Frequently Asked Questions

Veterans or active duty members using the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, Montgomery GI Bill® or Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve and dependents using benefits must apply online at va.gov/education/.  

Students that have used benefits at another institution need to visit the same website: https://www.va.gov/education/ and update their school and program to show CU Boulder information. Select: "updating my current education benefits" under "select correct form."

After you have successfully applied for the benefit, you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) from the VA stating your percentage of eligibility and your months of entitlement. 

Once you receive this certificate from the VA please bring it to the Veteran Services Office, fax it to 303-492-1880, or email it to veterans@colorado.edu.

The first step to transferring your benefit is to determine if you are eligible to transfer: Transferability and then Submit a Transfer Request.

After you have transferred your benefit, your dependent or spouse will need to apply for their benefits through va.gov/education/.

Yellow Ribbon is a provision of the Post 9/11 GI Bill® that allows out of state students to receive additional funding above the in-state cap. The GI Bill® will cover the in-state portion of a student's tuition and Yellow Ribbon will provide up to $5000 more per semester. Most out of state students still owe a portion of tuition out of pocket when using Yellow Ribbon. Because this award is only for out of state students, veterans attending classes on campus do not need to apply; they are eligible to be billed as in-state students. This award is typically only given to dependents. Active duty students are not eligible for Yellow Ribbon funds. Veterans attending classes while not living in Colorado can apply. The VA guidance is available.

Yellow Ribbon: CU Boulder pays up to $2,500 a semester and the VA matches this amount for a total of up to $5,000 a semester or up to $10,000 per academic year.

• The Yellow Ribbon award is a Fall / Spring award only
• Must be billed as an out of state student
• Student must be 100% eligible for the GI Bill®
• We will not retroactively award Yellow Ribbon
• The Yellow Ribbon application should be turned in with the Request for Enrollment Certification form so we don't create a certification for you without the Yellow Ribbon award in place.

CU Boulder grants an unlimited number of Yellow Ribbon awards. To apply, please complete the Yellow Ribbon application on the Forms tab our website.

Students who attend classes greater than 1/2 time receive a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA). The MHA is based on the DoD's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents. The MHA is paid based on the number of days the student was enrolled for the previous month. For students enrolled full time for an entire month the MHA payment will be disbursed directly to the student at the beginning of the following month.

If you attend only online classes at CU Boulder, you will receive a MHA payment for $916.50 for 2020-2021, equal to half the national average. Hybrid courses are considered in-person courses for VA purposes.

All MHA payments are tax free.

When will I receive my Monthly Housing Allowance and how much will I receive?

Your payment should arrive around the 1st of each month. You will be paid for the days enrolled for the previous month.

For example: If the spring term starts on January 16th; you are enrolled from the 16th through the 31st, you would receive a payment for those specific days only. *The VA considers all months to be 30 days. If a class is in session February 1-28, the payment would be for the full monthly amount. 

What If I haven’t received my MHA?

Verify with Veteran and Military Affairs via phone, e-mail or in person that we have received and processed your request for enrollment for the specified term. If we have, then contact the GI Bill hotline at 1-888-442-4551.

The University of Colorado Boulder has a system in place called 3rd Party Billing. With this system in place, a contingency payment will be posted to your account until the VA actually pays for your tuition and mandatory fees. This payment helps you receive any Financial Aid refunds you might be eligible for sooner and also helps you avoid late and finance charges. The contingency payment posted is based off of the eligibility percentage shown on your COE.

It can take several weeks or months for your actual payment to be received from the VA. Once the VA payment has been received, our 3rd party billing office will reconcile the VA payment with the contingency payment. If the payment received is different than the contingency payment, this could create an overpayment or an underpayment. If there is an underpayment, the student is responsible for paying the balance. Please be sure to check your bill each month.

Any non-mandatory fees (parking fees, parking permits, theater tickets, season tickets, etc) that appear on your bill will not be paid by the VA. These amounts will not be covered by the contingency payment and you are responsible for paying this portion on time. Out of state students and students not receiving benefits at 100% must pay their portion of the bill prior to the bill due date. Students are responsible for paying late and finance charges accrued because they have not paid their portion of the bill. 

