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    Aid for U. S. Veterans, Active Duty Military and Their Dependents  
 

 

Page Contents

  • Completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  • Veteran Education Benefits
  • Dependents of Veterans
  • Cal Vet Fee Waiver Program
  • Tuition Assistance for Active Duty Reservists
  • Scholarships
    • Sergeant Benton Memorial Scholarships
  • Active Military Service and Education Loan Deferment
  • Web Links for Additional Information

 

 

Completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Apply for financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  It’s free to apply and everything you need is online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

On Active Duty in the U.S. Armed Forces 

If you plan to attend the university any time during the academic year, you can complete your FAFSA—

  • before your military release date and
  • before you are admitted to the university.

Veteran of the U. S. Armed Forces

You are a veteran for financial aid purposes if you—

  • are currently serving or have engaged in activity duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard,
  • are a National Guard or Reserve enlistee who was called to federal active duty for purposes other than training,
  • were a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies (example: West Point), and
  • were released from service under a condition other than dishonorable, or
  • are not a veteran now but will be one by June 30.

If you meet any of the requirements above, you do not need to provide your parents’ information when completing your FAFSA.   Read and follow the dependency instructions on the FAFSA carefully.

Reporting Previous Year Income and Veterans Benefits on your FAFSA

Read and follow the FAFSA instructions for each question. The way in which you report income and benefits on your FAFSA may differ from the way in which you report income and benefits to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Some guidelines—

  • Veterans benefits of any kind are not taxable and do not need to be reported to the IRS.
  • Veterans noneducation benefits such as Disability, Death Pension, or Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), and/or VA Educational Work Study allowances should be reported as untaxed income on your FAFSA.
  • Housing, food and other living allowances paid to members of the military (such as BAS, BAQ and BAH), including cash payments and cash value of benefits, should be reported as untaxed income on your FAFSA.
  • Report on your FAFSA the monthly amount and number of months of veterans education benefits that you expect to receive.

Veterans Education Benefits

Using your FAFSA information, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (OFAS) will evaluate your eligibility for federal and state financial aid programs.

The OFAS assumes that you will enroll full time (12 units undergraduate; 9 units graduate) and receive full-time benefits.  

  • If you are enrolled less than full time at the end of each semester’s add/drop date, your eligibility will be reevaluated.
  • If you enroll full time but choose not to use your full-time veteran’s education benefits, by federal law, the OFAS must still calculate full-time benefits when determining your aid eligibility.

For information about veterans education benefits, visit the G.I. Bill Web site or contact your local Veterans Affairs Office or the SDSU Veterans Affairs Office to determine what education benefits you may be eligible to receive and how to activate your benefits.

Some of the benefits for which you may be eligible are—

  • Montgomery G.I. Bill – Active Duty, Chapter 30
  • Montgomery G.I. Bill - Selective Reserve, Chapter 1606
  • Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31)
  • Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP, Chapter 1607)

Dependents of Veterans

Dependents of certain veterans may be eligible for educational assistance through the—

  • Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 35) and/or
  • Cal Vet Fee Waiver Program (described in the section that follows)

For Chapter 35 eligibility, visit the G.I. Bill Web site or contact your local Veterans Affairs Office or the SDSU Veterans Affairs Office.

Cal Vet Fee Waiver Program

The spouse, child, or registered domestic partner of a veteran may qualify for fee waiver benefits at any California State University if the veteran—

  • served during a “qualifying war period” and
  • has a service-connected disability, or
  • died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition.

The child of a veteran may also qualify for a waiver of California state registration fees if the veteran—

  • has a service-connected disability,
  • had a service-connected disability at the time of death, or
  • died of service-related causes.

Dependents of a member of the California National Guard who was killed or permanently disabled while in service to the state may be eligible for similar benefits.

If eligible, the fee waiver will affect your total financial aid eligibility due to the reduction in your cost of attendance.

Once your fee waiver is authorized by the SDSU Veterans Affairs Office, submit it to the University Cashiers Office with your registration fee payment coupon and payment for your share of the fees that the waiver does not cover.

For more information contact—

Tuition Assistance for Active Duty and Reservists

Registration fee and tuition assistance may be available to you if you attend the university while on active duty or as a reservist.

  1. Contact your unit’s education service office for authorization.
  2. Once approved, contact the University Cashiers Office for payment or reimbursement procedures.

Scholarships

All San Diego State University (SDSU) students, regardless of nationality, citizenship, residency status, area of study, or grade point average, are encouraged to apply for as many scholarships as possible. 

The Scholarships section of this Web site includes—

  • a free online "Scholarship Search" where you'll find SDSU-administered scholarships,
  • an “Other Scholarships” option that lists scholarships from outside organizations, and
  • the “Resources and Links” section which provides links and library scholarship support material to help in your search.

Staff Sergeant Benton Memorial Scholarship

Established by the California State University (CSU) system, this scholarship program recognizes students who have served in the United States Marine Corps and who demonstrate financial need and have attributes of merit, including scholastic achievement.

Two $2,500 scholarships will be awarded every academic year, and each CSU campus can nominate one student.  From these CSU nominees, the two recipients will be selected.

The deadlines are January 4, 2008 and May 9, 2008. Link to the CSU Scholarships section of the Other Scholarships for more information and links to the Sergeant Benton Scholarship application requirements and information form.

Active Military Service and Education Loan Deferment

The borrower of an education loan, may be eligible to postpone repayment of that loan for up to three years if serving on active duty during—

  • a war or other military operation,
  • a national emergency, or
  • if performing qualifying National Guard duty under the same circumstances.

Note:  For PLUS Loans, only principal is deferred – interest continues to accrue.

To see if your service qualifies you for a deferment of your loan payments, contact—

For additional information, visit the following Web sites:

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs – www.gibill.va.gov

The California Department of Veterans Affairs – www.cdva.ca.gov/cdva

The SDSU Office of Veterans Affairs (located in the Office of the Registrar, Student Services West, Room 1641) – http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/registrar/veterans.html