If you are using Ch 33 Post-9/11 or Ch 31 VR&E benefits and have a tuition-specific scholarship/waiver or tuition assistance, then there will be impacts to what is reported to the VA. UH Mānoa will report the net tuition cost after tuition-specific funding is taken into account. This policy is in accordance with a VA regulation where the VA deems themselves as the last payer for tuition and fees.

To avoid overpayments, report tuition-specific funds you are receiving on your Enrollment Certification Request Form (ECRF).

If you have a balance on your account, then you may continue to receive email notifications from the Cashier’s Office until full payment is received.

Balance Due Hold (F1 Hold)
“Balance Due” means that you have a balance of less than $200. This hold will not prevent registration in STAR. If this hold is preventing you from ordering a transcript, please email uhmva@hawaii.edu for assistance.

Balance Due Restrictions Apply (F2 Hold)
“Balance Due Restrictions Apply” means that you have a balance that is greater than $200. This hold will prevent registration in STAR.

If you are receiving Ch 33 Post-9/11 or Ch 31 VR&E benefits and your classes have been certified to the VA, the Cashier’s Office Third Party Billing will generate a memo to indicate the expected payment from the VA for the term. This memo will serve as a placeholder until the payment is received and reflected in STAR. If the memo expected matches your account balance, then there are no further steps you need to take as we wait for payment. You will not be dis-enrolled from classes.

In the event that the VA’s expected payment does not pay for all of your account balance (e.g., you are less than 100% eligible for benefits) then you are required to pay your contribution by the payment deadline or set up a payment plan.

If you are receiving Ch 30, 35, or 1606 benefits, then you will need to pay your account balance by the payment deadline or set up a payment plan. Since these chapter benefits have the monthly payments sent directly to you, it is your responsibility to pay for the balance on your account.

A VA overpayment occurs when you receive more VA benefits and/or payments than you are entitled to. Overpaid funds must be paid back to the VA or to UH Mānoa.

Common reasons for overpayments:

• Changes to your credit load (e.g., from full-time to ¾ time)
• Changes to your class schedule
• You never attended or stopped attending
• You drop or withdraw from a class that results in a reduction in tuition and/or fees
• Receiving a grade of No Credit (NC) or a Withdrawal (W)
• You earn zero credits (no credits earned) in a given semester
• You receive tuition-based funds after certification resulting in a reduction to tuition and fees (Ch 33 Post-9/11 and Ch 31 VR&E ONLY)

If you receive a debt letter from the VA, review your debt letter for accuracy.

• If you believe that a debt was established due to a certification error, email us at uhmva@hawaii.edu
• If your debt was not due to certification error and you have questions about the debt management process, contact the VA’s Debt Management Center (DMC) or submit an inquiry online via Ask VA: Manage Your VA Debt For Benefit Overpayments And Copay Bills

Tuition/fees debt
If you received a tuition debt letter from the VA, a School Certifying Official will review the debt letter and your student account to determine if you have been overpaid in tuition/fees. If an overpayment has taken place, the Cashier’s Office will assist with returning the overpayment back to the VA on your behalf.

If the Cashier’s Office determines that a credit is not available on your account due to UH Mānoa’s refund policies, then you will be responsible for repaying the VA per the letter’s instructions.

Non-Tuition/fees debt
If you receive a non-tuition debt for monthly stipends, housing or books, you will be responsible for repaying the VA per the letter’s instructions since these payments are sent directly to you.

In the event that your VA education benefits change, such as an increase or decrease in percentage for Post-9/11 benefits, you become eligible for a new education benefit, or you separate from active duty, you will need to provide us with new documentation of benefits.

Email us at uhmva@hawaii.edu to report any changes to your benefits.

Section 1010 of Isakson and Roe (PL 116-315) requires VA School Certifying Officials to submit a second certification to verify Ch 33 Post-9/11 student enrollment within 30 days after the add/drop period.

What does this mean for you? You will receive a confirmation email from the VA of an “Amendment.”

• If you’ve made changes to your classes, an amendment will be made to your certification, reporting the changes made to your original certification
• If you’ve not made any changes to your classes, an amendment will be made to your certification, verifying there are no changes being made to your original certification

We highly encourage you to meet with your academic advisor prior to registering for classes. Remind your advisor that you are using VA education benefits.

Undergraduate students
Your School/College advisor can provide VA advising, help you select VA certifiable classes, and ensure that STAR is up-to-date including adding exceptions for classes. 

• Find Your Academic Advisor

A Departmental Minor/Certificate advisor can assist you with pursuing a VA approved minor or certificate that is offered by their Department.

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Graduate students
Work directly with your department’s Graduate Advisor or the Director for your program. Remind them that the VA will only allow for the certification of classes that count as degree requirements. Review the following:

• Your plan of education must be aligned with the program’s requirements in the UH Mānoa Catalog for the academic year of your acceptance
• At the discretion of the Graduate Division, credits for certain types of classes may not be used to meet graduate degree requirements: Course Applicability
• Each semester, as required by the VA, your advisor will approve required classes and report (1) the total credits required for your program, (2) your earned credits, and (3) the remaining credits required for you to complete the program on the Graduate Enrollment Certification Request Form

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Post-Baccalaureate Unclassified students
Visit How do I request certification as a Post-Baccalaureate Unclassified (PBU) student?

