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Veterans Education Benefits

Getting Started with Your Benefits

You may be able to use your veterans education benefits to help pay for your education at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies. Our staff can provide you with information and answer questions about your VA education benefits and other financial resources, certify your enrollment in qualifying courses, and help you locate additional resources and support when needed.

Download our VA Registration Packet for detailed instructions on how to begin using and maintaining your VA Education Benefits while attending UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies.
 
For best results, please submit a complete registration packet and documentation at least 20 business days before the quarter begins to allow us time to review, approve, and process enrollment requests. Students are accepted on a rolling basis, although we recommend completing the intake process before the beginning of the quarter, as that is when most courses will begin. 

Please note that we are a separate institution from UC San Diego main campus. We have our own facility code and vendor information that is different from theirs. For questions about using your benefits at our main campus, please visit here. 

Please review our frequently asked questions document here or at the bottom of this webpage.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE READ BEFORE ENROLLING IN COURSES OR MAKING DEPOSIT PAYMENTS.
In accordance with the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, Section 103, students who are eligible for VA Education Benefits (Chapter 31—Veteran Readiness and Employment Program (VR&E) and Chapter 33—Post 9/11 GI Bill®) should not enroll and pay for courses prior to submitting a Certificate of Eligibility to the institution. Please complete the steps below to open a VA file and one of our VA Education Benefits Coordinators (VAEBCs) will assist you with enrollment.

Any student who enrolls in courses and submits a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) after the term begins will not be eligible for VA Certification/Benefits for that term. Should you enroll and pay for courses out of pocket before determining your eligibility with the VA, and before completing the registration process with one of our VAEBCs, please be aware that you will not be reimbursed for the costs paid out of pocket.

If you are interested in the Lactation Consultant - Pathway 2 program or any Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) courses held outside of California, please contact the VA Education Benefits Coordinator at unex-veterans@ucsd.edu before you apply.

Approved Programs

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) only pays for courses that are part of an approved certificate or study program. Courses that are not required for your certificate or program will not be covered and cannot be counted toward your enrollment status.

Search for "UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies," under the Non College Degree program type, on the WEAMS Institution Search application for a list of approved programs.

Who to Contact

If you have questions about your eligibility or need help deciding which VA Education Benefit is right for you, contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at (888) GI-Bill-1 to discuss your specific situation.

If you have questions about how your benefits will work at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, contact us at unex-veterans@ucsd.edu.

Send completed forms and information to:

  • By fax: (858) 534-8527 or (858) 246-1031
  • In person, by appointment only, or by mail to our Student Services location, attn: Veterans Education Benefits Coordinator​

For specific questions about certificate programs, such as upcoming schedule of classes, course information, etc, please contact the program manager directly. Their contact information is provided on the certificate program website. 

Applying for Benefits

Step 1: Identify the VA Education Benefits that you are eligible for and select the benefit that best suits you. 

You may use any of the following VA Education Benefits at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies:

Use the GI Bill Comparison Tool to determine which benefits you are eligible for and get information such as how much of your tuition and fees will be paid, how much your housing allowance will be and what your book stipend will be.

Step 2: Apply for Veterans Education Benefits

      Or

The VA will determine your eligibility and notify you by mail about your entitlement.

Step 3: Download, complete and submit your VA Education Benefit Registration Packet.

Step 4: The VA Education Benefits Coordinator will contact you to begin the enrollment and VA certification process.

Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Scholarship 

MyCAA is a program offered by the U.S. Department of Defense that provides up to $4,000 of tuition assistance (up to $2,000 per fiscal year) to eligible military spouses.

The MyCAA Scholarship can be applied toward programs at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies with a duration of 18 months or less, which leads to a recognized license or certification with a specified concentration or major. MyCAA will not pay for general studies or interdisciplinary programs that do not have a specific concentration, nor will they pay for courses that are not included in your education or training plan or courses that have been started or completed.

How to apply for a MyCAA Scholarship:

  1. Visit MyCAA to login.
  2. Select University of California, San Diego - Division of Extended Studies- CA as your designated school.
  3. Contact the Veterans Education Benefits Coordinator at unex-veterans@ucsd.edu for assistance in creating your Education & Training Plan (E&TP). Upload your completed E&TP to MyCAA.
  4. Request financial assistance through MyCAA for each course. You must submit your request between 15 and 60 days prior to your course's start date. Please check the course schedule for the exact dates of your courses.
  5. Submit your approved MyCAA financial assistance (FA) voucher to our Veterans Education Benefits Coordinator at unex-veterans@ucsd.edu.

Student Responsibilities

You are responsible for adhering to the UC San Diego Standards of Student Conduct. Violations of these standards are taken seriously and may result in suspension or dismissal from the university.
 

Enrollment status changes
You are responsible for notifying our Veterans Education Benefits Coordinator immediately of any changes affecting your enrollment, including adding and dropping courses or changing your grading options. Failure to do so may result in termination of your benefits. 

Satisfactory academic progress
As a student receiving Veterans Education Benefits, the law requires that your benefits be discontinued when you cease to make satisfactory progress toward the completion of your stated program of study.

Per UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies Financial Assistance/Veterans Benefits policy, you must maintain a cumulative and term grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale to meet our minimum satisfactory academic progress standard.

You will be placed on financial assistance probation if your cumulative or term GPA falls below 2.0.

Your financial assistance will be terminated if your cumulative or term GPA remains under 2.0 for a second consecutive term.

Reinstatement of your benefits
Your benefits may be resumed after the end of a term in which you successfully raise both your cumulative and term GPAs to 2.0 or higher. You will be required to pay your tuition and fees for each term until you have raised both GPAs to 2.0 or higher.

