Information for Students Receiving Funds From The Veterans' Administration

Entrance Procedures

The Admissions Office will help applicants select a program of study and explain the procedures for enrolling at Forsyth Tech. The admissions process will require application forms, testing and the receipt and evaluation of official transcripts for all prior training in order for a student to be approved for enrollment.  Official transcripts from all colleges attended as well as an official high school transcript is required for VA.

By law, enrollment certifications for pay cannot be submitted to the VA until all admission requirements have been completed.

Veteran's Administration Educational Benefits

Applications and forms for these procedures are provided by the VA Certifying Official.

After a student receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits registers and pays, an enrollment certification will be transmitted to the Veteran's Affairs Regional Office for processing. Certification will be made for only those classes that are required in the curriculum that the student is enrolled. If a student receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits is unsure if a class is eligible for payment, they are encouraged to contact the VA Certifying Official in the Office of Student Financial Services.

Tuition and fees must be paid by students receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits upon registering for classes. Forsyth Tech cannot postpone payments until students receive payment of their veteran's educational benefits. Educational benefits will be paid directly to the student at the end of each month after the claim is processed.

Students receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits are responsible for being familiar with the information found in the College Catalog, Student Handbook/Calendar and all Veteran's Administration brochures and information obtained from the Office of Student Financial Services.

Hours of Pay

Students receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits are paid monthly. Payments are issued from the Department of Veteran's Affairs and are based on training for a prescribed number of credit hours per semester as follows:

  • Full Time (12 or more credit hours)
  • ¾ Time (9 - 11 credit hours)
  • ½ Time (6 - 8 credit hours)
  • Less Than ½ Time (1 - 5 credit hours)

Note: Only 7 credit hours are required to be considered full-time during Summer Term as it is considered to be an accelerated term by the Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Standards of Progress

Federal regulations require that students receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits must maintain standards of academic progress and conduct.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

In order to receive or continue receiving Veterans Administration Educational Benefits, a student must maintain a cumulative 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). If the cumulative or overall GPA falls below the required 2.0, students receiving VA education benefits will be placed on a one semester probationary grace period. If, after the one semester probationary grace period the cumulative GPA continues to be below 2.0, the student would be placed on suspension of VA Benefits. The suspension will remain in effect until the required 2.0 GPA has been re-achieved. There is no appeal procedure.

Satisfactory Conduct

Conduct in accordance with the Student Conduct and Responsibilities section of the College Catalog is expected of all students. Dismissal of students receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits for unsatisfactory conduct will be reported to the Veteran's Administration and benefits will be terminated.

Program Changes

Current Veteran's Administration Regulations allow students receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits to change their educational goals. Students receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits should contact the Admissions Office about the process for a curriculum change. Students must also complete a Change of Program Form in the Office of Student Financial Services when planning to change programs. Failure to complete the Change of Program Form will result in reduced or delayed pay from the Veteran's Administration Regional Office.

Independent Study

Students must inform the VA Certifying Official if they need to take a course through independent study. Procedures in the College Catalog must be followed. Copies of the Request for Independent Study Form must be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Services. Failure to provide proper documentation of independent study courses will result in reduced or delayed pay from the Veteran's Administration Regional Office.

Course Substitutions

Forsyth Tech handles course substitutions on a case-by-case basis. If a substitution is necessary, approval by the Department Chair of the curriculum and Dean of the Division is required. Forsyth Tech limits substitutions to a maximum of two in a program. Course substitutions must be requested prior to or during the first week of class in the semester in which taken. Copies of approvals must be submitted to the VA Certifying Official. Failure to provide proper documentation of course substitutions will result in reduced or delayed pay from the Veteran's Administration Regional Office.

Satisfactory Attendance

All students receiving Veteran’s Administration educational benefits are expected to maintain satisfactory attendance as defined in the College Catalog. Students receiving the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (Chapter 30), Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606) or REAP (Chapter 1607) benefits must verify enrollment with the Department of Veterans Affairs the last day of each month by:

Failure to verify enrollment may delay the release of the monthly check. If the information on the verification is not correct, students should contact the VA Certifying Official. Changes in enrollment may result in a delay of payment.

Note: Students receiving Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31) Veteran's Administration educational benefits are not required to verify their enrollment in this manner.

Withdrawal/Dropping Classes

All students should follow the withdrawal/drop procedures listed in the College Catalog. Students receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits must also notify the VA Certifying Official when a class has been dropped. Drops do not count toward graduation. The Department of Veteran's Affairs may require the student to repay educational benefits received for those courses back to the beginning of the semester unless there are mitigating circumstances.

Note: If a student receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits does not enroll for one or more semesters and then decides to re-enroll, the student should notify the VA Certifying Official of their return to school in order for an enrollment certification to be sent to the Veteran's Administration Regional Office.

Punitive/Nonpunitive Grades

Federal regulations prohibit payment for grades that do not count as progress toward graduation. Audits are not payable. A grade of "WF" is punitive because it counts as an "F" in the grade point average computation. A grade of a "W" or "WP" is non punitive because it does not count in the grade point average computation. If a student receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits drops a class which reduces training time, the Veteran's Administration will be notified. If a student receiving Veteran's educational benefits drops a class and receives a punitive grade, payments will be adjusted effective with the last date the class was attended. If a student receiving Veteran's Administration educational benefits drops a class and receives a non punitive grade, payments will be adjusted effective retroactive to the beginning of the semester, and may result in an overpayment unless mitigating circumstances are documented.