As a PBU student, you can use VA education benefits for up to two semesters assuming you have a pending admission application with UH Mānoa. You can be certified beyond the two-semester limit only if you are formally admitted to a UH Mānoa program as a classified degree seeking student.

The only classes that can be certified are those required for admission to your intended degree program, and those required if admitted to the program.

There is no advising office for PBU students. You should instead meet with the department offering the program to talk about their degree requirements. If you are pursuing a Master’s degree, contact a Graduate Advisor or the Director of your program. If you are pursuing a 2nd Bachelor’s degree, contact the School/College advising office of your intended degree program: The Advising Guide.

Let the advisor or director know that you are using VA education benefits and will need their confirmation of your enrollment in pre-admission classes and/or degree requirements on the Graduate Student Enrollment Certification Request Form.

What step do I take once I’m formally admitted to a program?
Resubmit the Student Responsibilities Form to report the change to us.

What if I am pursuing a degree at another university?
You must contact a VA School Certifying Official (SCO) at that university. The SCO must send us a “primary school letter” via email to uhmva@hawaii.edu. UH Mānoa will certify your classes as “guest student” enrollment. Certification as “guest student” lets the VA know that the classes you are enrolled in at UH Mānoa apply to a degree program at another university.

If you are enrolled at both your primary school and a secondary school(s), the VA will pay for all certifiable credits, taking overlapping enrollment dates into account in calculating your training time.

UH Mānoa will send a “primary school letter” addressed to the School Certifying Official (SCO) at the secondary school. This letter allows the secondary school to certify classes that will count towards your UH Mānoa degree.

When your classes are certified, you will receive separate confirmation emails from each campus.

If you are taking classes at another UH system school, no action is required on your part.

If you are taking classes at a school outside of the UH system:

• The secondary school must be approved for VA education benefits
• Submit a Concurrent Enrollment Certification Request Form

If you have added or dropped a course used for certification, resubmit the Enrollment Certification Request Form (ECRF) to edit the numbers of credits you are requesting to be certified.

Please be aware of the University’s registration and tuition refund deadlines (100%, 50%, no refund) on the Academic Calendar, as they can impact your VA benefits.

If adding a class results in an increase in your training time (eg., full-time, ¾-time) and tuition and fees, then the VA will send separate payments to pay the new amount.

If dropping a class results in a decrease in your training time (eg., ¾-time, ½-time) and tuition and fees, the VA will issue a debt letter(s) in accordance with the debt management process.

The first time you drop or withdraw from a class resulting in an overpayment debt, the VA may automatically grant you a “six credit hour exclusion“.

If you withdraw from a class or withdraw altogether, the VA may retroactively stop payments as if you never attended – unless you are able to provide reasonable explanation – usually something that happened beyond your control – that caused you to withdraw from one or more classes (also known as mitigating circumstances).

If mitigating circumstances are provided to the VA, then benefits may be paid until the last day of your attendance. If you’ve already received payments from the VA, you may only be responsible for paying back a prorated amount of money effective from the last day of your attendance in class(es) through the end of the semester, rather than paying back all the benefits the VA paid for the withdrawn class(es).

The first time you drop or withdraw from classes resulting in an overpayment, the VA does not need mitigating circumstances. Instead, the VA has a “six credit hour exclusion“.

The VA realizes that sometimes you need to drop a class and for this reason they may automatically grant you a six credit hour exclusion. This is a one-time use exclusion; once it is used, it doesn’t reset for the next semester, year, etc.

This exclusion allows you to drop up to 6 credits and still keep the benefits you received up to the day you stopped attending classes.

• If you withdraw from 3 credits, the exclusion will be granted for 3 credits and the one-time exclusion is used
• If you withdraw from 12 credits, the exclusion will be granted for 6 credits, the one-time exclusion is used, and you must provide mitigating circumstances for the other 6 credits

Contact the VA’s Education Call Center to find out whether or not the 6-credit exclusion has already been applied to your benefits.

The VA will not pay for a class that you have already successfully completed with a minimum passing grade. This rule also applies to classes that you receive transfer credit for from another institution.

If you did not complete a class with a minimum passing grade, the VA allows you to repeat the class. For example, if your program requires a “C” or better in a class, then the class may be repeated if you did not earn a “C” or better.

CH 31 VR&E: In order to repeat a class, you must obtain approval from your VR&E Counselor (VRC) even if you did not meet the minimum grade requirement. Your VRC must indicate their approval for the repeated class on your semester authorization.

Multiple majors/degrees are approved for VA education benefits. Your major(s)/degree program(s) must be declared and reflected in STAR before class requirements can be certified.

Concurrent or dual Graduate degrees may be approved for VA benefits if approved by the appropriate UH Mānoa Departments or Schools and by the Graduate Division.

