Military Affiliated Education Benefits

• Apply for benefits: https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply

Questions about eligibility for benefits should be directed to the VA. A student using transferred benefits must apply for benefits, i.e., the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) must be in the student's name.

When making your application to use your benefits at Duke, please use the degree name of the program you are pursuing, e.g. Master of Business Administration, Master of Science, Master of Engineering. Do not use the track or major you will be pursuing. The VA will be checking Duke’s list of approved programs when approving your benefits for use at Duke. It will deny applications that don’t match our list of approved programs.

While the application for benefits can occur while the student is in the Duke admission process, students should be admitted before submitting documents to the Office of the University Registrar.

Students should provide a Social Security Number (SSN) during the application process to Duke. This ensures the SSN is stored within the student record. The SSN is required for student certification in the VA’s certification system. The SSN is securely stored, and access to it is limited to very few staff members with a need to know this information. It is never provided to entities outside of Duke other than those requiring it for compliance with federal regulations.

• Receive a COE from the VA outlining the benefits and eligibility period. Submit the COE to the Office of the University Registrar. A screen shot of the eBenefits Web page will also be accepted.
• The COE can be submitted via email, fax, or in person to:
      veteranseducation@duke.edu
      1121 West Main Street, Suite 1200
      Durham, NC 27701
      (919) 684-4500 (f)
• Submit file documents.

Shortly after receiving the COE, a review of documents needed for the student’s VA file will be done. Students will be notified if they are responsible for providing any further documentation.

The VA requires us to have the following documents on file:

• Copy of the application to Duke.
• Copy of the acceptance letter to Duke.
• Official copies of transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended.*
• DD-214 if recently separated and the COE still indicates an active duty status.
• Change of Program or Place of Training form, if the student has previously received VA benefits at another institution.

*The VA requires us to have, on file, a transcript from each post-secondary institution attended. To save students time and expense, we try to use the same documents submitted in the application for admission process. There may be cases where transcripts may not have been required for application/admission, but are required for the VA. The student will be responsible for requesting those to be sent to the Office of the University Registrar.

• Submit Student Data Form

This form is required EACH semester in which benefits are intended to be used and should be submitted upon registration for the upcoming term.

Below is the general certification process. The process may vary slightly for funding that is received directly by Duke (Chapter 31, 33) versus funding received directly by the student (Chapter 30, 35, 1606). But the overall process is the same.

• The VA file is deemed complete (new students).
• Student is registered for the term and submits a Student Data Form.
• Enrollment certification is submitted to the VA. (The student should receive a copy of this certification from the VA.) This certification includes registration/enrollment information only. This is required by law and ensures any BAH or stipends can be processed and received by the student in a timely manner.
• After drop/add for the term, an amendment to the enrollment certification is submitted to the VA to include net tuition and fees. This does mean that funding may not arrive until 6-8 weeks into the semester. Vocational rehab (Ch. 31) students charges are billed to the VA by the Bursar’s Office.
• Students are responsible for notifying the office of any schedule or tuition/fee changes.

Bursar’s Office
Upon the billing due date for each term, the Bursar’s Office will query student records for the receipt of a Student Data Form (SDF) for the term. A flag will be placed on those accounts indicating awaiting VA payment. No late fees will be assessed.

Students are responsible for:

• Annually submitting an accurate Student Data Form (SDF).
  • The SDF is the documentation required to let Duke know VA education benefits will be used for tuition and fees expenses.
  • The SDF is collected in late spring for the following academic year.
• Understanding their Duke VA file must be complete before certification of enrollment is submitted to VA.
• Submitting written notification to veteranseducation@duke.edu when a change to any of the following occurs:
  • Class schedule
  • Tuition and fees
  • Program of enrollment or declared major
  • VA education benefit program
• Understanding failed, withdrawn, or dropped courses may cause an encumbrance to VA or Duke or both.
• Understanding only courses required for degree completion, and their respective credits, are certified to VA.
• Understanding the VA benefit program, they will use for educational expenses. E.g., entitlement limits, payment caps, stipend allowances (housing and books), etc.
• Understanding the Duke and respective Duke school’s tuition and fee payment policy.
• Understanding it can take 60-90 days for the VA to make payment.

The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This program allows institutions of higher learning (degree granting institutions) in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with the VA to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. The institution can waive up to 50% of those expenses and the VA will match the same amount as the institution.

Notification of Award
According to VA regulations, students must be awarded this grant on a first-come, first-served basis within each school. Admitted students who submit a COE to the Veterans Education Benefits Coordinator will have their COE forwarded to the respective financial aid office for Yellow Ribbon consideration.

As of August 2018, Purple Heart recipients are eligible for Yellow Ribbon awards. Please notify the Veterans Education Coordinator of the Purple Heart award so Yellow Ribbon consideration can be made.

