It is important for students utilizing VA educational benefits to understand what costs will be covered by the VA and what costs the students will be responsible for paying.
The below information is based on Catholic University's understanding of current VA regulations and what we have found the VA to cover in the past. Please note that how much the VA contributes to each student is up to the VA alone, and Catholic University has no ability to fully predict this information.
Chapter 33 Students and Yellow Ribbon
The final contribution amount from the VA will depend on a student's eligibility percentage. The below are considered required cost of attendance and if they are included in the student's statement, then they will be reported to the VA. If there are funds available in the students yearly max, the VA will cover these fees.
- Technology Fee & Instructional Technology Fee
- New Student Required Fee
- Student Activity Fee
- Graduate Student Association Fee
- Law Student Fee
- University Services Fee
- Tuition
- Language Instruction Fee
- Library Access Fee
- Fees from particular programs such as: Nursing Undergraduate curriculum fee, Master of Science in Business Analysis fee, Art department course fee, dance class fee, language instructional fee, malpractice insurance fees, music instruction fees, dissertation processing fee
Charges NOT covered by the VA and not reported as cost of attendance:
- Housing charges
- Meal Charges
- Tutoring charges
- Student Health Services charges
- Tuition Refund Insurance charges
- Parking charges
- Application fees
- Late Registration Fees
- Interest and Late fee charges
- The majority of study abroad program fees.
Scholarships and Other Aid (Chapter 33 and Yellow Ribbon)
It is important for students to understand how scholarships are reported to the VA and how they affect VA payments.
When reporting a student's cost of attendance to the VA, Catholic University is required to "report the tuition and fees charges to the student after deducting any amounts paid with Federal Funds (excluding federal financial aid funds, Title IV) such as reserve officer training corps (ROTC), military spouse career advancement accounts (MyCAA), health professionals scholarship program (HPSP) and Government Employees' training Act (GETA)."
When reporting a student's cost of attendance to the VA, Catholic University is required to report "the lesser of the actual net cost for tuition and fees after the application of any waiver, scholarship, aid, or assistance (other than Land funds) provided directly to the institution and specifically designated for the sole purpose of defraying tuition and fees."
If a student account shows aid — such as internal Catholic University scholarships, outside scholarships paid directly to the institution, waivers, or discounts — then Catholic University will subtract this total aid amount from the total eligible cost of attendance, and report this lesser amount to the VA for reimbursement of the student's cost of attendance.
Catholic University does not report loans and other Title IV funding to the VA, so it is not deducted from your total cost of attendance.
Yellow Ribbon Scholarships and Aid
Students participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program are not eligible for any other institutional scholarship(s), grant(s), tuition waiver(s) or endowment(s).
When reporting a Yellow Ribbon student's cost of attendance to the VA, Catholic University is required to report the lesser of the actual net cost of tuition and fees after the application of any private scholarships paid directly to the university and any Federal Funds.
Students can also refer to the quick guide on how scholarships affect VA payments.