Education Benefits FAQs

First, welcome to MSU Denver. You are in the right place to find all of the information you will need on our site.

To start you will want to check out our checklist,  find the page you need either page 1. Veteran/Military Students or 2. Dependent Students. This will guide you to where to apply with the VA, where to send transcripts and much more. If you have additional questions please reach out to us at [email protected]

Additionally, please look for the veterans orientation as we do go over everything and answer all of your questions there too. You can find this by clicking orientation (on the checklist) and looking for the questions ‘Are you an active duty or an honorably discharged member of the U.S. Armed Forces?’ This orientation is for both veterans and military students using benefits.

After completing everything on the new student checklist you will wait for the VA payments. If your wondering how your benefit pays out please look at the benefit guide. If you have further questions please reach out to [email protected] You can also call the VA for any payment information at 1888-442-4551

Did you fill out a certification request for the semester?

No: please fill out the form linked above.

Yes: Did you verify this month with the VA? Call the VA education hotline for any questions 1-888-442-4551

• If so, when did you certify? Depending on the date certified and if it’s the students first term, payment might be greatly delayed.  

• I.E. if the student submitted a request on the first day of the term, the processing time might take an additional month. 

Did your pay seem off?

• Remember your payment will be prorated when you are not in class the whole month.
• Pay is based on benefit and your percentage of eligibility.  

Did you make changes to your classes after your certification request?

• Any changes need to have a new certification request sent in. This could be one reason your payment isn’t right.

Were you considered full-time or part-time?

• This can reduce payments. Also ensure you have an in-person course.

The number of course hours or credits a student takes at an institution divided by the number of credits considered full-time at that institution.
Undergrad: 12+ (Fall/Spring)
6+ (Summer)
Graduate: 6+ (Fall/Spring/Summer)

• REMEMBER: When looking at the rate of pursuit, the VA looks at the hours at any given point in time! This means that if any point during the semester a student is not meeting the VA determined “Full Time”; their rate at which they are paid will reflect that

• Tuition is reported to the V.A. after the 100% add/drop deadline (census date) for each semester. This will take a few weeks after the semester starts. Look at the add and drop deadlines. 
• MSU Denver does not drop for late tuition payments. 
• Holds may appear, if so, ensure you sent in your COE and contact our office. We can remove the hold for the tuition balance.
  
• You may still get notification to pay your bill, if you sent in your certification request for the semester, you can ignore this Ch 33 and 31.   
• Ch 1606, 30 and 35 the student is responsible for paying tuition and fees directly to the school on time.

• Students must tell us of all schedule changes, failure to do so may result in inaccurate tuition and fee payment. 
• There is a deadline for both 100% and 50% refunds, if the student drops a class after the 100% and 50% deadline it is not a drop it is withdraw and responsible for the full cost of the course. 
• Anytime a student drops a course after their enrollment has been processed it creates a debt.
• If the student drops below 12 credit hours they will not receive the full time rate.  

• If the student can drop a class without going below full-time, only a small fee from that class will need to be paid back. 

Classes not pertaining to your degree (major or minor) will not be covered. In addition, a major must be officially declared with your academic advisor. 

• For Post 9/11 the V.A. will cover the cost for on-campus health care based on your eligibility level. 

• If the student is not 100% eligible for Post 9/11 and has another health insurance provider, it would be in their best interest to waive the school’s insurance. 

• Most students keep this insurance due to ease of access. They provide all medical needs. 

• If you are using VR&E the VA may not cover the cost and you may be required to waive the Health Insurance.

• The Center is located in the Health center, Plaza building, Suite 150. 

• Tuition Assistance through Department of Defense must be set up with the student’s service branch prior to the beginning of the semester. Each service has its own criteria for eligibility, obligated service, the application process, and restrictions. This money is usually paid directly to the institution after billing is completed for the semester.
• Once the student receives their authorization for TA, they must send this to the Bursars office. The student is responsible for adhering to all payment deadlines regardless of when TA funds are applied to their account.
• Please send all completed TA Authorization Forms to Bursars since they will handle the billing and to the Veterans Services Center.

Buckley Education Center 720-847-6675

Fort Carson Education Center 720-526-2124

If you’re having trouble in a required subject and need a tutor, you can be reimbursed through the GI Bill® for up to $100 a month and a maximum lifetime limit of $1,200. You’re eligible if you meet all the criteria. You must:

• Be enrolled in a postsecondary program at half-time or more.
• Have a deficiency in a course that is part of your approved program.
• 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).

