Getting Started
Every student who is newly activating any type of military educational benefit at Cal Poly should schedule an appointment with us for a benefits overview. If the student is a dependent, parents and students are invited to join in the Zoom conference. It is our goal to support our veterans and their families by answering their questions, addressing their concerns, advocating, and providing resources.
VA Programs include:
- any GI Bill
- CH 35 - Dependents Educational Assistance
- VR&E
- Edith Nourse Rogers Scholarship
- Fry Scholarship
NOT VA - Cal Vet College Fee Waiver & Tuition Assistance
Eligible for a VA benefit? Apply at va.gov. Once approved, they will send you a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in the mail in 4-6 weeks.
The Veterans Benefit module is available in your CP Portal Student Center. Use it every quarter, as soon as you register for classes, to let us know that you want to use your VA benefits. Only VA benefits are requested through this module. Cal Vet College Fee Waivers are uploaded elsewhere on this website using a secure form each academic year, click on the tab above for more information. 
A VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) made out to the student - not the veteran transferring benefits - is the only document that needs to be uploaded to the Veterans Benefit Module. It must be submitted prior to or during your first request for certification. To get a COE from the VA, apply at va.gov. A new COE is required when a student changes schools.
Students using Post 9/11 GI Bill™ benefits must also verify their enrollment directly to the VA after each month of attendance. This requirement is fulfilled directly through the VA.
This requirement can be fulfilled monthly by calling the VA at 888-442-4551 and choosing option "1" . Sign up for text message verification by speaking to a representative at the same number during the VA's regular business hours. To reach a representative, do not choose an option.
- If you fail to submit enrollment verification for two months, your Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) payments will be held by the VA.
- If you sign up for text message verifications, you will receive a text message reminder monthly that says, "Did you remain enrolled in your courses in (MONTH/YEAR) as certified? Please reply yes or no. If you have dropped all your courses, reply no". You must respond to this text within 6 days.
- International students can call the VA at 001-918-781-5678
More information can be found here: Enrollment Verification FAQs.pdf
Students using Ch 35 DEA will be asked for VA FILE NUMBER in the module. This is the VA File number of the veteran and is most often the veteran's Social Security Number.
Survivors' and Dependent's - (DEA/Chapter35) Increased Educational Benefit
| Training Time | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Full time | $1,298.00 |
| ¾ time | $1,026.00 |
| ½ time | $753.00 |
| less than ½ time and more than ¼ time | $753.00 * |
| ¼ time or less | $324.50 * |
When requesting your veteran benefits, please keep in mind we can now certify repeat courses only if:
- You received a grade with zero grade points on the first attempt, i.e., a grade of F, W, WU, or NC OR
- A higher grade is required for degree completion.
After consideration of those discussions and deliberations with OGC, VA determined that eligible GI Bill students can continue to round out in their last term. To ensure that you understand the rules governing this policy, before registering for your final quarter, check in with our VA School Certifying Officials.
|
|
State Tuition
|
Cal Poly Campus-Based Fees – only fees that are charged to ALL students |
Books & Supplies Stipend ($42 per unit up to $1000 per academic year |
Monthly Housing Allowance Stipend (~$2400 for a full-time, in-person. Prorated for short months) |
Parking |
Tutoring |
Books from the bookstore |
Monthly Stipend ($1298 for full time) |
|
How is it paid? |
Sent directly to Cal Poly or waived |
Sent directly to Cal Poly |
Sent to the student |
Sent to the student |
Sent to Cal Poly |
Reimbursement to the student |
Sent directly to Cal Poly |
Sent to the student |
|
VR&E |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
|
Post 9/11 GI Bill |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
|
|
Fry Scholarship |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
|
|
Edith Nourse Rogers STEM |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
|
|
CH 35 DEA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
Cal Vet Fee Waiver |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cal Vet Fee Waivers and VA benefit certifications must be submitted in advance of due dates to allow processing time. Waivers and VA Certifications that are submitted late will often require students to pay their student debts and request a refund.
