Veterans Education Benefits

Getting Started:

Apply for your VA education benefits at va.gov

The VA site, https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply will walk you through the documents and information you need to apply as well as which forms you should complete. Please be sure to list the College of Saint Benedict or Saint John’s University as the school of attendance, update your mailing address and confirm your bank information on all forms. After the VA has approved and processed your application, you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) letter from the VA. Please provide a copy of the COE to our office.

Next Steps:

Provide a copy of your COE/Award letter to the School Certifying Official in the Registrar’s Office.

New students: After you have registered for your first semester, you will receive an email from the School Certifying Official requesting you to complete a school enrollment form for your file indicating your intentions and your authorization to use your VA benefits for the upcoming academic year.

Continuing students: If your VA benefits have changed, a new COE is required. This may adjust your financial aid package.
Any finance charges assessed on the VA portion will be reversed when payment is applied. If your eligibility is less than 100%, it is recommended that students make payments on their portion as soon as possible to avoid a finance charge.

The school enrollment form confirming your intentions for the upcoming academic year is your authorization to use your benefits. This is required each year. Enrollment will not be certified with the VA until this is received.

ALL students: It is your responsibility to notify the School Certifying Official of any class changes you make to your schedule each semester. Dropping courses may affect your benefits.

Service members who are temporarily unable to attend class or have to suspend their studies due to service requirements will be readmitted to CSB or SJU with the same academic status and program they had when last attending school or when they were last accepted for admission to the school. This applies to any student who could not attend school due to military service. To start the process of readmitting to CSB or SJU please go to: Readmit Applicants | Admission (csbsju.edu)

Chapter 33 Post 9/11 Benefits

The monthly housing allowance is paid directly to the student at the beginning of each month for the previous month.

For students with 100% eligibility rate, the maximum book stipend is $1000 per academic year. The book stipend pays approximately $41.67 per credit certified up to 24 credits for the academic year. This is also paid to the student.

After the add/drop period (typically the first 10 days of classes) each student’s enrollment and actual charges will be reviewed. We will report any changes in enrollment and net charges to the VA and the Student Accounts Office at CSB/SJU.

Eligibility criteria and benefits vary. Veterans’ education benefits must be reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).For questions regarding tour VA education benefits, please call the VA Education Call Center at (888) 442-4551, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (CST).

Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA)

As a National Guard student, you may be eligible for Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA), Chapter 1606 and MN State Tuition Reimbursement. Students are not eligible to use FTA and Chapter 1606 for the same classes. Your eligibility to apply for FTA will depend on which military branch you serve in.

To be approved for Army Federal Tuition Assistance:

Contact the Minnesota National Guard Education Services Office to inquire about your chapter eligibility:

Phone: (651) 282-4589
Address: Joint Force Headquarters, 20 12th St. W, Saint Paul, MN 55155
Email: [email protected]

Complete the Course Planner at ArmyIgnitED a minimum of 30 days prior to the start of the term. ArmyIgnitEd must approve your planner before the start of each semester.

After your course planner has been completed, request FTA for classes by clicking on the “Request FTA” button on the ArmyIgnitED home page.

This step is required every semester.
Call the FTA Help Desk at (800) 817-9990 for assistance.

Submit your FAFSA.

Complete the Army Tuition Assistance Authorization form located at GoArmyEd and return the form to the Financial Aid Office.

Important Information

FTA will not be paid IF your course planner is not approved prior to the start of the semester, you will not be eligible for FTA. The Army does not grant extensions to this deadline.
FTA will not be paid IF you change courses after you have entered course information in GoArmyEd, the Army will not pay FTA. Only enrolled courses that match to your GoArmyEd course entry will be paid.
FTA will not be paid IF the Army Tuition Assistance Authorization form is not submitted to the Financial Aid Office, FTA will not be paid.

State Tuition Reimbursement (STR)

Students looking to use State Tuition Reimbursement (STR) will need to contact their unit full-time representative. The MN National Guard website provides information about the Reimbursement Application Procedures. The “Final Fee Statement” can be found on Murphy Online which is your student account statement. Typically, it is the August statement which reflects actual charges for fall semester. Please let us know if you have any questions. While we cannot answer specific questions regarding the STR process, we can assist you with questions on where to find information needed for the application.

Verify your enrollment

Chapter 30, 1606 and 1607 recipients: To receive your benefit payment, please verify your enrollment at the end of each month during the semesters you are using your benefits. To verify enrollment, go to the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) or call (877) 823-2378.

Important Notice to eligible MN veterans:

The Minnesota GI Bill^® program was established in 2007 to provide post-secondary educational assistance to eligible MN veterans and service members as well as eligible spouses and children of deceased or severely disabled eligible MN veterans. Full-time undergraduate or graduate students may be eligible to receive up to $1,000 per semester and part-time students can receive up to $500 per semester.

To review the entire list of eligibility requirements and to complete the online Minnesota GI Bill Application, please click here.
If you have questions about the MN GI Bill, please contact our Financial Aid Office at 320-363-5388 or 320-363-3664 or the MN Office of Higher Education at (651) 259-3955.

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.

Veterans Contacts and Resources:

Barb Novak
School Certifying Official
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (320) 363-5304
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University
Registrar’s Office, Quad 163 on the SJU Campus

Jason Wehry
Central Regional Veterans
Education Assistance Coordinator
Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs
Cell: (320) 493-8153
Email: [email protected]

Additional Resources

Benefit Programs:

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.

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