GI Bill® Benefits at UT Austin
UT Austin offers GI Bill® Education Benefits to students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, and professional-level degrees (e.g., Bachelors, Masters, Doctoral, and/or Law degrees).
If you are considering using your benefits and have general questions about your veteran education benefits, contact us for assistance. Our Veterans’ and Dependents’ Education Benefits booklet provides more information about VA benefits at the University.
Applying for GI Bill® Benefits
You must first be admitted to UT and pursuing a VA State Approving Agency (SAA) approved degree-seeking program before being certified for GI education benefits.
All students:
Verify that your program is listed as one of the programs approved by the VA SAA at UT.
Register for classes. Only courses that apply toward your degree program can be certified for VA benefits.
Complete and submit the GI Bill® Questionnaire.
Upload all necessary supporting documents using GI Bill® Document Uploads.
Graduate Students:
*Upload your Degree Plan/Curriculum Checklist. This should be obtained from your graduate advisor or program coordinator. See our Education Benefits Booklet for more information.
*Upload your Semester Specific Letter. This should be obtained from your graduate advisor or program coordinator. See our Education Benefits Booklet for more information.
*Steps 5 and 6 are not required if you are an MBA, MSTC, or Law School student.
Taking courses this summer? Refer to our Summer 2024 Status Comparison document for details on enrollment and MHA/BAH.
Note: Once each term begins, students using Chapter 33, Chapter 30, and Chapter 1606 are required to verify their attendance with the VA.
Veteran Certification, in the Office of the Registrar, will start certifying enrollment with the VA after online tuition bills are distributed. After that, it may take up to 15 business days to submit your certification to the VA. If you are not registered for your classes when you submit your questionnaire, the 15-day period will begin after you are registered.
It may take the VA several weeks to process the certification once submitted. If you have applied in a timely manner and we have certified your benefits, the VA will typically pay the Post-9/11 tuition benefits a couple of weeks prior to the beginning of the semester. The VA will pay housing benefits or monthly stipends in arrears following the end of the month.
GI Bill® Benefits and Your Tuition Bill
You are responsible for paying your tuition bill and confirming your registration is complete by the tuition deadline shown on My Tuition Bill. Even if your bill shows a zero balance ($0) you have to follow the prompts on My Tuition Bill to complete your registration. Your tuition bill must say “Your registration is complete and your courses are secured.” If you do not take this step, your courses will be cancelled and you will have to register again. The VA will not pay any late registration fees.
If you are using the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, the university can “cover” your tuition at your eligibility rate.
- Completed the steps in Applying for GI Bill® Benefits.
- If you are using education benefits for the first time you need to submit a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility. Otherwise, upload a recent copy of your award letter from the VA or a printout from VA.gov or eBenefits website (including entitlement and complete enrollment history).
- We will notify the Student Accounts Receivable (SAR) office to post coverage to your tuition.
- Review My Tuition Bill to verify your coverage has been posted, otherwise pay your tuition. If you have a zero balance ($0) click the “Confirm Attendance” button; otherwise follow the prompts. Options for paying any remaining balance will be available on My Tuition Bill. Your tuition bill must say “Your registration is complete and your courses are secured.”
If you are using Veteran Readiness and Employment (Ch. 31) benefits and have questions about your tuition coverage, please contact Veteran Certification at gibill@austin.utexas.edu or 512-475-7540.
If you are receiving GI Bill® under any chapter, you may be eligible to have the nonresident portion of your tuition waived. Contact the residency office to request a waiver for the nonresident tuition amount. If you are using the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, the waiver must be posted to your tuition bill before we can certify you for education benefits.
You may be eligible for deferment of your tuition and fees if your veteran education benefits are delayed due to state or federal delays. For more information about deferment visit the Tuition and Fees Deferment webpage.
Contact Special Billing if you have questions about your tuition bill.
Using GI Bill® and Hazlewood Benefits
If you are using VA Education Benefits and the Hazlewood Exemption concurrently (“stacking” benefits), you must complete the GI Bill® Questionnaire and Hazlewood Application by the Hazlewood deadline.
Proof of eligibility or ineligibility for tuition-paying GI Bill® benefits will be required to process Hazlewood Exemption benefits. Tuition-paying GI Bill® benefits are Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) for veterans or dependents, and Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, Chapter 31) for veterans.
- Veterans applying to use their own Hazlewood Exemption must submit proof if their DD Form 214/DD-214 separation date is September 11, 2001, or later.
- Spouses and Children applying for the Hazlewood Exemption must submit proof if the veteran’s DD Form 214/DD-214 separation date is August 1, 2009, or later.
If you have not received a letter of exhaustion or denial for tuition-paying GI Bill® benefits, you must apply at VA.gov to receive that letter. If you receive another type of GI Bill® benefit (MGIB Chapter 30, DEA Chapter 35, or MGIB-SR Chapter 1606), you may need to apply again for the denial letter.
When using both GI Bill® benefits and Hazlewood, you are required to use your tuition-paying GI Bill® benefits first. Any remaining tuition balance eligible for the Hazlewood Exemption will be applied toward your tuition bill, after your tuition-paying GI Bill® benefit is applied.
Concurrent Enrollment – Parent Institution Form
A student receiving VA Education Benefits at UT Austin may take courses at another school that apply toward their degree. In order to approve benefits for enrollment at a “secondary” school, the VA must receive confirmation from the “parent/primary” school that a student is entitled to receive full credit in their approved degree program for the course(s) they plan to take. You will earn your degree from UT Austin, your “parent/primary” school. All other schools are “secondary” schools.
Students receiving VA Education Benefits UT Austin (the “primary” school) must:
- Follow the directions on UT’s Parent Institution form to complete STEP 1 – TO BE COMPLETED BY STUDENT
- Upload the form using GI Bill® Document Uploads.
Once your form has been reviewed and approved by a UT Austin School Certifying Official (SCO) we will contact you so you can pick up your Parent Institution Form from Veteran Certification at the Texas One Stop.
Students requesting a Parent Institution Form must have every intention of returning to UT Austin after they complete their course(s) at the “secondary” school.
Yellow Ribbon Program
UT Austin is participating in the Yellow Ribbon program for the 2022-2023 academic year. It is awarded to undergraduate students on a first-come, first-serve basis. Visit the Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon website for more information.
Additional Information
The President signed into law the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act also known as the “Forever GI Bill®,” which brings significant changes to Veterans education benefits. Read the summaries on the VA website to find out how those changes may affect you.
Contact us
Veteran Certification, Main Building (MAI) Room 1
gibill@austin.utexas.edu, Phone 512-475-7540
The University of Texas at Austin
Office of the Registrar, Veteran Certification
PO Box 302666, Austin TX 78703