Office of the University Registrar

Enrollment and Degree Verification

Veteran Enrollment Certification

To receive education benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) students must first apply to the VA and receive a Certificate of Eligibility or obtain a Notice of Basic Eligibility (Guard or Reserves). A copy of the certificate must be provided to the Certification Section of the Registrar’s Office. Then each semester after registration is finalized, students submit the on-line Mason Veterans Registration Reporting Form (VRRF). The University certifies enrollment to the VA based on the information provided on the reporting form. Students must promptly notify the VA of enrollment, program, and address changes in addition to submitting an updated on line VRRF. See Frequently Asked Questions below for more information.  Mason does not provide advance payment of benefits.

To ensure continuity of benefits, students should complete registration and submission of the on-line Mason Veterans Registration Reporting Form in a timely manner. Students receiving benefits under Chapters 30, 1606, or 1607 must also verify their enrollment to the VA each month using VA W.A.V.E. (Web Automated Verification of Enrollment) or by calling the toll free Interactive Voice Response (IVR) telephone line at 1-877-823-2378. The earliest students can verify their enrollment is the last calendar day of each month.

The Application for VA Education Benefits and other forms and information are on the Department of Veterans Affairs website. The Registrar’s Office does not provide application forms and cannot assist in filling them out or submitting them to the VA. Please note that it is the student’s responsibility to provide all relevant and supporting documentation to the VA and Registrar’s Office as appropriate. If you need additional assistance, please call the VA toll-free number 1-888-GI-BILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) to speak with a Veterans Benefits Counselor.

The Virginia Department of Veterans Services can also help veterans and their families file for state and federal VA benefits. For more information, contact the Fairfax Field Office at 703-359-1210 or the field office in your area.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• When can I submit my Veterans Registration Reporting Form (VRRF)?

  • Submit your VRRF online as soon as your registration is finalized and you expect no further changes to your schedule.

• Can I submit my VRRF if I have waitlisted classes?

  • No, you must actually be registered in all classes. You cannot be certified for waitlisted classes.

• What happens if I forget to submit my VRRF?

  • You will not be certified to receive benefits until you submit your VRRF.

• How do I receive monthly payments?

  • For students receiving benefits under Chapters 30, 1606, or 1607, you will not receive your monthly payment until you have verified your attendance with the VA each month. Your enrollment can be verified starting on the last calendar day of the month by using VA Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE ) or by calling the VA Interactive Voice Response (IVR) telephone line at 1-877-823-2378. Allow at least three workdays for the system to update. Students receiving benefits under other chapters, including the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), do not have to verify attendance in order to receive benefit payments.

• How can I check the status of a pending VA benefit payment to me or to the school?

  • You can call VA at 1-888-442-4551 to speak with an Education Case Manager.

• How do I change my address?

  • Promptly update your address on Patriot Web and notify the VA by using WAVE. If you don't have access to WAVE, these requests can be submitted using the "Ask a Question" tab in the "Questions and Answers" section of the GI BILL web site or by calling VA at 1-888-442-4551.

• What should I do if there is a change in my enrollment?

  • Immediately submit an updated VRRF on line and notify the VA by using the “Ask a Question” tab in the “Questions and Answers” section of the GI BILL website. If the VA does not receive prompt notice of a change, you could be liable for an overpayment of benefits.

• What if my degree program or major has changed after submitting my VRRF?

  • Send an e-mail to veterans@gmu.edu to request that your program be updated in VA ONCE.

• What if I have more questions about my benefits?

  • Check for more VA FAQs on the web or call VA at 1-888-442-4551 to speak with an Education Case Manager.

• How Can I Prevent an Overpayment?