It is also a very good idea to set up an eBenefits account to track your benefit usage. You can do this here, eBenefits.

The VA will typically deposit the book & supply stipend within a couple of weeks after they have processed your certification. The book stipend is paid by the VA at $41.67 per credit hour, up to $1000.00 per academic year. 

-Example:  This Fall you are enrolled in 14 credit hours, so you will receive $41.67 x 14 = $583.38. Your balance for the rest of the academic year will be $1000.00 - $538.38 = $416.62 or 10 credits worth of book stipend. 

The GI Bill® will cover all mandatory fees. Mandatory fees are added to a student's bill by CU and they are not fees a student chooses to add. Mandatory fees include: Arts and Cultural Enrichment Fee, Athletic Fee, Capital Construction Fee, Career Services Fee, Mental Health Resource Fee, New Student Fee, Recreation Center Expansion Fee, Student Activity Fee, Student Bike and Bus Programs, Student Computing Fee, Student Health Fee, Student Information System Fee, A&S Tech Fee and the Gold Plan Insurance in some cases.

The GI Bill® will NOT pay CU many things including: Parking Fees, Parking Permits, Student Alumni Membership, Concert Cards, Program Council VIP Pass, Club Sports Fee, Campus Care Health Plan, Day 1 Digital Charges, Bookstore Supply Charges, Text Book Course Material Charge, Housing Room and Board, Housing Lost Keys. This is not an exhaustive list, rather it is meant to to list some of the more common charges that are not covered.

If you are unsure about whether or not a fee will be covered please contact our office. 

We initially submit only credit hours to the VA to initiate your Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA). Once the add/drop dates pass, we audit the charges on your account and submit your tuition and fees to the VA. Please keep in mind that the VA does not recognize the university's add/drop policy. Once classes begin they will adjust and prorate the amount we certified you for accordingly. You really need to have your schedule set by the first day of term or you run the risk or receiving debt letters.

Any changes after the first day of term (which include but are not limited to; adding or dropping a class, adding or dropping COF, adding or dropping health insurance, etc.) can result in a possible proration of your payments and therefore create a debt owed to the VA or university. If you have any questions about this, please reach out to our office at veterans@colorado.edu

First and foremost thank you for your service. We are happy you are considering the University of Colorado Boulder.

As a military service member looking to pursue a college education, we recommend you consult with your base's Educational Services Officer (ESO) prior to enrolling.

The first steps to becoming an undergraduate student at University of Colorado Boulder are as follows:

1. Complete the application. Find more information specific to first-year and transfer students. 
2. Pay the application fee.
3. You will need to submit transcripts from every high school and college you have attended (GED scores if applicable).
4. Submit SAT/ACT scores if you have fewer than 24 transferrable college credit hours completed at the time you apply

Graduate student admissions are separate, learn more! 

Veteran and Military Affairs will need a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility. You can bring in a paper copy, scan or email it to our office.

Once you have enrolled in classes, please go to the forms page and submit the Request for Enrollment Certification. This form is also available in our office if would like to fill it out in person. Note: you will need to fill out a Request for Enrollment Certification form every term you elect to use your VA educational benefits.

Veterans that are currently being billed the out of state tuition rate will need to take a DD-214 and a copy of the US Armed Forces Veteran In-State Application to the Tuition Classification Office to be changed to the in-state tuition rate.

Dependents that are currently being billed the out of state tuition rate but are eligible for in-state rates according to the Choice Act Section 702 need to submit a copy of their sponsor's DD-214 to the Veteran and Military Affairs. 

You will be eligible for in-state tuition as soon as you arrive to take classes in person if you were honorably discharged from the Armed Forces. Please complete the U.S. Armed Forces Veteran Verification Form available from the Tuition Classification Office. There are specific documents that need to be submitted with the application, including a DD-214 and proof of residency. The accepted items are outlined on the form. For further information regarding exceptions for Veterans, Military Personnel, and members of the Colorado National Guard, please refer to the Registrar Tuition Regulations. For any additional questions, contact the Tuition Classification Office at (303) 492-6970 or visit them in the Registrar's Office in the Regent Building.

