Military Tuition Assistance and Veteran’s Benefits

How do I get started?

• Establish an account on the GI Bill® Web Site: https://www.va.gov/ (or 1‐888‐442‐4551).
• Service members should contact their Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor prior to registration to confirm the availability of tuition assistance funds.
• Meet with an Elizabethtown College admissions representative to review degree programs, costs, and have your military training and prior college credits evaluated for transfer into a degree program. Some things to consider when choosing a degree program:
  • What are your educational goals?
  • How much of your educational benefits have you used already and how much will you need to reach your academic goals?
  • How much will you need for living expenses?
• Visit www.FAFSA.ed.gov to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
• You may want to visit this resource, www.gibill.va.gov, a joint self‐service web portal; a central location for Veterans, Service Members, and their families to research, find, access, and, in time, manage their benefits and personal information.

Who is the certifying official at Elizabethtown College’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies?

How do I order my military transcripts?

Students who were formerly able to access and request a transcript through the AARTS or SMARTS web sites must now use the Joint Services Transcript (JST) website. The Joint Services Transcript (JST) is a function of the Department of Defense and is not associated with the Department of Veterans Affairs

Air Force: CCAF transcripts

How does Elizabethtown College evaluate military credits?

Elizabethtown College will evaluate credits from military transcripts for transfer into degree programs as long as the military education and experience received a credit recommendation from the American Council on Education. The School of Graduate and Professional Studies will consider the transfer of credit for military education and experience upon receipt of notarized appropriate documentation such as DD Form 295 (Application for the Evaluation of Education Experience During Military Service) and/or Form DD‐214 (Service Separation Certificate).

To graduate from an undergraduate degree, graduate degree, or graduate certificate program, the student must complete all the program credit requirements with at least the minimum required GPA.  Also, all financial obligations to the school must be satisfied before the student receives their degree diploma or certificate.

What academic support resources and services are available?

Academic Support Resources

The Elizabethtown College School of Graduate and Professional Studies encourages all enrolled learners to take advantage of its support services, such as advising services, tutoring services, and resources for college success.  SGPS offers online 24/7 tutoring program through Smarthinking. For more information, please contact your academic advisor.

Disability Services

The Elizabethtown College School of Graduate and Professional Studies is committed to providing equal access to all of its courses, programs and services for qualified students with disabilities in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

The Office of Disability Services requires documentation from the treating health care provider about a student’s condition in order to establish the presence of a disability, gain an understanding of how the disability affects the student’s ability to function in a college setting, and make informed decisions about reasonable accommodations and adjustments. The Director of Disability Services reviews all requests for academic adjustments and accommodations.

For further clarification about policies for students with disabilities, please contact your academic advisor or Lynne Davies, Director of Disability Services, at (717) 361-1227.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/disability.

Course Registration Scheduling Preference

According to Act 46 of 2014, public institutions are required to provide scheduling preference for veteran students.  Even though we are a private institution, we are opting to establish a similar protocol and allow veterans to have scheduling preference.  A veteran student does NOT need to be using Veterans Administration (VA) or Department of Defense (DoD) benefits to be eligible for scheduling preference.  To be eligible, veterans must provide a copy of their discharge paperwork (DD214) or a Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE) to the School’s VA Certifying Official.  Course scheduling for approved veteran students will start one (1) week prior to registration opening for all other students.

What if a Reservist is Called to Active Duty? 

While the Veterans Administration and the American Council on Education have not mandated policies for colleges/universities whose students are called to active duty, the American Council on Education has provided guidelines for these situations:

• 100% tuition refund through the 3rd week of the session.
• No notations made on the permanent record card.
• After the 3rd week, grades of “I” (incompletes) or “W” (withdrawals) are given – based upon the students’ preferences.
• Tuition refund is given for only courses with grades of “W.”
• If the withdrawal is during the last two full weeks of the session, full course credit is to be awarded and grades earned by the time of activation shall be posted. 
• A copy of the activation paper is filed in the SCO’s file and the Advising folder.

Where can I find Financial Resources?

Financial Resources for all enrolled students can be found on the Business Office Website.

• The College Scorecard
• The College Navigator
• Theft/File and Accident Insurance
• Paying for College
• Military Tuition Assistance 

If you need more information, please contact a member of our Financial Aid Office (717-361-1404) or the Business Office (717-361-1417).

Elizabethtown College will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under chapter 31 or 33.  

What other resources are available to veterans?

What college scholarship opportunities are available for military personnel, veterans, and/or their families?

http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/veterans.htm

http://www.finaid.org/military/veterans.phtml

https://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/aid-for-military-national-guard/index.shtml

What resources are available to assist veterans who are transitioning careers? 

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Links and Resources 

PA Department of Labor & Industry – Services for Veterans 

USA Jobs Veterans Resources – https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans/ and www.fedshirevets.gov

Criminal Justice & Veterans – a guidebook of education & career resources 

What resources are available in my community? 

Military OneSource:  a comprehensive resource provided by the Department of Defense (DoD) to give information on many aspects of military life to active duty, Guard and Reserve service members, and their families.

United Way of Lancaster County: provides resources in Lancaster, Berks and the Lehigh Valley.

United Way of York County

United Way of the Capital Region: provides resources in Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry County

Hotline for Women Veterans: A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs resource for women veterans - 1-855-VA-WOMEN; form more information about the hotline and links to other resources, read the VA’s press release.

*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 Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.