  • An overpayment is an incorrect benefit payment that is more than the amount to which you are entitled. If you promptly notify the VA of changes affecting your benefits, you can prevent or reduce overpayments. In addition, use reasonable judgment when you accept and cash a check. Carefully read all letters from the VA about the monthly rates and effective dates of your benefits. If you think the amount of a payment is wrong, contact the VA before using funds from the payment. The VA will tell you how to return your incorrect payment. If you cash a check for the wrong amount, or receive an incorrect deposit into your bank account, you will be liable for repayment of any resulting overpayment. For Chapter 33 students, if VA makes an excess payment of tuition and fees to Student Accounts you will be liable for repayment of the excess amount.

• How does Tuition Assistance (TA) work at Mason?

  • Third Party Billing in Student Accounts handles Tuition Assistance (TA) for military members. See their detailed procedures for more information. Final grades may not automatically be sent to military agencies. TA grade report forms are processed through the Certification section of the Office of the University Registrar and can be emailed to verify@gmu.edu or faxed to 703-993-2467.

• What is Tuition Assistance Top Up?

  • To be eligible for the Top-up benefit, you must be approved for federal Tuition Assistance by a military department and be eligible for MGIB-Active Duty benefits or the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The amount of this benefit can be equal to the difference between the total cost of a college course and the amount of Tuition Assistance that is paid by the military for the course.
     
    See the GI Bill website for Tuition Assistance Top-up details including application procedures. Do not submit a VRRF when using Tuition Assistance Top Up.

• Does Mason participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program?

  • Each academic year, Mason will provide Yellow Ribbon Program contributions on a first come, first served basis as long as Mason continues to participate in the program. Please go to Mason Yellow Ribbon Program to review the details of Mason’s contributions.

• Who is eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program?

  • Only individuals entitled to receive 100% of benefits payable under the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) may receive this funding. Included are dependents eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under Chapter 33. To be considered for the Yellow Ribbon Program, a Certification of Eligibility must first be on file showing your Yellow Ribbon Program eligibility. VA has determined that active duty members and spouses of active duty members with Transfer of Entitlement are not eligible.

• What are the Yellow Ribbon Program Application Procedures at Mason?

  • Students meeting Mason Yellow Ribbon program criteria must submit a copy of their VA Certificate of Eligibility showing 100% benefit eligibility and Yellow Ribbon Program eligibility by email to veterans@gmu.edu or by fax to 703-993-2467; register for classes in an approved program; and submit an online Veterans Registration Reporting Form (VRRF) as a Yellow Ribbon applicant. Contributions are provided on a first come, first served basis as determined by the date of the VRRF submission up to the maximum number of individuals for whom contributions will be made in any given academic year. A VRRF cannot be accepted prior to registration and submission of the Certificate of Eligibility. Mason will provide Yellow Ribbon contributions during the current academic year and all subsequent academic years in which Mason is participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program and the student maintains satisfactory progress, conduct, and attendance.

• Will the Post 9/11 GI Bill pay for my study abroad?

  • Study abroad fees generally are not included in the academic fees that are paid by VA. The only exception is when the study abroad is a mandatory requirement for an approved degree program. VA payments are generally limited to the equivalent undergraduate in-state tuition rate for the number of credit hours applicable to the student’s degree program.

• Can I receive benefits for a course I’m taking at another school?

  • You may receive benefits while attending another school if you are a degree seeking student at Mason and have an approved Request to Take Course Elsewhere form on file in the Registrar’s Office indicating the specific courses that are approved for transfer back to Mason to be applied to your degree program. In this case Mason prepares additional documentation for the supplemental school certifying official. The supplemental school can use the documentation to certify only the specific courses that have been approved.

• Why didn't I receive break pay between terms?

  • Break or interval pay is no longer payable under any VA education benefit program effective August 1, 2011.

• How is rate of pursuit (for Chapter 33) and time status (for all other chapters) determined for the summer term?
  • VA pays education benefits for summer terms based on credit hour equivalents. VA makes the conversion. When enrollment periods overlap, credit hour equivalents for the period of overlap are combined. Contact VA at 888.442.4551 if you have questions about benefit payments.
    