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Frequently Asked Questions
Contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at (888) GI-Bill-1 (888-442-4551) or visit www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
For questions about utilizing VA education benefits at UCSD Extended Studies, please contact the Veterans Education Benefits Coordinator at unex-veterans@ucsd.edu.

To learn more about program details, such as the upcoming schedule of classes and specific course information, please contact the program manager. Their contact information is provided on certificate program website.

The VA only pays for courses that are part of an approved certificate program, unless the student is enrolling as a guest student. Courses that are not required for your certificate or program will otherwise not be able to be covered by VA funding and cannot be counted toward your enrollment status.
Search for "UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies," under the Non College Degree program type, on the WEAMS Institution Search application for a list of approved programs
Please note that we are a separate institution from UC San Diego main campus. We have our own facility code and vendor information that is different from theirs.

Our office can only assist those using their benefits for UC San Diego Extended Studies courses.

For questions about using your benefits at our main campus, please click here to learn more.
Students using VA benefits may only pursue one approved program at a time
A student can only use their benefits at two different schools at the same time if the course(s) taken at the “secondary” institution will transfer back to your home (i.e. parent/primary) school and be counted towards your degree. The student will be considered a guest student at the “secondary” school (i.e. at our school). The guarantee of transferability of the course(s) at Extended Studies and that it will count towards your degree is determined by your home institution, not us at Extended Studies.

If your home institution approves courses taken here at Division of Extended Studies as being transferable back towards your degree, then you can attend UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies as a guest student. Your home institution would be your primary school and we at Extended Studies would be your secondary school.

Please ensure that the school and School Certifying Official at your home university has approved your attendance as a guest student with us at Extended Studies for the course you mentioned below. Your home institution must approve a guaranteed transfer of credit back to their school.

Additionally, please fill out and send us the VA Registration Packet. No transcripts are required if you are attending as a guest student.

The School Certifying Official at the home university must submit a parent letter directly to us via email at unex-veterans@ucsd.edu or by fax at (858) 246-1031.
 
Effective Sept. 5, 2014, UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies is no longer eligible to participate in the Military Tuition Assistance program. Please contact the Department of Defense for additional information about qualified institutions participating in Tuition Assistance.

Yes! Approved programs at UCSD Extended Studies that lead to a recognized license or certification with a specified concentration or major are eligible for MyCAA funding. MyCAA does not pay for general studies or interdisciplinary programs that do not have a specific concentration, nor will they pay for courses that are not included in your education or training plan or courses that have been started or completed. Please click here to learn more about MyCAA.

To see MyCAA approved programs, please visit MyCAA’s program search link here. Our school is listed as “University of California San Diego.

Under Section 32320 of the California Education Code, students enrolled in UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies programs and other self-supporting UC programs are not eligible to use the Cal Vet College Tuition Fee Waiver
Please note that we do not guarantee that your enrollment in any UCSD Extended Studies program will make you eligible for additional housing benefits. 

At UC San Diego Extended Studies, 12 units is still considered full-time, and 6 units is half-time.

Students must be enrolled more than half-time (>50%) to qualify for additional housing benefits. However, your enrollment status may vary throughout the quarter because UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies courses have variable beginning and ending dates. The VA calculates enrollment status based on the specific dates and number of weeks you are in attendance and the credit hours you earn during that period.

The VA has the final authority to calculate and pay housing benefits. More information about education benefit rates can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions for Active Students
Chapter 31 (Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)), Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill® 
You must submit your request to enroll once you’ve chosen your quarterly course(s) by email. You cannot enroll yourself. We will process the enrollments and report it to the VA.  As a reminder, please note that the course(s) you select must be required for your certificate program. 

Please include the following information when you email your enrollment requests for course(s):
 
PID (Student ID number): 
Course Title(s): 
Section ID (six-digit number) - Please do not include the Course Number (ex: BUSA 00000)
Start/End Date(s):

Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill, Chapter 35 Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA)
You must enroll yourself and pay for your classes upfront. After you have enrolled, you will need to submit the course information to us at unex-veterans@ucsd.edu.  

We will then report the course or courses to the VA and the VA will be paying you directly. Please include the following information when emailing us your course(s) information:

PID (Student ID number): 
Course Title(s): 
Section ID (six-digit number) - Please do not include the Course Number (ex: BUSA 00000)
Start/End Date(s):  





 
Please inform unex-veterans@ucsd.edu if you would like to make any changes to your enrollment, such as course drops, schedule changes, or change in grading option. These must be reported to the VA. 

Generally, the VA processes payments at the end of each month. Payments may be delayed if you:

  • Haven't completed the intake process at least 30 days before your courses begin.
  • Enroll in courses late.
  • Fail to inform the Veterans Education Benefits Coordinator about changes to your enrollment.
  • Chapter 33 students: In a standard quarter (for courses that meet for the entire quarter), the VA will determine your rate of pursuit by dividing the number of credit hours you are enrolled in by 12. For instance, if you are enrolled in seven credit hours, your rate of pursuit would be 7/12, or 58 percent. Your rate of pursuit must be more than 50 percent to receive the monthly housing allowance.
  • Chapter 30, 31, 35, 1606, & 1607 students: In a standard quarter (for courses that meet for the entire quarter), your enrollment status is determined by the number of credit hours in which you are enrolled. Twelve or more credit hours is fulltime, nine to 11 credit hours is three-quarters time, six to eight credit hours is half time, four to five is less-than-half time, and one to three is quarter time.

For non-standard terms (courses that do not meet for the entire quarter), the VA converts your enrollment to “Equivalent Credit Hours” before determining your enrollment status for that term.

If you need assistance calculating your enrollment status, contact the VA at (888) GI-Bill-1 (888-442-4551) or visit their website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill. 

Additional Resources for Veterans and Service Members

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.