Find out more information here

You will need to apply to utilize the transferred benefit. This is done by completing VA Form 22-1990e (Application for Family Member to Use Transferred Benefits) which can be found online. The VA will process your application and send you a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to the address listed on your application. The COE defines the terms of your benefits such as percentage of coverage and months of entitlement. Our office will need to have a copy of your COE to attach to your file. You can send a photo or scan of the front page of the COE to [email protected]

Yes, MSU Denver does have a military leave policy that requires students to notify their instructor and our office once they receive their orders and to provide a copy of the orders. Please see the linked forms and the link from the catalog for the military leave policy. The Student Faculty Military Leave form link is found here; this should be completed and submitted along with the orders to our office prior to the leave. This is so there is a clear understanding and agreement between the student and faculty member about the time and assignments missed. 

• COE (Certification of Eligibility) comes from the VA 

• Certification Request is on the MSU Denver Veteran & Military website and needs to be filled out by you every semester and if you make a change to your schedule. 

Champ VA Ch 35 Health insurance forms can be signed and faxed/processed by the Registrar.

Phone: 303-556-3991

Office Location: Jordan Student Success Building – 890 Auraria Pkwy Denver, CO 80204 Window #3 on the first floor

MSU Denver is not a VA approved flight school. We offer a flight training program, but all flight training is completed through a third-party flight school.

If you plan to attend MSU Denver and a flight school at the same time, it’s important to understand how VA benefits work:

• Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill):
  The VA will not pay benefits to both MSU Denver and a flight school at the same time. You must choose to use your benefits at one institution or the other.
  Additionally, VA education benefits do not cover the cost of a Private Pilot License.
• Chapter 31 (VR&E):
  Coverage depends on your VR&E counselor. In some cases, they may approve and pay for both MSU Denver and a flight school, but you must work directly with your counselor for approval.
• Other Payment Options:
  Many students use FAFSA (financial aid) to help cover the cost of flight training.

If you’re considering the flight program, we recommend speaking with both your School Certifying Official, the flight program advisor and/or your VA counselor to plan the best path forward.

Students using VA education benefits may be eligible for in-state tuition if they are living in Colorado and students not using VA benefits may qualify for in state tuition. Please go to here to find out information .

There are a few factors that will determine your status.

• Your education benefit type: Chapter 35 and 1606; does not have to attend in person classes. Chapter 31, 33, 30; do need to have an in person course. If you can’t make this work that is fine there will just be a difference in pay. See next question for more information.

• Instructional method: Please click: Education Benefits to read and learn more about this topic.
• Credit hours: See next question.

Addition to instructional method: In person vs online. 

MSU Denver Graduate Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver recognizes six (6) semester hours during a regular semester (fall, spring and summer) as the minimum full-time course-load. Individual graduate programs may require more. Please keep in mind the start and end dates of the course(s) can affect this.

This information can be found here.

To be considered full-time the VA requires that you are registered for 12 credit hours in the Spring/Fall semesters. For summer semester you will need to be registered for 6 credit hours. For the duration of each semester. 

The VA requires that ONE class needs to be on campus and the rest can be distance learning courses. 

If the veteran/military student is registered for distance learning courses ONLY then they will only rate half of the national average for the monthly housing allowance. 

Your credit hours to be considered full time need to be for the whole semester. (All classes Spring/Fall 16 weeks start to end) and (All summer are about 8 weeks start to end)  

It is important to send in your certification request by the first day of each semester to avoid any service charges on your student account. 

• Student must have had accepted aid on their student hub. 

• Financial Aid is paid into your MSU Denver tuition first, and will not be disbursed to you until the V.A. pays the tuition. 

• However, a student may fill out a Financial Aid Release Form that will forward payment to the student. This must be done every semester. 

Ch 33

• It is usually disbursed within two weeks of starting classes. 
• A late certification request will delay payment 
• $1,000 is awarded over the school year at $41.66 per credit hour.
• In addition, if during both fall and spring the student receives $500, then during summer, the books would not be paid for by the V.A.

Ch 31

• Please contact your VR&E counselor if you have questions regarding how to get your books. It is not the same process as Ch 33.

• If your counselor gave you their email address contact them through that and patiently wait for a reply 

• If you don’t have the email address you can email [email protected] to get to the VR&E email box 

Students must verify enrollment with the VA. You’ll need to verify your enrollment every month to receive your GI Bill® benefit payments. Your enrollment verification helps avoid overpayments that you would need to pay back later.

• Failure to verify for two consecutive months will impact their Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) and/or kicker payments.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is encouraging students to sign up for text message verification.
• If you’d like to verify whether or not the VA has your cell phone number on file, please call them directly at 1-888-442-4551 or visit here for more information.

If you don’t verify your enrollment

For Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits: The VA will pause your monthly benefit payments after 2 consecutive months of not verifying your enrollment.

For Montgomery GI Bill® benefits: The VA won’t send your monthly benefits payment if you don’t verify your enrollment.

On April 16, 2024 the Supreme Court of the United States decided that if you served at least two periods of service-one that qualifies for the Montgomery GI Bill® (MGIB) and another that qualifies for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (PGIB)-you may be able to receive additional GI Bill® benefit.