CU Boulder is in full compliance with the Choice Act Section 702. Please consult the VA requirements page for an overview of what is required to receive in-state tuition. You must be using Post 9/11 Chapter 33 benefits or the Fry Scholarship to qualify for this exception. Additionally, students must enroll at CU Boulder within three years of your transferor's discharge from active duty or they must still be on active duty.

To verify your eligibility the Veteran and Military Affairs will need a copy of your transferor's DD-214 or their current active duty orders. You can bring in a paper copy, fax or email it to us.

For information on being billed as an in-state resident based on years of elementary and secondary school in the state of Colorado, please contact the Tuition Classification Office.

The University of Colorado Boulder offers in-state tuition to Veterans. Information on the process to be billed at the in-state rate is available above. 

The VA will pay the in-state tuition rate and required fees directly to the school. Out of state dependent students are responsible for the difference between what the VA will pay and what the school charges.

The Bursar's Office has information on the cost of attending CU. To estimate what you will potentially owe to the school you can compare the in-state tuition rate to the out of state tuition for your specific program.

Yellow Ribbon: CU Boulder pays up to $2,500 a semester and the VA matches this amount for a total of up to $5,000 a semester or up to $10,000 per academic year.

• The Yellow Ribbon award is a fall/spring award only
• We will not retroactively award Yellow Ribbon
• The Yellow Ribbon application should be turned in with the Request for Enrollment Certification form so we don't create a certification for you without the Yellow Ribbon award in place.

CU Boulder has priority registration for military veterans which often occurs within the enrollment period specified for each student's class. Priority registration does not override university or departmental policies, holds, permissions, etc., nor does it guarantee the provision of classes at specific times.

Section 303 of the Harry W. Colmery Educational Assistance Act requires VA to publicly report if a school offers priority enrollment to Veteran and service member students. This information is also available on the GI Bill Comparison Tool. 

Most degrees and certificates at CU Boulder are approved, however if you are looking at a new program or certificate be sure to contact our office prior to enrolling. Find the published list from the VA of our approved programs. 

Certificates are added frequently so be sure contact us at veterans@colorado.edu or 303-492-7322 to make sure it is approved prior to enrolling.

For fall 2018, CU Boulder added a MOOC based Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MS-EE) that is NOT approved for GI Bill benefits. No portion of the classes will be paid and no housing or book payments can be made for Post 9/11 students in this program. 

Study Abroad will be allowed only if one of the following are true:

1. Courses are CU Boulder Instructor-led (must be a CU Boulder Global Seminar or Global Internship)
2. Students attend using a Parent/Guest Letter (the abroad school must be approved by the VA)
3. Students enroll as degree seeking at the abroad university (transfers to another VA approved school and then back to CU)

Contact Sarah Westmoreland at sarah.westmoreland@colorado.edu in the Education Abroad Office prior to pursing option 2 or 3. 

Please contact us at 303-492-7322 or veterans@colorado.edu if you have questions. We highly suggest you reach out to our office prior to choosing a program or before paying any deposits for Study Abroad if you would like to use GI Bill benefits for the program.

Please complete the Education Abroad Certification Form that is available on this website under "Forms" if you would like to use your benefits to pay for Study Abroad.

Yes, the VA can provide Tutorial Assistance. Here is the current information from the VA. 

Available Benefit and Eligibility

Chapter 30, 33, 35, and 1606

Tutorial assistance may be paid to students under Chapters 30, 33, 35 and 1606. Tutorial assistance is not authorized for Chapter 1607 at this time. Tutorial assistance helps the student pay for necessary tutoring and is a supplement to the student's regular education benefit.

Overview

VA may pay tutorial assistance to a student receiving education benefits.

The monthly rate may not exceed the cost of tutoring or $100 per month. The maximum amount payable is $1200 per student per benefit program. There is no entitlement charge for the first $600 under Chapter 30 and 1606. There is no entitlement charge under Chapter 33 or 35.