| ALLOWANCE | HOW IS IT PAID? | WHEN IS IT PAID? |
| POST 9/11 GI BILL: | ||
| Military Housing Allowance (MHA) | Direct Deposit from the VA to the student's bank account | Monthly, after the student completes the prior month of attendance. (Ex: October attendance is paid on November 1st) |
| Books & Supplies | Direct Deposit from the VA to the student's bank account | At the beginning of the quarter or within a month of certification |
| Tuition & Registration | Directly to Cal Poly | Mid-quarter. The VA is billed after the drop date and after an audit of classes is done to ensure that all certified classes are degree applicable. |
| VR&E: | ||
| Military Housing Allowance (MHA) | Direct Deposit from the VA to the student's bank account | Monthly, after the student completes the prior month of attendance. (Ex: October attendance is paid on November 1st) |
| Bookstore - Books | Directly to Cal Poly | Pre-authorization is submitted into the Tungsten system by the VR&E counselor. Once that is complete, the student can go to the bookstore and pick up their books. |
| Tuition & Registration | Directly to Cal Poly | Mid-quarter. The VA is billed after the drop date and after an audit of classes is done to ensure that all certified classes are degree applicable. |
| Parking | Directly to Cal Poly | Pre-authorization is submitted into the Tungsten system by the VR&E counselor. Once that is complete, we notify Parking at Cal Poly. The student must follow the steps to obtain a parking pass but payment is waived. |
| CH 35 DEA: | ||
| Stipend | Direct Deposit from the VA to the student's bank account |
Monthly, after the student completes the prior month of attendance. (Ex: October attendance is paid on November 1st) |
Beginning in 2022/23 the college-based fee (CBF) will increase yearly. These increased fees will only be assessed on newly enrolled students who begin Fall 2022 or after. Subsequent fee increases would be made on a cohort basis. All currently matriculated students would continue to pay current college-based fee rates. Click below to see more information on the cost of attendance.
You may be eligible for a monthly housing rate. The Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) is generally the same as the military Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents. This rate is variable and dependent on factors such as the location of your school, your rate of pursuit, and whether you enrolled in the program prior to 1/8/18.
To calculate your housing rate:
1. Visit the GI Bill Comparison Tool,
2. Search for California Polytechnic State University
3. Refine your search based on attendance, i.e., online classes only, and your benefit, and
4. “View details”. You are able to adjust the refinements to see how changes can impact your MHA rate.
If you were awarded Post-9/11 GI Bill™ education benefits, your GI Bill Statement of Benefits will show you how much of your benefits you’ve used and how much you have left to use for your education or training. These education benefits can help cover some or all of the costs for school or training. You’ll be able to view this benefit statement only if you were awarded education benefits.
If you receive disability compensation, pension, or education benefits from VA, you can update your direct deposit information in your VA.gov profile. You’ll need your bank’s routing number and account number to make the updates.
Note: You’ll need to sign in to VA.gov to update your direct deposit information. Once signed in, you’ll have to verify your identity and set up 2-factor authentication only if you haven’t done this already.
Please sign in to change your direct deposit information online
Try signing in with your DS Logon, My HealtheVet, or ID.me account. HERE
If you have questions, please call us at 800-827-1000. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET. Or go to your nearest VA regional office.
How else can I update my VA payment information?
To update your direct deposit information or the address on your paper checks, you can:
- Call us at 800-827-1000 (TTY: 711), or
- Call us at 918-781-7550 (for international direct deposit updates), or
- Go to your nearest VA regional office and change this information in person
Note: If you don’t have access to the internet or a phone, you can update your direct deposit information with Standard Form 1199a (PDF).
Go to VA.gov to check your GI Bill Benefits and sign in with your DS Logon, My HealtheVet, or ID.me account. HERE
What VA payment information can I view when I sign in?
If you’re a Veteran, you’ll see a history of your past VA payments for:
- Disability compensation
- Pension benefits
- Education benefits
eBenefits is moving features and capabilities to VA.gov. As part of this transition and to better inform our customers, the VA is updating their homepage to let users know what is on eBenefits and what has transitioned to VA.gov. The homepage will provide a high-level listing of features:
- Manage Benefits
- Manage Health
- Apply
When selected, the feature will expand to show you what can be found on eBenefits and what can be found on VA.gov. This change will be made available on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, after 9 p.m. ET.