Military Educational Benefits
West Coast University is approved for training of Veterans and eligible persons for most academic programs under the provisions of Title 38, United States Code. University Financial Aid Directors serve as Certifying Officials for each campus. Students interested in Veterans Educational Benefits should contact the Financial Aid Department for a current list of approved programs. Veterans who are unsure of their eligibility should contact the Veterans Administration. Eligible students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to continue receiving educational benefits.
All official transcripts detailing prior higher education credits must be submitted to the Registrar's office in order to be certified for Veterans benefits.
Blended Courses: Blended courses will be reported to the Department of Veterans Administration as either "Residential" or "Distance," depending on the total number of instruction hours provided for the course. See your campus Financial Aid Director if you have questions about the designation of a specific course or courses.
Online courses and Blended courses that are designated as "Distance" may result in a reduction of any Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) that you may be eligible to receive. Contact your benefit liaison at the Department of Veterans Administration for more details.
Post 9/11 GI Bill® Yellow Ribbon program
The California on-ground undergraduate campuses participate in the Post 9/11 GI Bill® Yellow Ribbon program. A limited number of qualified students will receive the award each academic year. Awards are made on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Additional Eligibility Requirements: Only individuals entitled to the maximum benefit rate (based on service requirements) may receive Yellow Ribbon funding.
Department of Defense Tuition Assistance Program
West Coast University is approved for training of active-duty service members through the Department of Defense's Tuition Assistance Program.
The Financial Aid Office at each campus is the designated point of contact for financial advising. The Student Affairs Office at each campus is the designated point of contact for academic advising and access to disability counseling. The Career Services Office at each campus is the designated point of contact for job search activities.
Service members who with to use Tuition Assistance must obtain advance approval from their Service, and must speak with an Educational Service Officer (ESO) or counselor within their Military Service prior to enrolling.
Depending on your branch, you may be eligible to receive up to 100% Federal Tuition Assistance from military service, with a $250 cap per semester hour and a $4,500 annual limit.
Select your specific branch of service for more information on the Tuition Assistance program.
Airforce: https://www.my.af.mil
Army: https://www.goarmyed.com
Marine: https://manpower.usmc.mil
Navy: https://navycollege.navy.mil
The Top-Up Benefit
If you are eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill® (MGIB) Active Duty or Post-9/11 GI Bill® and plan to use Military Tuition Assistance (TA), you can use the Federal Assistance Top-Up benefit to cover the difference between your college course cost and the amount that TA will cover.
To use the Top-Up, you must be approved for Federal Tuition Assistance and be eligible for Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty benefits or Post-9/11 GI Bill. To be eligible for MGIB benefits, you must be an MGIB - Active Duty participant and have served at least two full years on Active Duty.
The amount of the benefit is limited to the amount you would receive for the same course if regular Montgomery GI Bill benefits were being paid. In no case, can the amount paid by the military combined with the amount paid by VA be more than the total cost of the course.
If you receive the Top-Up benefit, your regular VA benefits will be reduced. The amount of entitlement charged for Top-Up payments for MGIB is determined by dividing the amount of the payment by your full-time monthly rate.
The benefit is available for all courses that began on or after October 30th, 2000. A copy of an approved Tuition Assistance Authorization form for the course is required. If you have not requested VA benefits before, you should submit VA Form 22-1990 to establish eligibility.
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 benefits.va.gov/gibill.