Military and Veteran Financial Aid Benefits

Rate of pursuit for undergraduate including visitors, auditors and post-baccalaureate.

Rate of pursuit for graduate, including visitors, auditors, post-master, doctoral and post-doctoral.

Rate of pursuit for M.L.S. and LL.M., including visitors, auditors, post-master, doctoral and post-doctoral.

Law rate of pursuit, including visitors, auditors and J.D.

Post-9/11 GI Bill® Elegibility

Eligibility for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® is determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. To qualify one of the following must be true:

You served at least 90 days on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001
You received a Purple Heart on or after Sept. 11, 2001 and were honorably discharged after any amount of service
You served for at least 30 continuous days on or after September 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged with a service-connected disability
You’re a dependent child using benefits transferred by a qualifying Veteran or service member

For full eligibility requirements for the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, visit the Veterans Affairs Post-9/11 GI Bill® Eligibility section.

St. Mary’s Post-9/11 GI Bill® Benefit Requirements

• Veteran Requirements

  For veterans to apply for the GI Bill Chapter 33 benefits at St. Mary’s, you will need to submit:

  Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in its entirety
  DD Form 214
  Certification of enrollment
  Military transcripts DA 1569

  If benefits were used at another school, a VA Form 22-1995 change of program is required.

• Spouse or Dependent Requirements

  For spouses or dependents to apply for the GI Bill Chapter 33 benefits at St. Mary’s, you will need:

  Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in its entirety
  Sponsor’s DD Form 214
  Certification of enrollment

  If benefits were used at another school, a VA Form 22-1995 change of program is required.

How to Apply for the Post-9/11 GI Bill®

You can apply to the Post-9/11 GI Bill® on the Veterans Affairs website. To see full details on how to apply for the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, please see the Veterans Affairs website section on how to apply.

Qualify for the Yellow Ribbon Program

One of the following must be true:

You served at least 36 months on active duty and were honorably discharged
You received a Purple Heart and were honorably discharged after any amount of service
You served at least 30 continuous days and were discharged or released from active duty for a service-connected disability
You are an active-duty service member who has served at least 36 months on active duty
You’re a spouse using the transferred benefits of an active-duty service member who has served at least 36 months on active duty
You are a dependent child using benefits transferred by a Veteran
You are a Fry Scholar

For full information on eligibility requirements, please check out the Yellow Ribbon Program Information on the VA website.

Yellow Ribbon Program Benefit Requirements

Must be using Chapter 33 Post-9/11 Benefits at 100% eligibility
Must have remaining time/months of benefits.  Yellow Ribbon does NOT cover tuition/fees if benefits are exhausted/expired.
Registered for Fall/Spring/Summer and total yearly tuition cost

Please note:

Awards are made to qualified applicants.
The amount each student will receive from St. Mary’s will vary according to the cost of their degree program and any tuition specific scholarships or grant they may have been awarded. The Yellow Ribbon Program award cannot be combined with other University of the St. Mary’s institutional awards to result in a surplus for the student.
Yellow Ribbon contributions will not be adjusted after the last day to drop classes without a W assigned. Any costs accrued due to adding or dropping classes after that date each semester will be the responsibility of the student.
Once St. Mary’s receives the Yellow Ribbon funding from VA and has been posted to the student’s account, the St. Mary’s Office of Financial Aid will add the matching amount. Please be aware, the standard processing time for the VA is 4-6 weeks.
Once selected for the Yellow Ribbon Program at St. Mary’s, students will be funded each year they are in their current program of study as long as St. Mary’s continues and is approved to renew its agreement with the VA each academic year. St. Mary’s has the right to reduce awards or discontinue the program at the end of each academic year.

How To Apply to the Yellow Ribbon Program

Apply for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. If you qualify for benefits, you’ll get a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE).
Request a CoE from St. Mary’s.
Contact the St. Mary’s Coordinator of Veteran and Military Affairs and ask to apply for the St. Mary’s Yellow Ribbon Program.
Wait for a decision. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. St. Mary’s has an agreement with VA about how many students will be covered each year.
You’ll get a notice from St. Mary’s about whether you have been accepted into the program and how much money you’ll receive for tuition and fees. St. Mary’s will apply the Yellow Ribbon Program benefit.

Chapter 31: Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Eligibility

As a Veteran or service member, you may be eligible for the Chapter 31: Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E). Those who support a Veteran or service member with a service-connected disability who faces difficult employment challenges may be eligible for higher education and career advancement.

To confirm eligibility, visit the Eligibility for Veteran Readiness and Employment page on the VA website and follow one of the two ways to check eligibility.