Other Stipulations of the Yellow Ribbon Program:

1. Per VA regulations, Duke may not expand its Yellow Ribbon offering during the academic year. Each institution must enroll in the program each academic year, but once enrolled cannot change its commitment for that year.

2. A student who receives the Yellow Ribbon grant from Duke will continue to receive it as long as the following conditions exist:

• Duke remains in the program.
• The student remains continuously enrolled in the program for which he/she initially received the benefit.
• The student complies with all VA and Duke required deadlines and procedures.

Yellow Ribbon Awards

All of the schools at Duke participate in this program for the 2023-24 academic year. The number of students covered and the amount provided varies by school and degree level (see below). The number of awards listed in the chart below are total awards approved for the academic year. This number includes current students.

"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 at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Below is the general certification process.

• VR&E counselor submits an authorization for the term/year to the Office of the University Registrar.
• The VA file is deemed complete (new students).
• Student is registered for the term and submits a Student Data Form.
• Enrollment certification is submitted to the VA.
• Students are responsible for notifying the office of any schedule or tuition/fee changes.

Books and Supplies

After the counselor submits an authorization to the Office of the University Registrar, a copy of the form will be forwarded to the Duke University Bookstore. The student will then need to send an email to the Bookstore listing the books and supplies needed for the term. The Bookstore will gather the books and supplies needed and have them set aside for the student to pick up. Invoicing for the books and supplies will be done by the Bursar's Office in conjunction with Bookstore to the VR&E counselor.

2023-2024 Academic Year

The VA academic year is August 1, 2023 – July 31, 2024. Terms beginning before August 1 are considered part of the 2022-2023 VA academic year and subject to the VA education benefit maximum for that year.

June 15, 2023
Pre-certification for Fall 2023 semester begins.
See Certification Process dropdown on the Veterans Education Benefits page for more information about the dual certification process.

August 1, 2023
Fall 2023 bills are due. See https://finance.duke.edu/bursar.
Students who are using Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 benefits and have submitted Student Data Forms (SDF) for the fall semester will have a notation on their account indicating VA benefits are pending. No late fees will be assessed. See Certification Process dropdown on the Veterans Education Benefits page for more information about the dual certification process.

September 8, 2023
Drop/add ends. Amended certification with tuition and fee information will be submitted to the VA.
Students will receive an email confirmation once their certification has been submitted to the VA. After payment has been made on the certification, students will receive an award letter confirming payment. Students should retain the award letter for future reference.

November 1, 2023
Registration for Spring 2024 begins.

December 1, 2024
Pre-certification for Spring 2024 semester begins.
See Certification Process dropdown on the Veterans Education Benefits page for more information about the dual certification process.

January 6, 2024
Spring 2024 bills are due. See https://finance.duke.edu/bursar
Students who are using Chapter 31 and 33 benefits and have submitted Student Data Forms (SDF) for the spring semester will have a notation on their account indicating VA benefits are pending. No late fees will be assessed. See Certification Process dropdown on the Veterans Education Benefits page for more information about the dual certification process.

January 24, 2024
Drop/add ends. Amended certification with tuition and fee information will be submitted to the VA.
Students will receive an email confirmation once their certification has been submitted to the VA. After payment has been made on the certification, students will receive an award letter confirming payment. Students should retain the award letter for future reference.

February 19, 2024
Registration for Summer 2024 begins.

April 1, 2024
Pre-certification for Summer 2024 semester begins.
See Certification Process dropdown on the Veterans Education Benefits page for more information about the dual certification process.

April 3, 2024
Registration for Fall 2024 begins.

April 15, 2024
Student Data Form (SDF) for 2024-2025 academic year sent to students for completion.

May 2024 (date to be determined)
Summer 2024 bills are due. See https://finance.duke.edu/bursar.
Students who are using Chapter 31 and 33 benefits and have submitted Student Data Forms (SDF) for the summer 2 term will have a notation on their account indicating VA benefits are pending. No late fees will be assessed. See Certification Process dropdown on the Veterans Education Benefits page for more information about the dual certification process.

June 15, 2024
Pre-certification for Fall 2024 semester begins.
See Certification Process dropdown on the Veterans Education Benefits page for more information about the dual certification process.

Julie Ahouse, Veterans Education Benefits Coordinator - School Certifying Official (SCO)
veteranseducation@duke.edu
Phone: 919-684-4225
Fax: 919-684-4500
1121 West Main Street, Suite 1200
Durham, NC 27701

The VA requires institutions to submit academic progress and graduation information for students using VA benefits. The reporting of graduation rates is very specific to students using Chapter 33 benefits and only students who use their benefits in their final term at Duke. Duke feels that methodology does not accurately reflect the graduation rate of students using VA benefits. Below is a more accurate picture of the graduation rate for all students who used VA benefits, any benefit program, for any portion of their Duke education.