The student, tutor, and certifying official must complete an Application and Enrollment Certification for Individualized Tutorial Assistance (VA Form 22-1990t). The application may be submitted at the end of each month or combination of months. The application must be signed and dated on or after the date of the last tutoring session certified. VA can pay for tutorial assistance during the one-year period before the date VA receives the application.

The University of Colorado Boulder certifying official will need to sign your form in person. We cannot accept scanned or emailed copies of the form at this time.

Eligibility

All of the following criterion must be met for a student to be eligible for tutorial assistance.

• The student must be in a post-secondary program ½-time or more. For Chapter 33, rate of pursuit must be “at least 50%.”
• The student must have a deficiency in a course that is part of his or her approved program.
• The student must be enrolled in the course during the quarter, semester, or term in which the tutoring is received for the course. Tutoring may not occur between quarters or semesters.

Our campus requires you to have insurance and if you don’t opt out of insurance you will automatically be billed for the Student Gold Insurance Plan. For students using Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits this cost is considered mandatory. As a result, we consider the insurance charge a mandatory fee and will include this charge in the amount reported to the VA for tuition and mandatory fees.

• There are some caveats:
  • The VA will only pay for the Student Gold Insurance Plan; they will not cover the BuffCare Supplemental Plan (formerly Campus Care Plan). The BuffCare Supplemental Plan is not a stand-alone insurance plan, so it will not satisfy this requirement for the university and will not be considered a mandatory fee.
  • If you are only enrolled in less than 6 credit hours, online courses only, you are attending as a non-degree student, or you are starting school as a new student during the summer, insurance is no longer considered a mandatory fee and the VA will NOT cover it.
• Most of our veterans and dependents using transferred benefits do enroll in the Student Gold Insurance Plan.
• Please keep in mind also, that if we certify you with the insurance charge on your account and then you drop the insurance you will have to repay this amount.
• Please go to this link http://www.colorado.edu/healthcenter/insurance for more information regarding health insurance at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Please note that health insurance (Gold Plan or BuffCare) is not covered for Chapter 31 VR&E students.

Self-paced courses, also known as flex courses, cannot be certified to the VA until they have been completed. The VA requires that we submit enrollments with the actual start and end date of a class, and those dates are not determined until you have received a grade for self-paced courses. You will be responsible for paying the cost of the tuition up front and the VA will pay after the course is completed. These credit hours will also not be included in your total credit hour amount reported to the VA. If you are enrolled in other courses at the same time as the self-paced course you may receive housing payments based on those dates. Any housing payment you are eligible for based on the self-paced course will be back paid after the course has been completed and certified to the VA. If you are concerned about housing payments, it is best to maintain full time status with your other courses so that the self-paced/flex course has less influence on your housing payment.

Students in approved programs at CU Boulder can qualify for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship from the VA. Through the Rogers STEM Scholarship, Post-9/11 GI Bill® students who have exhausted or are about to exhaust their entitlement may be eligible for nine months (up to $30,000) of additional benefits. 

• Find more information from the VA
• Application for students can be found on the VA website.

While you are using the STEM Scholarship, you are required to verify your enrollment to the VA each month in order to receive your monthly housing allowance.

There are now two options for how you can verify your enrollment with the VA:

1. Option 1: You can send an email to STEM.VBABUF@va.gov and specify whether you attended for a full month or give dates of attendance for a partial month.
2. Option 2: You can opt in to the STEM Text Pilot Program. This pilot program provides Rogers STEM Scholars with an innovative way to verify their monthly attendance as well as receive relevant announcements about Rogers STEM benefits. Beginning in November 2020, Rogers STEM Scholars will receive a text message to opt-in to the program. Watch this video to learn more. To update your primary phone number for the STEM Text Program, you can call 1-888-442-4551.

The University of Colorado Boulder cares about your continuing service to our Nation.  In the event you are called to active duty, we have a "Called to Active Duty" system in place to help you make this transition as smoothly as possible.

CU Boulder has training available online for faculty and staff that wish to better educate themselves about veteran students. This course was created in collaboration with CU Denver and UCCS.

To access the training from the portal go to Training >Start SkillSoft >Search for: CU: VETS: Veteran Educators Training and Support Program >Launch.