Financial Aid, GI Bill®, and Yellow Ribbon

Veteran educational benefits and certification is an arm of the VA School Certifying Official (SCO). This person is available to assist you in receiving educational benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. We are also available to assist you in other areas to help assure your academic success. Our main goal is to provide educational benefit programs and other supportive services to veterans, national guardsmen, reservists, and eligible dependents enrolled at MC.

In order to receive educational benefits under the new Post 9/11 or other Montgomery GI Bill® programs, student must first complete an application for benefits with the VA. Once this application is processed, the Veterans Administration Office will send by mail a Certificate of Eligibility to those students who do qualify. This certificate tells the veteran the benefit program length of entitlement they will receive. Students must bring a copy of their Certificate of Eligibility to the school in order to begin receiving benefits.

HOW TO APPLY FOR BENEFITS FROM THE VA:

• Apply for benefits: https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/ 
• If you have used your GI Bill® Benefits at a previous school, you must complete a Request for Change of Program or Place of Training, VA Form 22-1995.

If you don’t have the capability to apply online, you can call 1-888-GIBILL1 (1-888-442-4551) to have a form mailed to you.

HOW TO USE YOUR VA BENEFITS AT MARYVILLE COLLEGE:
The following items should be submitted to the School Certifying Official in the Registrar’s Office.

• Copy of Certificate of Eligibility from VA once received
• DD-214 (Member-4 Copy)  Report of Separation (if student is the veteran)
• Request a copy of DD-214 at: www.archives.gov/veterans/ Request for Benefits Form
• Official Transcripts from ALL prior colleges, including Military Transcripts, if any

HOW TO OBTAIN A MILITARY TRANSCRIPT:

• Army or National Guard
• Navy or Marine Corps
• Air Force
• Coast Guard

Special Notes:

• Before utilizing any military-related or VA benefit, we recommend that service members first contact their Education Support Officer (ESO) or counselor to ensure maximum use of education benefits.
• Student must be registered for classes before certifications can be processed.

Tennessee is a Yellow Ribbon State and Maryville College is a Yellow Ribbon School.

What is the Yellow Ribbon Program?

Degree-granting institutions of higher learning participating in the Post-9/11 GI Bill® Yellow Ribbon Program agree to make additional funds available for your education program without an additional charge to your GI Bill® entitlement. These institutions voluntarily enter into a Yellow Ribbon Agreement with VA and choose the amount of tuition and fees that will be contributed. VA matches that amount and issues payments directly to the institution.

How do you qualify?

Only Veterans entitled to the maximum 100% benefit rate, as determined by service requirements, or their designated transferees may receive this funding. Child transferees of active duty Service members may be eligible if the Service member is qualified at the 100% benefit rate. If you qualify for the VA Yellow Ribbon Program, your Maryville College scholarship will be replaced with the Yellow Ribbon scholarship, which covers 100% of your tuition and fees.

To receive benefits under the Yellow Ribbon Program:

• You must be eligible for the maximum 100%  benefit rate under the Post-9/11 GI Bill®.
• Your school must agree to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
• Your school must have not offered Yellow Ribbon to more than the maximum number of individuals, as stated in their participation agreement.
• Your school must certify your enrollment to VA and provide Yellow Ribbon Program information.

You may be eligible if you fit the following circumstances:

• You served an aggregate period of 36 months in active duty after September 10, 2001.
• You were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability and you served 30 continuous days after Sept. 10, 2001.
• You are a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® based on the service eligibility criteria listed above.

Contact us today to learn how this can apply to you!

Email: Veterans@maryvillecollege.edu 

References

http://www.military.com/education/gi-bill/the-yellow-ribbon-program-explained.html

http://www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/yellow_ribbon.asp

MC has long been a supporting partner of our TN National Guard and Reserves.  In keeping with that tradition, MC participates in accepting additional forms of aid such as TN Strong Act and Military Federal Tuition Assistance.

The following benefits can be utilized to attend MC, individually or in tandem with other benefits.  Each individual service member situation will be different.  For this reason, we highly encourage that any service member planning to use education benefits, first contact their Education Support Officer (ESO) or the TN National Guard Education Team at 615-313-0529 or 0604 to determine the best option for their educational goal.  email: ng.tn.tnarng.list.ngtn-j1-education@mail.mil

Maryville College Scholarships – Maryville College provides generous scholarship and award opportunities to deserving students. Scholarships are awarded based on academic information, student interest, student leadership and/or talent.

