Veterans Benefits
UH Hilo is an approved educational institution for education and training under the Veterans Educational Assistance Act (GI Bill®) and the Dependent’s Act. The UH Hilo Office of the Registrar, through the Veteran's School Certifying Official (SCO), provides assistance to eligible active duty, veterans, and their dependents using VA educational benefits. Students receive assistance with their enrollment certification and faculty advisors are available to assist in selection of courses towards their educational plan and to ensure successful degree completion.
A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) verifies a student’s eligibility for Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits. Students planning to use these benefits must obtain a COE and submit it to the Office of the Registrar before the first day of the semester. Students must then complete a Veteran Enrollment Certification Request Form and submit to the Office of the Registrar after completing each semester's registration in order to receive their VA educational benefits. This form must be submitted each semester a student wishes to use their VA benefits and can be found online under Veteran Forms. The Office of the Registrar must also be contacted if any registration changes are made after submission of the Veteran Enrollment Certification Request Form. Any changes not reported may result in repayment of VA educational benefits issued.
Veteran enrollment will be continuously submitted to the Department of Veteran Affairs throughout the semester, no more than 30 days after our institution is notified of enrollment or disenrollment. The Department of Veteran Affairs makes the final decision on amounts to be paid to the student and the institution on behalf of the student.
If a student intends to use tuition assistance, please be sure to review program policies prior to submitting any paper work for that semester. All programs available to veterans/dependents are administered through the UH Hilo Office of the Registrar. If you are eligible for assistance through these programs, please contact the Office of the Registrar. For more information on using VA educational benefits, please visit our Veterans Benefits website. Questions concerning eligibility may be directed to the Veterans Administration by visiting their website or calling 1-800-827-1000.
Student Veterans Priority Registration
Student veterans and active duty service members have priority registration. Student veterans priority registration allows registration on the same day as currently enrolled, classified Seniors. To qualify for priority registration, please contact the Office of the Registrar for more information. For the current registration dates, please see the UH Hilo Registration Calendar.
Public Law 115-407, Sections 103 and 104
In accordance with the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, section 3679(e) of title 38 (Public Law 115-407), a student who is entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment, or Chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits shall be permitted to attend or participate in the course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the educational institution a Certificate of Eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33 (a “Certificate of Eligibility” can also include a “Statement of Benefits” obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ website – eBenefits, or a VAF 28-1905 form for Chapter 31) and ending on the earlier of the following dates:
- The date on which payment from VA is made to the institution.
- 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the Certificate of Eligibility.
The University shall not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or require the student to borrow additional funds, in order to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under Chapter 31 or 33.
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 Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/.
Standards of Academic Progress for VA Students
Veteran students and other Veterans Administration (VA) beneficiaries will be required to meet Standards of Progress to use their benefits. To be certified to use VA educational benefits at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo), a veteran or eligible dependent must enroll only in courses within their declared major and must meet minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress. U.S. Code, Title 38, Sections 1674 and 1724, requires that education assistance benefits to veterans and other eligible persons be discontinued when the student ceases to make satisfactory progress toward completion of their training objective.
Accordingly, UH Hilo will discontinue certification of enrollment and inform the VA of a termination (due to unsatisfactory academic progress) for students who remain on academic probation for more than two consecutive semesters.
A student terminated from VA educational benefits due to unsatisfactory progress may petition the university to be recertified after attaining a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better. The VA determines whether or not payment will be terminated and the conditions for reinstatement.
Credits for Previous Training
Veterans and other eligible beneficiaries are required to provide transcripts of previous education and training and UH Hilo must evaluate those transcripts. The following items will be adhered to in accordance with VA policy:
- VA beneficiaries must provide all transcripts of prior education
- UH Hilo must evaluate those transcripts
- UH Hilo must provide student with assessment of that evaluation
- UH Hilo must decrease time and cost of program accordingly, if credits are granted
- UH Hilo must keep prior education records and evaluation with student record