Using Military Benefits at Westminster

Using Your Military Benefits

Over the years, Westminster has trained many U.S. servicemen and veterans for both civilian pastoral ministry as well as military chaplaincy. Our appreciation is extended to those who have served. As with other academic institutions, military benefits apply for the majority of the programs at Westminster Theological Seminary. The only programs to which they do not apply at this time is to our Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) degree program and our foreign language programs. In this article, we will cover the use of VA benefits as well as military tuition assistance as they may be applied to studying at Westminster.

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VA Benefits

The first step in the process of using VA benefits is that students who are veterans should refer to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website for eligibility requirements and request their certificate of eligibility from the VA.

To receive benefit payments, eligible veterans should speak with their Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within their military service prior to enrolling at Westminster. Westminster’s School Certifying Official (SCO) in the Financial Aid Office should also be contacted at financialaid@wts.edu. Students using Ch. 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill® Benefits or Ch. 31 Voc-Rehab benefits must produce the VA’s Certificate of Eligibility by the first day of class, as well as provide a written request to be certified in a given semester.

Westminster will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities because of the student’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to Westminster due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under Chapter 31 or 33.

Note that students will only receive full allowance of VA benefits during the time they are classified as a full-time student, which the VA calculates on a day-to-day basis. If a student is enrolled in overlapping terms, the student may be classified by the VA as full-time for the period that the sessions overlap and part-time in the period the terms did not overlap. All benefits are applied at the discretion of the VA.

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 website.

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Military Tuition Assistance

To use your Military Tuition Assistance (MTA) benefit, you must receive approval from an Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within the military services prior to enrolling. Visit your military service’s education portal for additional information. 

Once you have received approval for tuition assistance for a term, please send the approval to the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@wts.edu. If you intend to use VA Top Up, please let the Financial Aid Office know as well.

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Conclusion

We know that navigating these official channels can be confusing and time consuming. Know that our Financial Aid Office is here to help explain any of the finer details of VA benefits as well as MTA, and guide you through the process. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with your questions at financialaid@wts.edu.