The application for VA benefits and other educational benefits is available online. After the VA has processed your request, you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by mail indicating the chapter benefit you are eligible for, the percentage, and the length of time you have to use it. All new students at Broward College will be required to provide a COE prior to requesting certification of enrollment. Students who used their GI Bill^® at another institution or provided it in the past can provide proof of eligibility by taking a screenshot of the remaining entitlement through your eBenefits portal.

The VA has instituted an Enrollment Verification process where Veterans using Post 9/11 (Chapter 33) MUST verify their enrollment each month before they will receive their BAH payment. The VA will send you a text each month asking if you are still enrolled in your classes prior to your BAH payment being processed.

If you have not already opted into receiving text messages or if you are not sure your current phone number is on file with the VA, you will need to contact them as soon as possible. Call 888-442-4551 and choose the option to speak with someone and they can confirm your information.

If you change your phone number, contact the VA right away to update your information.

We begin processing certifications 60 days before the semester begins. As a Veteran or Veteran dependent, you are eligible for Veterans' Preference (early registration) so you can choose your classes before we are able to certify your enrollment.

**NEW Policy from the VA**
Beginning with the Fall 2022 semester, the VA instituted a new policy, which allows benefit recipients to choose which classes they wish to have certified. With that change, VA beneficiaries now have a requirement to specify the course numbers for all classes they wish to have certified. You can now choose to only have a portion of your classes certified to save some of your benefits for a later date. You must manually enter all course numbers you wish to have certified on the Certification Request form.

Summer 2023

• Veteran Benefit Certification
• Veteran Benefits Aviation Certification
• Veteran Benefits Certification Schedule Change

**If you are enrolled in an ATF course (with the exception of ATF1100) use the Aviation form**

Certification requests must be submitted 14 business days prior to start of each semester.

Starting with the Summer 2022 certification request form, you will be required to upload a copy of your current Certificate of Eligibility with your certification request each semester. Each time you are certified, the VA sends an updated letter with your remaining entitlement. Veterans receiving Chapter 31 (VR&E) benefits are exempt from this change.

Please be advised that your courses must be required for your program of study. It is strongly advised you speak with an Academic Advisor to ensure any courses you are registered for are applicable to avoid delays in your enrollment certification being processed

Anyone using VA benefits must complete an electronic certification request form for VA Benefits to be processed at Broward College. This certification request process allows Veterans to upload all necessary documents, from anywhere using the Broward College website. The certification request must be completed each term for benefits to be certified with the VA.

The certification request form can only be submitted once per term. If there is a change in your enrollment status after your certification request has been submitted, please email veterans@broward.edu. Please include your name and student ID in all emails.

Please review the charts below as a guide to help you maximize your BAH each semester. You must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits during the Fall and Spring terms, and 9 credits during the Summer term to be eligible for full-time enrollment. This applies to VA benefits only. If you are eligible for the Pell Grant, you would still need to be enrolled in 12 credits to be considered for full-time Pell.

The remote learning exception expired on June 1, 2022. All Zoom classes will now be certified as online. If there are no other classes on your schedule that meet the resident class criteria, you will be certified as online only and receive BAH at an online-only rate.

One class must be on campus from the beginning to the end of the semester to receive BAH at the standard rate. Taking all online courses (including Zoom classes) will result in BAH paid at the online-only rate, which is $817 per month for full-time enrollment.

One class must be on campus from the beginning to the end of the semester to receive BAH at the standard rate. Taking all online courses (including Zoom classes) will result in BAH paid at the online-only rate, which is $817 per month for full-time enrollment.

Out-of-State Tuition Waiver for Veterans and Dependents

Effective July 1, 2014, and applicable Fall Term 2014 and thereafter, Florida Statute (FS 1009.26(13)) waives the out-of-state tuition fees for all honorably discharged veterans who reside in the state and who are enrolled in Florida public, post-secondary institutions, through the “Congressman C.W. Bill Young Tuition Waiver Program.” The out-of-state tuition and fee waiver is extended to spouses and dependent children who reside in Florida and who are using GI Bill® benefits for enrollment in Florida public, postsecondary institutions.