Chapter 31: Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Requirements

If you are accepted into the Chapter 31 program and registered at St. Mary’s University, you will need to submit the following forms:

St. Mary’s University request for Certification of Enrollment Form (every term/semester)
VA Case Manager sends PO Authorization to School
Military Transcript

Send all official academic transcripts to St. Mary’s Office of Admission.

Veteran Requirements

DD Form 214
28-1905 (from voc rehab counselor)
Military transcripts
Certification of enrollment (CoE) form

Send all official academic transcripts to St. Mary’s Office of Admission.

How to Apply to the Chapter 31: Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)

Apply for this program through the VA website.

Apply for a Voucher

Follow the steps below to apply for a voucher.

Create a PO through the Tungsten Network.
List the service provider as Barnes & Noble. The service provider email should be the store’s email address, sm8193@bncollege.com. Please note that the Tungsten system may auto-populate a store email that is invalid. Please verify and change, if needed, before submitting. If you need help changing the auto-populated email, please contact pamela.salazar@va.gov.
The Federal Tax ID number is Barnes & Noble Education – Fed ID 46-0599018.
We do not supply a facility code. Please contact VRE_IPPS.VBACO@va.gov.
Once the PO is created, a file will be sent to to Barnes & Noble Bookstore at St. Mary’s within the hour.

Eligibility Requirements

One of the following must be true for the Veteran or service member:

The Veteran is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability, or
The Veteran died as a result of a service-connected disability, or
The service member died in the line of duty, or
The service member is missing in action or was captured in the line of duty by a hostile force for more than 90 days, or
The service member was forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign entity for more than 90 days, or
The service member is in the hospital or getting outpatient treatment for a service-connected permanent and total disability and is likely to be discharged for that disability

In addition to one of the above being true, you must also meet the additional eligibility requirements listed on the VA website.

Spouse and Dependant Requirements

Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) in its entirety
Certification of Enrollment Form

If benefits were used at another school, a 22-5495 Change of Program is also required.

How to apply for the Chapter 35: Survivors and Dependent Assistance (DEA)

Apply online or by mailing in the information provided on the VA website.

Fry Scholarship Eligibility

One of the following must be true for the service member or member of the Selected Reserve:

The service member died in the line of duty while serving on active duty
The member of the Armed Services died from a service-connected disability within 120 days of being discharged from active duty or released from duty
The member of the Selected Reserve died in the line of duty other than active duty
The member of the Selected Reserve died from a service-connected disability

In addition to one of the items above being true, additional eligibility requirements listed on the VA website must be met. View the full list of eligibility requirements for the Fry Scholarship.

Fry Scholarship Requirements

Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) in its entirety
Sponsor’s DD Form 214
22-5495- Change of Program (Required if benefits were used at another school)
Certification of Enrollment Form

Apply for the Fry Scholarship

To apply for the Fry Scholarship, follow the steps listed in the application checklist provided on the VA website.

Undergraduate Grants

Active-duty Military

The tuition rate for qualified part-time military students is $260 per credit hour. This is only applicable to classes that satisfy the requirements for the degree. It cannot be used for English as a Second Language class (ESL).

• Questions About Undergraduate Grants?

  For qualification requirements at the undergraduate level, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission.

Graduate Grants

Active-duty military, retired military, Department of Defense (DoD) employees and spouses of these groups qualify for the $260 per-credit-hour tuition with or without military/DOD tuition assistance. This per-credit-hour rate is valid for part-time and full-time students. This is only applicable to classes that satisfy the requirements for the degree. It cannot be used for English as a Second Language class (ESL).

The discount is applied to tuition only, and any other fees associated with enrollment will be the responsibility of the students. Discounts are not applicable to students for whom 100% tuition is paid by any third-party payer or using VA Educational Benefits. Discounts may be reversed if third-party or VA eligibility for benefits is received after discount(s) have been applied.

Please note, the $260 pre-credit-hour military tuition rate is not applicable to the Ph.D. programs or the School of Law at St. Mary’s University.

Greehey Endowed Scholarship

St. Mary’s empowers future business leaders with competitive MBA scholarships, including the Greehey Endowed Scholarship, which offers up to $15,000 over four semesters and the ChevronTexaco Graduate Scholarship, offering up to $8,000 over four semesters.

• Questions About Graduate Grants?

  Graduate students should contact the Office of Graduate Admission.

Law School Grants

Active-duty military, retired military, Department of Defense employees and spouses of these groups who are interested in pursuing a Master of Legal Studies may do so at $800 per credit hour with or without military/DOD tuition assistance credit rate. This per-credit-hour rate is valid for part-time and full-time students.

• Questions About Law School Grants?

  For more information, contact the Office of Financial Assistance.