Posts Tagged ‘applying for school’

Hi Nianca, You can transfer schools with Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits.  I would do it between semesters as it might make it a little less complicated and give less chance for errors.  If you are sure that is what you plan to do, I would let the VA Certifying Official know the plan when you are getting started in Maryland, and if you already know what school you plan to attend in North Carolina, you might touch base with that VA Certifying Official  as well.

This is one of those issues where the more that’s done ahead of time and the more people you keep in the loop, the smoother it may go and the less possible interruption to your Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits.

One thing to keep in mind is that until you’re an official resident of North Carolina you’ll probably have to pay out of state tuition to attend school there.  This could cause you to pay quite a bit of your tuition out of pocket unless you attend a Yellow Ribbon Program school and are accepted into the program by the school.  You might want to continue to take some online classes at the school in Maryland while you’re establishing your North Carolina residency.  Just a thought.

Hi Steven, You can complete your education in Florida as long as you still have Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits and the program you plan to attend in Florida is approved for use with the GI Bill.

You are probably going to have to pay out of state tuition if you attend school in Florida as a resident of Virginia.  The VA has a maximum rate per credit hour it pays to students using the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the rate varies by state.  Most of the time out of state tuition exceeds that rate, but it depends on the state and the school.  If the rate exceeds the maximum the Post 9/11 GI Bill will pay, then you are going to be responsible for the difference.

One way you may be able to get around this is to choose a Yellow Ribbon Program school in Florida;  hopefully there’s one that has the degree program you plan on taking. A Yellow Ribbon Program school will pay a portion of the tuition that exceeds what the Post 9/11 GI Bill will cover and the VA will match the school’s contribution.  The amount the school contributes varies by school and some schools only allow a certain number of people into the program.  I would look for a school in the program as it may pay for part or all of any additional tuition you may have to pay as an out of state student.  Good Luck!

Hi Patrick, I’m assuming that you are no longer on active duty as the Post 9/11 GI Bill will pay for all your tuition at a school no matter where it is located if you still are.

If you are a veteran, then it is a different situation. While attending an MBA program in Florida you can receive up to $295 per credit hour for as long as you have Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits.  Going to school in Pennsylvania you can receive up to $934 per credit hour for the same time period.  The reason for the difference is that tuition must be more expensive in Pennsylvania.

Graduate programs usually have higher tuition than undergraduate programs and on top of that you are probably going to be paying out of state tuition for at least part of the time.  Depending on the school you attend there may be quite a difference between what you receive from the Post 9/11 GI Bill and what your tuition is. 

I highly recommend that you choose a Yellow Ribbon School for your MBA program and your tuition concerns may be over.  A Yellow Ribbon Program school will pay a portion of your tuition that exceeds what the Post 9/11 GI Bill covers; they are allowed to pay up to 50 percent of the overage.  The VA will then match the school’s contribution.  Each school runs their Yellow Ribbon Program a little differently as to the amount they contribute and how many students they accept into the program each year.

You can check for Yellow Ribbon Programs in Florida and Pennsylvania on this VA web page.  Both states have quite a few schools in the program and some of the big name schools in Pennsylvania are in it such as the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Pennsylvania, and Penn State.

Hi Hassan, The University of Minnesota is approved for the Post 9/11 GI Bill or at least some of their campuses are on the list.  I would think that if some campuses are approved, then all of them would be approved, but what you should do is contact the VA Certifying Official at the campus of the University of Minnesota you would like to attend and verify that the program you hope to pursue is approved.

I also checked to see if the University of Minnesota is a Yellow Ribbon Program and it appears they are, but only for graduate programs. That is something else you might want to verify with the VA Certifying Official though, as if they offer the Yellow Ribbon Program to undergraduate students, it could help a lot with any tuition costs that aren’t covered by the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

The GI Bill can’t help you get into the college.  You are going to have to look at the admissions requirements on their website or contact their admissions office and apply for school just as any other student would.  The fact that you’re a veteran may help you with getting accepted to the school and you may be able to get some credits for your military training and schools attended. but you will still have to go through the admissions process to be accepted into the university.