The VA allows you to change your major or degree program. We highly encourage you to consult with an academic advisor; the change can make the difference between VA education benefits covering all of your degree and you needing to pay a portion out-of-pocket.

Submit a change of major request by the deadline found on the Academic Calendar. We will only certify classes that count towards your current major or degree program.

The VA will pay for minor requirements as part of an approved major. You may request certification for a set of classes that are required to complete a minor (typically 15 upper division credits) while pursuing the degree requirements for your major. Prerequisite classes for a minor cannot be certified.

Your minor(s) must be declared and reflected in STAR before class requirements can be certified.

To obtain approval, contact your College/School academic advisor for instructions for the verification of an academic minor.

Undergraduate, Post-Baccalaureate, and Graduate Certificates may be approved for VA education benefits. You may request certification for a set of classes that are required to complete a certificate (typically 15 credits). Prerequisite classes for a certificate cannot be certified.

Visit WEAMS for information about the certificate program’s eligibility for VA benefits. Approved UH Mānoa certificate programs are listed under the “Institution of Higher Learning” or “Non College Degree” program types. Most importantly, if your certificate is not listed, VA benefits will not cover the costs of your certificate program.

You must be a classified undergraduate student to add an Undergraduate certificate to your plan of study. To obtain approval, contact your College/School academic advisor for instructions for the verification of a certificate. The certificate must be declared and class requirements should be added to STAR advisor notes before certificate classes can be certified.

BAM programs may be approved for VA education benefits.

Your BAM program/pathway must be declared and reflected in STAR before class requirements can be certified.

UH Mānoa is committed to providing opportunities for students to experience and immerse themselves in education abroad. If you are receiving VA benefits, you may be able to use those benefits to support your study abroad.

Students can participate in Study Abroad in three ways:

1. UH Mānoa Study Abroad Center (UHMSAC): UH Mānoa will certify students who participate in UHMSAC programs. Visit their website for a list of all study abroad opportunities, including Semester/Year and Summer Programs. Individual Faculty-Sponsored Study Tours (FaSST) can only be certified if a UH Mānoa instructor accompanies and teaches students abroad.
    
   Requirements:
   • You must be enrolled at UH Mānoa.
   • Tuition and fees must be billed through UH Mānoa.
   • Classes completed at the overseas university must be required for and count towards your declared degree program at UH Mānoa.
2. UH Mānoa faculty-led enrollment: These arrangements usually involve cultural immersion led by a UH Mānoa instructor. Typically, students spend time at the UH Mānoa campus before traveling internationally to continue their class with their instructor and classmates.
    
   Requirements:
   • You must enrolled at UH Mānoa.
   • Tuition and fees must be billed through UH Mānoa.
   • The class must be required for and count towards your declared degree program at UH Mānoa.
3. Direct enrollment in an overseas university approved for GI Bill funding: You may directly enroll in an overseas university that is approved for the GI Bill. Contact the overseas university’s School Certifying Official (SCO) to determine if your program/classes can be approved for GI Bill benefits. Please note that UH Mānoa can offer only limited support in navigating the certifying process at your overseas university, and we cannot guarantee that approved schools will have a designated SCO to facilitate this process.
    
   • Students must directly enroll in the overseas university.
   • Tuition and fees must be billed through the overseas university.
   • UH Mānoa sends a primary school letter to the SCO at the overseas university. The SCO will then certify your enrollment as a VA guest student.

How the VA covers UH Mānoa study abroad charges:

• The VA will cover the standard in-state tuition rate at UH Mānoa for the credits that apply to your degree program.
• When taking classes at an overseas university, monthly housing allowance (MHA) is equivalent to the national average for MHA. The VA’s eligibility rules for MHA also apply.
• The general study abroad fee can only be covered by the VA if your degree program has a mandatory overseas requirement and there are no other options available to fulfill that requirement.
• The VA will not pay for any other costs associated with studying abroad (e.g., airfare, transportation, room and board, health insurance, meals, activities).

To request certification, complete the Concurrent Enrollment Certification Request Form. Your classes must be confirmed by an academic advisor at your college/school’s advising office. You must also upload a cost budget sheet from the Study Abroad Center to your form.

Overseas Exchange programs (e.g., Mānoa International Exchange, International Academic Programs) in which a student enrolls in a placeholder class at their home institution and the home institution arranges an exchange between students from another overseas university are not payable by VA education benefits.

National Student Exchange (NSE) is payable by VA education benefits. The home university and host university must both be approved for GI Bill benefits.

If you are an Outgoing UH Mānoa student, complete the Concurrent Enrollment Certification Request Form. You must enroll in classes at the host university that count towards your “declared” UH Mānoa degree program. UH Mānoa will send a parent school letter addressed to the School Certifying Official (SCO) at the host university. This letter allows the host university to certify classes that will count towards your UH Mānoa degree.

If you are an Incoming Exchange student, the SCO at your home institution must email a “primary school letter” to uhmva@hawaii.edu. This letter allows us to certify the UH Mānoa courses that you are enrolled in.