The University of Connecticut recognizes the sacrifices made by members of the military. Through the Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs, we provide student support services specifically for veterans, active service members, and their families who are attending the university. Our services include certifying VA educational benefits, assisting students in their transition to student life at UConn, and providing supplemental programs and activities to student veterans. There are also lounges and study spaces on-campus for student veterans to use, located in the Veterans Oasis in the Student Union Rm. 224 and also located in Hawley Armory (North Tower near Fairfield Way) at the Storrs campus.

Our office does not currently provide guidance to admissions for veterans applying to the university except for specific military programs such as the Marine Corps Leadership Scholar Program. We are happy though to discuss admission requirements, university life in Storrs, and degree requirements.
Please review the Veterans Checklist to ensure your transition to the university goes as smoothly as possible.

Absolutely.   The university is committed to evaluating military education utilizing the American Council of Education’s standards with existing UConn courses to provide the best matchup where possible.  Submit your military transcripts to the admissions office for evaluation.

The University of Connecticut offers a wide range of academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate level to all students.  We encourage you to review the admissions website for more information on specific majors and programs to learn more about degree requirements and courses.  It is important to note that most veteran’s benefits, including the Connecticut State Tuition waiver, will only cover costs associated with approved majors and programs.  Typically, this covers almost all degree programs offered at the university but please check our listing of approved programs, based upon your campus, to ensure it is approved. This list is constantly being updated, so if you have any questions, feel free to check with our staff.

The Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs is a member of the Veterans Affairs Work Study program. We encourage students receiving VA benefits to talk with our office about VA Work Study opportunities that come available. Typically, our office is in search for additional work study students each semester due to students graduating and the sheer number of great programs that we offer. The parameters for the program are:

1. Student must be utilizing a VA benefit to qualify, and be enrolled at least 3/4 time.
2. We accept dependents as work study students provided they are utilizing a VA benefit.
3. Work study students can work up to 25 hours a week, per the VA, though the typical student only works 8-15 hours a week due to coursework.
4. Work Study students will work on projects and tasks in support of Veterans at UConn.

Your main point for advising will always be your assigned academic advisor. A full plan of study will assist you in scheduling out your courses, ensuring you meet all requirements, and ensuring you graduate ‘on-time.’ Additionally, if you have questions on specific programs or future career paths we would be happy to meet and discuss these with you.

Advance payment of benefits is available for all GI Bill programs EXCEPT the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
For you to receive an advance payment:

• You must have an advance payment request on file at your school,
• You must be attending school at least half time,
• You must have a break of at least 30 days before the start of the term, and
• You must submit your UCONN Form D in a timely matter, as the VA must receive your request at least 30 days prior to the start of the term

If you’re eligible, you'll receive an advance payment for the first partial month plus the first full month of your enrollment.

For example, if your enrollment starts on August 25th, your first payment will be for the period August 25th through September 30th. VA will mail the advance payment to your school for you to pick up. Since GI Bill benefits are paid at the end of the month, your next payment for October 1 - October 31 will be issued in early November. In this example you won’t need to verify attendance until October 31.

If you reduce your enrollment or withdraw from all courses during the period covered by an advance payment, you will have an overpayment that VA is required to collect from you if you cash the check. If you think the amount of a VA check is incorrect, contact theVA before cashing the check.

For students who do not apply for advance pay, and have submitted their UCONN Form D in a timely matter, the first check arrives at their home or account within four to six weeks from the first day of class. Subsequent checks are delivered to the students' homes the first part of each month to pay for the preceding month. You can also have the checks directly deposited into your bank account if you select the Electronic Pay option (highly recommended). In order to do this you must set up a direct deposit account, have a checking or savings account and your financial institution's routing number. You need to submit the UCONN Form D for each semester you wish to claim.

1. In order to continue receiving education benefits for any semester, the Form D must be completed online and submitted to the Office of Veteran Affairs and Military Programs, The UCONN Form D can be found here: FILL AND SUBMIT THE FORM D ONLINE
2. Students receiving Chap. 30 or Chap. 1606 benefits must submit monthly verifications of enrollment to the VA. The verifications can be made on the last day of each month by either phone: 1-877-823-2378, or the internet by using the WAVE system. This must be done in order for your next payment to be released.
3. Students using the Post-9/11 GI Bill® are required to verify their enrollment to continue receiving their Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) payments, which can be done via text message (starting in the 2021-2022 school year).  More information can be found on the VA's website about Enrollment Verification.

