Initial UF Benefit Request

These steps are for students who have never used VA Educational Benefits at UF or any other institution before.

1

To activate your benefits for use at UF, refer to VA.gov and complete electronic Form 22-1990 for veterans or, if you are a dependent, complete Form 22-1990E.

  • Navigation for first time users:
    va.gov / Education Box / Apply for education benefits / How do I apply? / Find your education benefits form

Note: You will need to complete this electronic form if you are activating your benefits for the first time, or if you are transferring to or from another institution or if you are moving programs from undergraduate to graduate or if you are moving programs from graduate to professional.

2

About 30 days after completing the electronic form on VA.gov, you will receive a new Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in the mail. You will need to provide a copy of just the front page to the UF Student Veteran Services Office (via email to military-benefits@ufl.edu). If you have already received a Certificate of Eligibility and have sent it to us, you may skip this step.

Note: You do not need to have a COE on file to continue to the next steps.

3

After VA.gov, you will still need to apply for your benefits to be processed here at UF. This electronic request form will open a minimum of 30 days before the start of a new term. Complete the following UF specific steps after you have a GatorLink username and password:

  1. Navigate to the Apply for Term Certification page.
  2. Click the "VA Enrollment Certification Request" form button and log in using your Gatorlink username and password.
  3. Once logged in, select "new app" and follow the directions outlined on each page.

Note: You do not need to be registered in order to complete the above.

Ensure you press the final submission button. If you do not press submit, we will not process your request. It is the responsibility of the student to press submit.

You will want to complete the UF Apply for Term Certification Request form every term in order to receive your benefits. It is the responsibility of the student to complete this request. We will not carry over benefits automatically.

If you need to update any of the information on the form after it has been submitted, contact the Veteran Services Office.

Processing

  • We have 30 days from the conclusion of the standard university calendar's Drop/Add period to certify all students to the Department of Veteran Affairs.
  • At times, and depending on term dates, we may be able to submit early enough that the first BAH (monthly stipend) payment arrives on the first of the month immediately following the beginning of the term, but that is not always the case. Keep this in mind when planning for rent and living.

Book Stipend (33, 31)

  • This is disbursed directly to the student, one time, at the start of each term, to the bank account the student has on file with the Department of Veteran Affairs.
  • It is a flat rate based on credit hours.

    Note: It MAY NOT cover all book-related costs.

  • If the student requested their benefits with UF prior to the Drop/Add period, they may receive the book stipend prior to the start of OR within the first few weeks of school.
  • If the student requested their benefits with UF during or after Drop/Add, it can take several weeks for processing, and may not arrive until mid-term.
  • This stipend should be seen as a reimbursement.
  • Students can receive a deferment via the UF Bookstore, if they wish to receive books for no money down, prior to obtaining their stipend.

BAH (Living Stipend) (33, 31, 30, 35, 1606)

  • This is disbursed directly to the student, at the start of a month, for the prior month's enrollment, to the bank account the student has on file with the Deptartment of Veteran Affairs.
  • BAH is retroactively paid. For example, a student beginning in August who applied for their benefits prior to Drop/Add may receive payment the first week of September, which will be for the dates attended in August. The student would receive payment in October for the dates attended in September, and so on.
  • At times, and depending on term dates, if a student has submitted a benefit request prior to Drop/Add, we may be able to submit early enough that the first BAH payment arrives on the first of the month immediately following the beginning of the term, but that is not always the case. Keep this in mind when planning for rent and living. Submit early to have the highest probability of receiving your BAH/stipend payments on the 1st of the month immediately following the beginning of the term.
  • If a student did not request their benefits with UF until during or after Drop/Add, it can take several weeks for processing and is not guaranteed by the start of a new month immediately following the first month of school.

Note: For those who use benefits to pay for a UF dorm, you may contact UF Housing to receive a deferment on your due date to allow time to collect some VA BAH payments to put toward the cost.

Tuition and Fees (33, 31)

  • After the conclusion of the standard university calendar's Drop/Add period, SCO’s submit tuition and fees for students.
  • This is disbursed directly to the University Bursar for processing about 6-8 weeks after the Drop/Add period concludes.
  • Tuition takes the longest to process by the VA, so the Bursar grants VA Educational Benefit users a financial deferment, pushing the due date of tuition back to a later date. This allows ample time for the VA to process benefits and submit the payment to the university. You can find this deferment date under your "Charges Due" on One.UF.
  • Students will still receive notices about unpaid charges until the VA funds post to their One.UF account. As long as you have submitted a request to be certified and you are using a tuition-component benefit, you may disregard the messages.

MBA/DBA Deposit (33, 31)

  • If you are an MBA/DBA student, you must pay a deposit out of pocket to secure your spot in the program. The VA will automatically reimburse you for that payment.
  • Our office will see that you are a first term MBA/DBA student and will automatically include the deposit with your first module(s) tuition and fee costs and submit the request to the VA for reimbursement.
  • The VA then sends the tuition and deposit payments to the UF Bursar. The UF Bursar will process the funds, see that the deposit was already paid by you, and then reimburse you the deposit amount. They will also apply your tuition monies to your account for you. The refund of a deposit takes up to several months but is usually completed within that first term and/or module.

Note: This is only for students who have a tuition-component to their VA Educational Benefit, and who are using that benefit in the first term of their MBA/DBA program.

MBA/DBA Non-Standard Calendar

  • MBA/DBA students only need to complete one Term Certification Request per standard term. For example, if you have a Fall Mod 1 and a Fall Mod 2, only complete one Fall request for benefits. Our office will adjust term dates on our end for modular courses or terms that do not follow the standard university calendar.
  • Make note that SCO's finalize certifications after the Drop/Add period concludes on the standard university calendar not the standard Drop/Add period of the College of Business.