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Elizabethtown College certifies education benefits to veterans through the GI Bill®. Evaluation for transfer of military credits is supported through Joint Services Transcript (JST). Elizabethtown 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.
GI Bill® Education Benefits and Military Servicemember Information
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by the VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Elizabethtown College certifies enrollment for students eligible for education benefits through the GI Bill®.
To initiate GI Bill® assistance:
- Establish an account on va.gov and navigate to the Education page.
- Confirm education benefit eligibility.
- Provide a certificate of eligibility to the College’s Certifying Official.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Covered individual
A covered individual is any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31(Veteran Readiness and Employment) or Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) GI Bill® benefits.
Elizabethtown College does 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 a delayed disbursement funding from the VA under Chapter 31 or 33.
Covered individuals are permitted to attend or participate in the course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the College a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33. A certificate of eligibility can also include a Statement of Benefits obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website - va.gov or VAF 28-1905 form for Chapter 31. The aforementioned ends on the earlier of the following dates: 1) the date on which payment from VA is made to the institution 2) 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the certificate of eligibility.
Ordering Military Transcripts
Students who were formerly able to access and request a transcript through the AARTS or SMARTS websites 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 transcripts are available at CCAF transcripts.
How does Elizabethtown College evaluate military credits?
Elizabethtown College will evaluate credits from military transcripts for transfer into degree programs if 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).
Enrolled Students Called to Active Duty
Class attendance policy is determined individually by faculty members. Students are responsible for knowing the attendance policy for each course and consulting with professors in the case of absences due to illness or other personal problems. Students should email the faculty member directly to discuss plans to make up missed work.
For on-campus classes, after 15 consecutive class days of absence from all classes, a student is considered to have withdrawn from the College. 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:
- 100% tuition refund through the 8th week of the 15-week semester, or 100% tuition refund through the 3rd week of an accelerated subterm.
- Pro-rated refund for room/board charges, if applicable.
- No notations made on the permanent record card.
- After the eighth week (on-campus) or third week (SGPS), 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 term (last week of classes and finals week), 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 student’s folder.
Students who need to withdraw from the College need to contact the Center for Student Success (on-campus) or their Academic Advisor (SGPS) to initiate a college withdrawal.
Readmission to the College
Students should refer to Readmission/Re-Entry policies in the College’s catalog (catalog.etown.edu), and apply for readmission to initiate re-entry.
Academic resources
Academic resources are available to all enrolled students, such as academic advising, tutoring services, and resources for college success. Reach out to the Center for Student Success (on-campus students) or your SGPS Academic Advisor (graduate and online students) for more information.
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.
School Certifying Official Contact Information
Kelly Boutsikaris
Phone: 717-361-1423
Email: boutsikarisk@etown.edu
Katharine Daniels
Phone: 717-361-3735
Email: danielsk@etown.edu
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