Military Scholarship Finder – Search for over 1,000 scholarships and grants exclusively for the military community.

Scholarships for Every Branch of the Military – Scholarships and grants for veterans supported by the Federal government, as well as by military associations, universities and private donors.

Student Veterans of America – Together with corporate partners, SVA offers a number of scholarships throughout the academic year.

Veteran Scholarships and Grants – Veterans scholarships and grants offer essential educational assistance to military veterans. All levels of service are acknowledged with a variety of veterans scholarships and grants to help cover tuition, books, lodging and expenses for those who served their country.

This benefit is for veterans only. It may be available after Chapter 33 benefits are exhausted.

 Covers:
* Tuition, fees, and books
* A monthly living stipend (paid directly to the student)

Requirements:

• Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
• Maryville College VA Certification Form
• Purchase Order (PO) from the VA invoicing system

Students must work with their Veteran Readiness Counselor to ensure all documents are submitted to the VA School Certifying Official (SCO).

NOTE: This does NOT cover room and/or board or deposits.

This benefit includes several types:

• Chapter 33 (Veteran)
• Chapter 33 Dependent
• Chapter 33 Yellow Ribbon
• Chapter 33 Dependent Yellow Ribbon

Coverage:
* Benefit percentage ranges from 50% to 100%, based on eligibility
* Yellow Ribbon covers remaining tuition and fees beyond the cap. Maryville College splits the cost with VA. Please note that not all Chapter 33 students receive Yellow Ribbon.
* Yellow Ribbon scholarships will replace the Maryville College merit scholarship awarded at admission to the college.

Additional Benefits:
* Monthly living stipend
* Book stipend paid directly to the student.

Requirements:

• Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
• Maryville College VA Certification Form

NOTE: This does NOT cover room and/or board or deposits.

For dependents of veterans. This benefit is a living stipend only. Funds are paid directly to the student, not to the college.

Important Notes:
* Does not cover tuition or fees
* Students are responsible for all college costs
* Chapter 35 does not pay anything to Maryville College.

Requirements:

• Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
• Maryville College VA Certification Form

For first-time, degree-seeking TN National Guard members. This is a tuition reimbursement program.

Key Points:
* Reimbursement is sent after the semester ends
* Students must submit paperwork (including transcript) within 90 days of course completion
* Tuition and fees must be paid upfront; balances cannot be deferred

Requirements:

• Maryville College VA Certification Form
• Must submit documentation to VA School Certifying Official or SCO for completion

Available to members of:
*Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard Reserves
* Army National Guard and Air National Guard

Coverage:
* Monthly stipend paid directly to the student
* Students are responsible for tuition, fees, room, and board

Requirements:

• Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
• Maryville College VA Certification Form

Maryville College will NOT penalize students with the following actions while waiting on VA funds to pay for tuition and/or fees.

• Block your enrollment
• Charge late fees
• Ask for other funding
• Deny access to classes

To qualify:

• Submit Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by first day of class
• Request re-certification in writing each semester
• Submit required documents

NOTE:

Additional Notes

• Room and board must be paid to avoid penalties, up to and including withdrawal from the college.
• VA living stipends are prorated for months with partial enrollment (e.g., August, December, January). Plan ahead if using stipends for payment plans.
• Monthly enrollment verification is required (online, text, or email). This is the student’s responsibility.
• For questions, contact the VA directly:
  – Ask VA: https://www.va.gov/contact-us/ask-va/introduction
  – Call: 888-GIBILL-1 (888-442-4551)
• Students that exhaust Chapter 31 or 33 benefits will revert back to the original Maryville College scholarship they were awarded upon admission to Maryville College.

New Student Checklist

1. Apply for admission to Maryville College.
2. Apply for GI Bill Benefits.
3. Indicate to Admissions that the student is a VA benefit recipient.
4. Submit Certification of Eligibility to the VA email – veterns@maryvillecollege.edu
5. Complete the Maryville College VA Certification form and return to the VA School Certifying Official or SCO.
6. Watch Maryville College emails for updates or requests for additional information.
7. Financial Aid packaging (if applicable) will not be updated until these steps are completed and benefits are verified by VA School Certifying Official or SCO.

Returning Student Checklist

*only applies once VA benefits are established

• Respond to certification requests every semester.
• Notify VA School Certifying Official or SCO of any changes to enrollment (withdrawal, full to part time status, etc.)