior to the published payment deadline to confirm amount owed, if any, to KSU.

It normally takes the VA processing center 6-8 weeks to process new educational claims, so please plan accordingly.

If you have questions about whether the VA has sent your payment or to inquire if you have been certified, you will need to call the VA at 888‑442‑4551.

If you have questions regarding your student account balance, please contact the Bursar’s Office (470‑578‑3458 or dadams32@kennesaw.edu). 

full time hour requirements per term/session

Chapter 33 (Post 9/11):

To receive the monthly housing allowance (BAH), you must be certified for more than half time enrollment.  Full time for undergraduate students (for Fall and Spring) is 12 hours, so you must enroll for at least 7 hours to receive BAH. Full time for graduate students (Fall and Spring) is 9 hours, so you must enroll for at least 5 hours to receive BAH.  Summer full time hours are different, and that information will be emailed to students before Summer registration begins.

Full time hour requirements per term/session

To be able to receive the maximum BAH, you must carry a full academic load each term/session and have one class on campus (lecture or hybrid). 

To receive your monthly housing allowance, you must verify your attendance with the VA on the last day of each month of certified enrollment.  

If your remaining benefit time will not cover the semester, the Bursar’s Office requires you to pay your tuition and fees by the payment deadline.  When the VA pays the school, the Bursar’s Office will reimburse any money due you.

Chapter 1606 and Chapter 30:

Each month, Chapters 1606 and 30 provide a monthly stipend that is sent to you by either check or direct deposit from the VA. The payment is for the previous month's enrollment and is made at the beginning of each month. Since the school does not receive payment for your tuition and fees, you are responsible for payment by the final payment deadline.

As a Chapter 1606 or Chapter 30 student, you must verify your attendance on the last day of the month so your benefit money will be sent.  You can go either go online to www.gibill.va.gov or call 1-877-823-2378.

Chapter 35 (Dependent Education Assistance – DEA):

Chapter 35 pays a monthly amount, determined by the number of certified semester hours. The payment is for the previous month's enrollment and is made at the beginning of each month. Since the school does not receive payment for your tuition and fees, you are responsible for payment by the final payment deadline.

Chapter 31 (VR&E):

Chapter 31 will pay for tuition, fees, and books, as authorized by the student’s VR&E Counselor. If you have inquiries regarding other benefit payments under Chapter 31, you will need to ask your VR&E Counselor. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure their VR&E Counselor has uploaded the authorization for the School Certifying Official and is current for the upcoming semester. To find out if it has been uploaded, please contact your VR&E Counselor.