Please contact the Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs during regular business hours:

Telephone: (860) 486-2442

Fax: (860) 486-5283

E-mail: veterans@uconn.edu

Because there are so many ways of receiving VA educational benefits (Chapter 30, Chapter 31- Voc-Rehab, Chapter 32, VEAP, and Chapter 35 -Dependents, and Chapter 1606 - Reservists), it is a good idea to be aware of the rules governing the use of GI Bill Benefits. If you are having academic or other problems, please contact the Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs for assistance. Don't wait until the end of the semester when it may be too late.

The VA initiated these rules to reduce the risk of entitlement abuses. The restrictions are as follows:

• Ordinarily, a veteran can change program objectives once with no questions asked; a second change of program requires V.A. counseling and/or other substantiating materials. See the Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs (located in Hawley Armory 100B) for more information about program changes.
• A provision regarding course withdrawals requires that mitigating circumstances be automatically considered to exist in the first instance of withdrawal from courses totaling not more than 6 semester hours. This is a one-time only benefit. Please contact this office if you are considering withdrawing from any of your classes.
• Dropping credits below your beginning benefit load or withdrawing from school should not be done without a good reason. The VA may ask for documentation if you are claiming that mitigating circumstances exist that make withdrawal from a class(es) necessary.
• A veteran receiving a non-punitive grade (a grade that does not get averaged into the G.P.A.-- grade point average--i.e., "W" withdrawal) must submit mitigating circumstances to the Office of Veteran Affairs and Military Programs. The VA may also request this information, so keep any supporting documentation on hand. A punitive grade of "D" or "F" is still considered earned credit and entitlement is not affected.
• The VA allows a year to make up an incomplete grade, however, please be aware that your professors set the time limits on incomplete grades earned at UConn. In the case of a non-putative grade, if you fall below full time status (Generally 12 credits for Undergrads, 9 credits for graduates), the VA will reduce benefits retroactively to the beginning of a semester if a good reason is not substantiated. GI Benefits are a right, but how a student uses them is governed by the VA. Students with questions should visit the Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs (located in Hawley Armory Rm. 100B).

To find out what federal benefits you may be eligible for, please go to the VA website and review the “Determine your Best Benefit” information for Educational Benefits.  This website will go over this information in detail, to help you make the best determinations, according to your specific goals and eligibility.

In addition to Federal Educational VA Benefits, the State of Connecticut offers additional benefits to Veterans and current Military Service Members (see below).

Veterans and certain members of the CT Air/ CT Army National Guard in good standing who meet certain criteria are eligible for tuition waivers at the University of Connecticut.  Waivers cover only the costs of tuition for accredited programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. Other charges- such as books, student activities, room and board and parking are not covered.  The CT State Veteran Tuition Waiver is valid for all academic terms for any admitted student who meets eligibility requirements. Pursuant to the Board of Trustees decision of July 15th, 1994 the amount of the Connecticut State Veterans Tuition Waiver that will be waived is “equivalent to that which would be charged for tuition if a University tuition charge was applied, for any veteran who meets the criteria identified pursuant to subsection 8/b(e) of Section 10a-105 of the General Statutes, and is enrolled in a program for which University tuition is not charged. The amount of the waiver shall be based upon the approved tuition rates for graduate and undergraduate students.”  This calculation is applicable towards certain University programs that award degrees but do not charge enrolled students traditional tuition (For example: MBA, BGS, CEIN, etc.)  The amount of the waiver will never exceed the amount that would have been charged at the current per credit rates for undergraduate or graduate level, using the In-State rates as published on the University of Connecticut Bursars website at http://bursar.uconn.edu, for the amount of credits you are taking that academic term.

If you would like to apply for the State Veterans Tuition Waiver, please go to the “National Guard & State Veterans Tuition Waiver” http://veterans.uconn.edu/benefits/waiver/ section of our website.  Detailed eligibility requirements and application information are available there.