Veterans Benefits FAQ

Visit the VA's education and training website. On that page is a link on how to apply. Eligibility for your VA Education and Training Benefit is determined by the VA.

Each academic year an updated VA Benefits Request form is required to let us know you would like to use your VA education and training benefits. If this form is not completed, you would not be certified for the upcoming year until you let us know otherwise. 

For the most up to date list of all approved programs by the VA visit the WEAMS (Web Enable Approval Management System) search tool. Click on the Programs tab, then Institution of Higher Learning. It's important to note that if your program is not listed, VA benefits can't be used. 

Visit the VA eBenefits page and follow the login instructions. 

MHA payments begin the first month following the start of classes. Cornell begins certifying courses and credits prior to the start of each semester. Please review what chapter you’re eligible for to determine MHA eligibility.

MHA is calculated based on class location and delivery option (in person or online). Only students enrolled in enough credit hours to be considered greater than half time by the VA are eligible for MHA. For the specific amount you are entitled to, you will need to contact the VA directly (1-888-442-4551). If your program is EMBA, please see additional FAQ’s below. 

Any classes that don't have a course start date and end date that align with the beginning and end of the standard Fall and Spring terms are considered nonstandard terms. This may include the summer and many graduate programs. The VA pays education benefits for non-standard enrollment periods based on credit equivalents for each day of enrollment. Cornell reports the actual number of credits and the VA makes the conversion. When enrollment periods overlap, credit hour equivalents for the period of overlap are combined. For non-standard terms, the equivalent credit hours will be determined before computing the rate of pursuit. For determining the monthly housing allowance, the rate of pursuit will be rounded to the nearest 10%.

For housing payments, the VA calculates your rate of pursuit (quarter time, half time, full time) based on how many credits you are enrolled in on each day of the semester. For students enrolled in the Executive MBA Americas Program, any classes based in New York State are eligible for the full BAH for the specific course locations while any boardroom classes based outside of New York State are eligible for 50% of the national BAH average. For all other students, any classes based in New York State are eligible for the full BAH for the specific course locations. Any classes based outside of New York State are not eligible to be certified to the VA.

For the most recent information, visit https://www.va.gov/education/yellow-ribbon-participating-schools/ and search for Cornell University. This site is updated in June as Yellow Ribbon agreements are reviewed annually. 

If you are receiving Chapter 33 benefits, the VA will pay required tuition and fees, books, and MHA. In order for VA to pay any additional fees specific to the Study Abroad program, the Study Abroad option must be required for graduation. The VA will not pay for travel related costs (such as hotel, airfare and meals) and third party charges. For all other chapter benefits, benefits are paid on a monthly basis directly to you.

Fees are mandatory charges (other than tuition, room, and board) applied by the school for pursuit of an approved program of education. Current Cornell fees covered by the VA are any required course/program fees and the student health plan fee. Fees do not include study abroad fees unless the study abroad experience is a mandatory requirement for completion of the approved program of education. 

Students in one of Cornell's Contract Colleges will receive the in-state tuition rate when eligible to receive VA benefits.  These colleges include: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Ecology, Industrial and Labor Relations, Veterinary Medicine. A current COE and request for in-state residency review must be submitted  through the VA Benefits Request Form prior to the beginning of each academic year. 

Payment is expected 3-4 weeks after certification by Cornell. Your enrollment and/or tuition is reported to the VA within the first month of a semester. If you have any variable class start dates, tuition may be allocated to that class. This means tuition may come in varying payment amounts at later times after a semester starts. For example, if you are enrolled in credits starting 1/15 and credits in a class starting 3/15, if tuition is allocated to the 3/15 class, tuition would be paid to Cornell after that date. 

Yes, visit the View your VA Payment history website. 

Yes, Cornell offers Full Service Payment Plans to allow student to make monthly payments as eligible. More information can be found on the Bursar’s Cornell Installment Plan website.

Debt letters are most often created due to changes in credit hours or changes to class dates during the semester. Forward all letters to vaedben@cornell.edu. There are two types of debt letters, student debts and school debts. Student debts are typically relating to Monthly Housing Allowance, and changes to enrollment. More information on Debts and Contact information to the VA can be found on the Education and Training Debt page as Cornell cannot contact the VA on the student's behalf. If you have tuition debts, know that Cornell also gets a copy of those, an you may send them to us as an FYI.

You can request an advance on funding by contacting the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment via email at finaid@cornell.edu or by calling 607-255-5145. Please visit Cornell's Financial Aid website for additional resources: https://finaid.cornell.edu/