• What are the restrictions on distance learning and the payment of chapter 33 housing allowance?
  • Students whose current enrollment is exclusively distance learning training are not eligible for the monthly housing allowance. If a student’s enrollment is both distance learning and resident training (standard classroom instruction) and rate of pursuit is more than 50%, then the monthly housing allowance can be paid for the period of residence training and any break periods that meet break pay rules. Effective October 1, 2011 housing allowance will be payable to students (other than those on active duty) enrolled solely in distance learning.  The housing allowance payable is equal to ½ the national average BAH for an E-5 with dependents.
• How does VA determine time status for my non-credit continuing professional education program that is measured in clock hours rather than credit hours?

  •    For a non-credit program measured in clock hours, benefits are paid based on clock hours of attendance per week. The beginning date, ending date, and number of clock hours a student is scheduled to attend each week must be reported. Full-time measurement is 18 clock hours per week. Payment of housing allowance under Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill) requires 10 or more clock hours per week to qualify for a rate of pursuit greater than 50%.
    
    Clock hour instructional training time is measured as follows:
    

    18 hours or more	full-time
    13-17 hours	¾-time
    9-12 hours	½-time
    5-8 hours	less than ½-time
    1-4 hours	¼-time or less

• How does VA define in-residence and distance learning training?
  • In-residence training for undergraduate students consists of regularly scheduled standard class sessions (at least once every two weeks). The total number of hours of classroom instruction (based on 50 minutes of instruction per hour) must equal, or be greater than, the number of credit hours awarded for the course multiplied by the number of weeks in the term.
    
    In-residence training for graduate students consists of at least two regularly scheduled standard class sessions, research (either on or off campus), or a combination of both.
    
    Distance learning consists of interaction between the student and the instructor (who is physically separated from the student) through the use of communications technology instead of regularly scheduled, conventional classroom or laboratory sessions. Communications technology includes mail, telephone, audio or videoconferencing, computer technology (on-line internet courses or email), or other electronic means such as one-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or wireless communications devices.
    
    Any courses that consist of some interaction using communications technology and some weeks of standard class sessions but not meeting the requirements to be classified as in-residence training are considered independent study/distance learning.
• How can I appeal my out-of-state tuition status?
  • Students who seek reclassification of their domicile status must submit the appropriate domicile form to the Registrar’s Office located in Student Union Building I (SUB I) via fax, email, or in person at room 2101 no later than the first day of the semester by 5 pm. See Domicile Services for detailed information. Out-of-state students with pending requests are responsible for payment at the out-of-state rate. Students determined to be in-state can submit a Refund Request Form to the Student Accounts Office for the difference in tuition rates.
• Will VA pay for tutorial assistance?
  • You may be eligible for tutorial assistance if you meet certain prerequisites. Check out the requirements before making any financial commitments.
    
    According to VA guidelines, the following documentation will be required in order to certify an application for individualized tutorial assistance, which can only be for a deficiency in a course that is necessary for the completion of an approved degree program.
    
    1. Ask your instructor to send an email to veterans@gmu.edu stating that you are "deficient in the course and that individual tutoring is required to correct the deficiency." No other wording is acceptable.
    
    2. Select and contract with an approved tutor from the list provided by Learning Services, located in Student Union I, Room 354, which recruits and maintains the Tutor Referral Program for the university. Tutors listed with Learning Services have agreed to a maximum fee. The tutor list will indicate the maximum fee for each tutor according to educational level. Maximum fees and additional information can be found at the link below.
    
    http://caps.gmu.edu/learningservices/tutorreferral.php
    
    3. Ask Learning Services to send an email to veterans@gmu.edu identifying the tutor you have selected, the course name and number, the agreed hourly tutoring fee, and stating that the tutor is an approved tutor who meets the university's qualifications and that the agreed hourly tutoring fee does not exceed the usual charges for a tutor of that educational level.
    
    4. Upon receipt and acceptance of the documentation submitted by the instructor and Learning Services, you may submit VA Form 22-1990t.
    
    VA will pay up to $100 per month for tutorial assistance. The VA limit for tutorial assistance is $1,200.