VA & State Ed Benefits
Education benefits are available to veterans, qualified dependents of veterans, and active/reserve service members.
Veterans – Using Your Post 9/11 GI Bill™ Benefits:
To activate your veteran benefits at Cal Poly:
- If this is your first time using your benefits, apply on the VA website at va.gov/education
- If you have used your benefit anywhere other than Cal Poly, you are required to notify the VA that you have changed schools or programs. VA Form 22-1995 can be accessed and submitted at va.gov/education.
- Once you have received a reply from the VA confirming your eligibility for benefits, you will be required to upload either your VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE), Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE), or an eBenefits printout showing your current eligibility information to Cal Poly. Complete and submit these forms to the Cal Poly Veterans Success Center here: Veteran Benefits Request
- To prove eligibility for Priority Registration in future quarters, submit a copy of your DD-214 with your above forms.
- Submit official ACE/Joint Service Transcripts to Cal Poly for review of military prior credit opportunities. Notify the VSC Coordinator, Kari Leslie to submit a Military Prior Credit Review Advising Request.
- REMEMBER: You must complete the Veteran Benefits Request form every quarter, as soon as you register for classes. Delaying submission will result in a delay to your VA Educational Benefits payments.
Veterans – Using Your Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits:
Eligible Veterans apply for Vocational Rehabilitation on-line through eBenefits.
- Log in to your eBenefits account. Select "Additional Benefits" from your Dashboard.
- If it is determined that you are eligible, you will be invited to attend an orientation session, in-person, at the nearest VA Regional Office.
- Once you have completed these steps, your Vocational Rehab Counselor will forward VA Form 1905 to us.
- Next, Complete the Veteran Benefits Request
- To prove eligibility for Priority Registration in future quarters, submit a copy of your DD-214 with your above forms.
- Submit official ACE/Joint Service Transcripts to Cal Poly for review of military prior credit opportunities. Notify the VSC Coordinator, Kari Leslie to submit a Military Prior Credit Review Advising Request.
- REMEMBER: You must complete the Veteran Benefits Request form every quarter, as soon as you register for classes. Delaying submission will result in a delay to your VA Educational Benefits payments.
Dependents – Using Your Transferred Post 9/11 GI Bill™, Chapter 35, or Fry Scholarship Benefits:
To activate your dependent benefits at Cal Poly:
- If this is your first time using your benefits, apply on the VA website at va.gov/education
- If you have used your benefit anywhere other than Cal Poly, you are required to notify the VA that you have changed schools or programs. VA Form 22-1995 can be accessed and submitted at va.gov/education.
- Once you have received a reply from the VA, confirming your eligibility for benefits, you will be required to upload your VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to Cal Poly. Complete the Veteran Benefits Request and submit your COE to the Cal Poly Veterans Success Center
- REMEMBER: You must complete the Veteran Benefits Request form every quarter, as soon as you register for classes. Delaying submission will result in a delay to your VA Educational Benefits payments.
Dependents – Using Your Cal Vet College Fee Waiver:
The Cal Vet College Fee Waiver waives mandatory system-wide tuition and fees at Cal Poly for the child of a California Veteran who has a service-connected disability or had a service-connected disability at the time of death or died of service-related causes.
Eligibility for the program is determined by your local county veteran’s office. The application is available here.
- All applicants must meet California residency requirements.
- Dependents applying under Plan B must submit a copy of their federal income tax return from the previous year or, if the dependent did not file a return, they will be required to submit a statement from the IRS (800-829-1040) that the dependent did not file a tax return.
- Verification of Non-filing Letter - provides proof that the IRS has no record of a filed Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ for the year you requested. It doesn't indicate whether you were required to file a return for that year. This letter is available after June 15 for the current tax year or anytime for the prior three tax years using Get Transcript Online or Request by Mail.
- The CVFW does not waive Cal Poly specific fees, which are paid quarterly.
- This program does not cover the expense of study abroad, summer classes at Cal Poly (summer classes can be paid at other eligible institutions) books, parking or room and board.
- Once you have received a confirmation of your eligibility from your local county veteran’s office, submit it to the Cal Poly Veterans Success Center here.
- REMEMBER: You must renew your eligibility for the Cal Vet Fee Waiver every academic year. Delaying submission could result in having to personally pay for the costs of attending Cal Poly and requesting a refund once your waiver has been received and processed.