To read about this click here.

Mitigating Circumstances are circumstances beyond the student’s control that prevent the student from continuing in school or that cause the student to reduce credits.

Examples are: 

• An illness or death in the student’s immediate family.
• An illness or injury afflicting the student during the enrollment period.
• An unavoidable change in the student’s conditions of employment.
• An unavoidable geographical transfer resulting from the student’s employment.
• Immediate family or financial obligations beyond the control of the claimant that require him or her to suspend pursuit of the program of education to obtain employment.
• Discontinuance of the course by the school.
• Unanticipated active military service, including active duty for training.
• Unanticipated difficulties with childcare arrangements the student made for the period during which he or she is attending classes.

In order to report a withdraw as a mitigating circumstance you must provide our office with supporting documentation of the circumstance. 

Anytime a student withdrawals from a course/s it creates a student debt. Reporting a withdrawal as mitigating can help lessen the debt.

MSU Denver does participate in the Yellow Ribbon program. In order to apply you must meet the VA requirements, be a current or officially accepted student at the MSU Denver. Additionally, you must not be living in the state of Colorado and be at 100% eligibility for the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. 

The Access Center recognizes disability as an integral part of diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive and equitable educational environment for students with disabilities.

A reasonable accommodation is any modification or adjustment that will enable a qualified student with a disability to participate in a course, program, facility, activity or service and includes adjustments to assure that a qualified individual with a disability has rights and privileges equal to students without disabilities. Reasonable accommodations may include academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, services, or modifications for facilities.

• Extended time for taking exams
• Distraction reduced environment for taking exams
• Access technology access for taking exams
• Accessible formatted exams
• Attendance flexibility
• Sign Language Interpreter for classes
• Access to lecture notes
• Course material converted to accessible format
• Adaptive equipmentNote: This is not an exhaustive list of potential accommodations.

Phone: 303-615-0200

Email: [email protected]

• Here is the info page for pregnant & parenting students: https://www.msudenver.edu/digital-faculty/pregnant-and-parenting-students/
• The Auraria Early Learning Center provides excellent care for children ages 1-5. Their website is here, and I highly recommend reaching out to them to explore options:   https://aurariacampus.edu/services-departments/early-learning-center/tuition/
• There are protections for pregnant and parenting students through the Access Center (for medically related accommodations) and through Title IX (which offers protections against discrimination for pregnant and parenting students broadly (including beyond the baby years).
  • Access Center supports can be found here
  • For info about Title IX protections, reach out to Karin Ranta-Curran, from the Office of Equal opportunity
• There are several rooms available for lactation around campus, which can be found using this map.

• Students can join our parenting students email list here to get updates, tips, resources, and info about events.
• Students can also sign up to join our newly-forming Parenting Student Club by filling out this form.

One of the biggest struggles student parents face is lack of time. Here are some tips/resources from the FamilyU Student Parent Fellow (Mariyah Younger – Communications Major, Class of 2026 and mom of 3 kids): “I use these resources myself, which is why I included them, but they do offer free subscriptions and trials for the majority.” 

• Apps to help you study:

  • Speechify: 50% off code ($70 per year)

  • Quizlet: $2.99 – $3.74 (per month)

• Apps to help you plan:

  • Notion
  • Good notes
  • Google Calendar
  • Canva

To verify enrollment, beneficiaries have the following options available:

• Text: To verify via text, beneficiaries can opt-in when they begin using their benefits to receive a text message from VA on the last day of each month to confirm their enrollment.

• Email: If beneficiaries choose to opt out of text verification, they will receive monthly enrollment verification messages by email.

• Online: Beneficiaries can verify their enrollment through VA’s online tool.

• Ask VA: Beneficiaries can verify through Ask VA by sending a message with their enrollment dates.

If a beneficiary would like to change their enrollment verification method, such as to text or email, they can call the Education Call Center (ECC) at 888-442-4551, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.

If space is available, students who meet MSU Denver’s admissions requirements may audit a class with the permission of the instructor and department chair.

Academic credit is not awarded for an audited course. The cost for auditing a course is based on applicable tuition and fee. Veterans can audit 3 courses a year and be charged no more than $10. Students cannot audit an online class or any course offered through CCD or CU Denver.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) is always the last payee toward tuition.

This means that any tuition-specific aid—such as scholarships, or state tuition waivers and employer tuition benefits—will be applied to your tuition first.

• If your tuition is fully covered by other aid (leaving a $0 balance), the GI Bill will not pay anything toward tuition.
• If there is a remaining balance (for example, $500), the GI Bill will only pay up to that remaining amount.
• Any unused portion of what the GI Bill could have paid is not refunded or paid out to you.

Because of this, your total aid may reduce how much the GI Bill actually pays toward your tuition.

If you have questions about how your specific aid package affects your benefits, please contact the School Certifying Official.

Section 401(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965