G.I. Bill® Benefits

Penn State Great Valley is grateful for the service veterans have given to our country and is honored to help veterans pursue their educational goals.

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who are enrolled in master's degree or graduate certificate programs may be eligible for G.I. Bill® education benefits as determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Penn State will certify veterans' enrollment status to the VA to expedite payment of G.I. Bill® benefits.

All eligible veterans are charged in-state tuition rates regardless of residency. This rate is automatically applied for student veterans using GI Bill® benefits. If you are a student veteran at Penn State Great Valley who is not using GI Bill® benefits, please contact [email protected] to verify the requirements and steps necessary to establish the in-state tuition rate for you.

More information for all student veterans at Penn State can be found on the Penn State Office of Veterans Programs website and the Penn State Veterans Affairs and Services webpage.  

Every student receiving G.I. Bill® benefits should register for and use a premium eBenefits account. On the eBenefits website, students can view their remaining entitlement, delimiting date, enrollment certification dates, and other important G.I. Bill® information.

Take these steps to get started with G.I. Bill® benefits at Penn State Great Valley:

  1. Apply for benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Eligible veterans will receive a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) describing the type of benefit to which you are entitled, the percentage of your entitlement, and the time period for your benefit.
  2. Sign up for a premium VA eBenefits account.
  3. Provide a copy of your eBenefits Enrollment Status page, or a copy of your COE, to the Penn State Great Valley school certifying officials by email to [email protected] or in person at the Office of Student Services.
  4. Students using the G.I. Bill®, each semester, must complete the VA Enrollment Request Form in LionPATH. To assure your benefit is applied to your account before your semester bill due date, submit your request 4–6 weeks before the first day of every semester.
  5. Monitor LionPATH to ensure your University bursar account reflects G.I. Bill® payments.

Eligible veterans and actively serving members of the military may request priority registration privileges at Penn State, which is helpful for classes that fill quickly.

Veterans using G.I. Bill® benefits are also eligible for federal student loans.

The full-time measure for Penn State GI Bill ® educational benefits purposes is enrollment in 4 or more credits in each 7-week session. Since Great Valley offers only 3-credit courses, this means:

  • In any 7-week session (any 14-week semester session 1 or session 2) a student takes two or more 3-credit courses, the enrollment will be reported to the VA as full-time.
  • In any 7-week session a student takes one 3-credit course, the enrollment will be reported to the VA as 3/4 time.
  • Enrollment verification is provided to the VA by sessions, not by semester. If a student is enrolled in one session within a semester but not the other, enrollment verification will be provided to the VA only for the session in which the student is enrolled.

Questions about the student veteran full-time enrollment level can be emailed to Renee Thornton-Roop in the Penn State Office of Veterans Programs at [email protected].

The Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) a G.I. Bill® student receives from the VA is based in part on his or her enrollment level, and in part on individual circumstances. It is each G.I. Bill® student’s responsibility to know what his or her individual BAH benefit is and monitor payments. Penn State Great Valley recommends that students immediately report to the VA any discrepancy in monthly BAH payments; the VA will provide additional funds when it has underpaid a student, and it will always seek reimbursement directly from the student when it has overpaid.

G.I. 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://benefits.va.gov/gibill.