If you do not qualify for Florida residency, you may be eligible for an out-of-state tuition waiver for Veterans and Dependents. If you are the veteran, you must provide a copy of your DD214 (Member 4); if you are the dependent (spouse or child), you must provide your Certificate of Eligibility. Both Veterans and Dependents are required to provide proof of physical presence in the state of Florida. This may include but is not limited to a copy of a Florida driver's license, a Florida identification card, or a copy of a lease. Please note the documents do not have a required minimum issue date.

*All documents must be completed and submitted by the student's payment due date each semester for which they are enrolled.

Out-of-State Tuition Waiver for Veterans & Dependents

Effective July 1, 2014, and applicable Fall Term 2014 and thereafter, Florida Statute (FS 1009.26(13)) waives the out-of-state tuition fees for all honorably discharged veterans who reside in the state and who are enrolled in Florida public, post-secondary institutions, through the “Congressman C.W. Bill Young Tuition Waiver Program.” The out-of-state tuition and fee waiver is extended to spouses and dependent children who reside in Florida and who are using GI Bill® benefits for enrollment in Florida public, postsecondary institutions.

If you do not qualify for Florida residency, you may be eligible for an out-of-state tuition waiver for Veterans and Dependents. If you are the veteran, you must provide a copy of your DD214 (Member 4) or if you are the dependent (spouse or child) you must provide your Certificate of Eligibility. Both Veterans and Dependents are required to provide proof of physical presence in the state of Florida. This may include but is not limited to a copy of a Florida driver's license, a Florida identification card, or a copy of a lease. Please note the documents do not have a required minimum issue date.

*All documents must be dated before the semester start date.
This Out-of-State Tuition Waiver for Veterans and Dependents must be submitted each semester by the student.

Purple Heart Waivers 

Provides tuition and fee waivers for Florida military veterans who have received a purple hear or combat decoration that is "superior in precedence."  

• "Superior in precedence" medals include:
  • Purple Heart
  • Bronze Start (must be "V" designation or device)
  • Distinguished Flying Cross
  • Legion of Merit (must be "V" designation or device)
  • Silver Star
  • Air Force Cross
  • Distinguished Service Cross
  • Medal Honor

• To be eligible for the waiver, you must submit all documents to Admissions proving you received the Purple Heart and are a Florida Resident.  

Each benefit provides different funding based on enrollment status and is updated each year by the VA.

• Post 9/11 GI Bill^® (Chapter 33)
• Montgomery GI Bill^®(Chapter 30)
• Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606)
• Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP/Chapter 1607)
• Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 35)

It is important to pay attention to the sessions you are enrolled in since it will affect your monthly payments from the VA. For example, if you are enrolled in 6 credits for Session 1 and 6 credits for Session 4, your monthly housing allowance will not be at the full-time rate until Session 4 courses begin.

The VA requires we report when a veteran withdraws from a course, graduates from a program, or fails to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress. Any of these changes can impact the payments made to you by the VA and may result in an overpayment of benefits. If you receive an overpayment notification from the VA, it is your responsibility to pay the debt owed to them directly.

Did you know you may be eligible to receive financial aid in addition to your VA benefits? All veterans are encouraged to utilize both VA benefits and financial aid while attending school. For more information please review the application process on the financial aid webpage.

Post-9/11 GI Bill^® students who receive Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) payments are required to verify their enrollment to continue receiving their payments.

Students who receive Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) payments will have their payments withheld if they fail to verify or report that they are no longer enrolled in their courses or training. To streamline the process, the VA is providing the option to verify enrollment easily and securely via text message.

How do I verify enrollment?

You can verify enrollment using the following methods:

• Opt-in: Students with a U.S. mobile phone number can use text messages as a simple, quick option for verifying monthly enrollment. As your enrollment approaches, you will receive the following opt-in text: "Post-9/11 GI Bill housing payments now require monthly enrollment verification. Would you like to submit yours via text? Please reply YES or NO." Reply "YES" to opt-in. The text message link will expire 14 days after receipt, so please respond within that time frame.
• Verify: After opting in, you can verify your enrollment every month simply by responding to the following text message from VA: "Did you remain enrolled in your courses in MON YYYY as certified? Please reply YES or NO. If you have dropped all your courses, you must reply NO." Reply "YES" to verify enrollment for the previous month.

If you are unable to verify via text, you will need to contact the ECC at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) and ask a representative to verify your enrollment. Read more information regarding enrollment verification.