VA Education Benefits

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers a variety of education benefits to help veterans, services members, and their qualified family members cover some of the costs of higher education. Benefits will vary depending on your eligibility but can include tuition and fee payments, monthly housing allowance, and money for books and supplies.

The most commonly utilized VA Education Benefits at TUSM are:

• Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31 or VR&E) - Overview
• Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) - Overview
• Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35 or DEA) - Overview

Eligibility for education benefits is determined solely by the VA, and eligibility will vary depending on the type of benefit. Detailed eligibility information can be found on the following pages: 

• Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31 or VR&E) - Eligibility
• Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) - Eligibility
• Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35 or DEA) - Eligibility

Applications for education benefits are managed solely by the VA, and the application process will vary depending on the type of benefit. Application information can be found on the following pages: 

• Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31 or VR&E) - Application
• Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) - Application
• Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35 or DEA) - Application

Tufts University School of Medicine is not a participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

If the VA determines that you qualify for education benefits, they will send you a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE). You must then send a copy of the CoE to your program’s SCO. They will update your student record accordingly and add you to TUSM’s enrollment certifications to the VA.

Approximately one month prior to the start of each semester, your SCO will certify your enrollment through the VA’s Enrollment Manager system. Each certification will indicate your current program (with location), semester start and end dates, total number of residential credits, total number of online credits, academic load (full-time vs. half-time), and total amount of tuition and fees.

Residential credits versus online credits are determined based on the modality of each registered course, regardless of the modality of your program:

• In-person courses are reported as residential credits.
• Hybrid courses are reported as residential credits.
• Online courses are reported as online credits.

Academic load is determined by the total number of credits you are registered for in a given semester:

• 0.5 – 4.0 credits = Less than Half Time
• 4.5 – 7.0 credits = Half Time
• 7.5 – 8.5 credits = Three Quarter Time
• 9.0 credits or more = Full Time

In accordance with VA regulations, the total amount of tuition and fees is calculated as follows: 

(Tuition + Mandatory Fees) – (Discounts + Grants + Scholarships)

For example, tuition of $17,172, fees of $343, and scholarship of $1,500 would be reported to the VA as $16,015. 

Current mandatory fees vary by program and by semester but may include:

• Disability Insurance
• Health Administration Fee
• Health & Wellness Fee
• Student Activity Fee
• Technology Fee

Distribution of payments will vary by benefit:

• Tuition and fee payments for Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 benefits are paid directly to TUSM and will be applied to your student account by the Health Sciences Bursar’s Office.
  • It currently takes an average of 3-4 weeks between the VA receiving enrollment certification from your SCO and the Bursar’s Office receiving and applying benefits to your account.
• Chapter 35 benefits, monthly housing allowances, and money for books and supplies are paid directly to the student.
  • These benefits may require you to verify your enrollment directly to the VA (separate from the enrollment certification submitted by TUSM). Please contact the VA directly to confirm your obligations under these benefits. 

Payments will also be impacted by each benefit’s approved rates for each academic year. Benefit rate information can be found on the following pages:

• Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31 or VR&E) - Rates
• Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) - Rates
• Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35 or DEA) - Rates
• Monthly Housing Allowance - Basic Allowance for Housing Rate Lookup

Due to the maximum amount of tuition and fees the VA will pay to private institutions of higher learning, many TUSM students will not be able to fully pay their tuition solely through VA education benefits. As such, we encourage all students to contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss their funding needs and options. 

The monthly housing allowance is based on a number of factors, including the Department of Defense’s Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates, the percentage of benefits you are eligible for, how much school you are attending (rate of pursuit/academic load), and the location where you physically attend most of your classes.

TUSM’s physical location does vary, particularly across our Doctor of Physical Therapy programs, and the following ZIP codes are used when submitting enrollment certifications to the VA:

• DPT Boston – 02155
• DPT Phoenix – 85004
• DPT Seattle – 98104
• GSBS, MBS, MD, MPH (on campus), PA – 02111
• MPH (online) – N/A*

*For students registered exclusively in online courses in a given semester, your monthly housing allowance will be based on half the national average for MHA. 

In the event a student needs to repeat coursework, an enrollment certification can still be submitted to the VA. However, eligibility for benefits for repeated coursework will depend on a number of factors, including the amount of benefits already paid and the academic load for the semester you are repeating coursework. Please contact both your SCO and the VA to discuss these details. 

TUSM is required to promptly report any change in enrollment status (including LOAs and program withdrawals) to the VA. Upon notice, the VA will recalculate your education benefits for the semester and may require the full return of all benefits paid. If a tuition debt is incurred, students will be financially responsible for the outstanding balance owed to the school.