Veterans Affairs
Veterans Affairs (VA) is located in the Office of the Registrar. We assist military veterans and their dependents who are eligible for VA educational benefits.
The Veteran Affairs Certifying Official is responsible for certifying and monitoring veterans' enrollment, academic progress, and other academic information.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs approves applications and makes decisions about payments, issuance of checks, and eligibility. If you have questions about payments, entitlement, or eligibility, contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 
at 888-GIBILL-1 (888-442-4551).
VA Benefits
The following is important information about your VA educational benefits.
- Advising
- Transfer Credit
- Course Registration
- Prerequisite and Remedial Courses
- Repeating Courses
- Request for Enrollment Certification
- Change in Enrollment (ADD/DROP)
- Tuition and Fees
- Tuition only Scholarships, Tuition Assistance (TA) and Tuition Waivers
- Monthly Checks
- Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA)
- Undeclared Majors
- Declaring a Major
- Changing your Major
- "F" Grades
- "I" Grades
- "NC" (No Credit) Grades
- "W" Grades
- Academic Suspension
- Military Activation & Withdrawals
Advising
Academic advising services are available through your college or school and, in some cases, your department. Visit Advising for contact information for various Student Academic Services offices.
Transfer Credit
It is your responsibility to see that UH Mānoa evaluates transcripts from previous institutions attended to determine the number of transferable credits that will be counted toward your degree. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs mandates that all transcripts be evaluated by UH Mānoa for prior credit within two semesters, including transcripts for military training, even if credit may not be granted. Failure to do so could lead to suspension of benefits. All official transcripts must be sent directly from the prior institution to the appropriate UH Mānoa Admissions Office.
Visit How to Request Your Military Transcripts [PDF] for instructions on how to request and send your military transcripts to the University.
Course Registration
All courses used toward VA educational benefits must be required for your current degree program. You can be charged with an overpayment for any courses that do not apply toward your degree or for which you have already received credit for. Contact your academic advisor immediately if you are not sure whether a course is required. All courses certified for VA educational benefits must be taken for a letter grade (CR/NR permitted only if required for degree). Audited courses cannot be used toward certification.
For information on UH Mānoa degree requirements visit one of the following:
Undergraduate students: Bachelor Degree Program Sheets and Sample Four Year Academic Plans
Graduate students: Graduate Degree & Program Requirements
Undeclared or Post-Baccalaureate students: Contact the VA Certifying Official for instructions on degree requirements.
Prerequisite and Remedial Courses
If you are a Post-Baccalaureate student required to take prerequisites for your major you must have your academic advisor provide the Office of the Registrar with a list of prerequisite courses not included in your degree program. Contact the VA Certifying Official for instructions.
The VA will not pay for remedial courses unless placement test results show you need the course. The VA will not pay for any of these courses if college credit has already been granted for them.
If you are an Undergraduate student and are planning to take MATH 134 or CHEM 131, we highly encourage you to take a placement exam. Contact the VA Certifying Official for more information.
Repeating Courses
Courses that are failed or for which the grade does not meet minimum requirements for graduation may be certified if they are repeated. If you are required to repeat a course for your degree program you must obtain approval from your academic advisor. The VA will not pay for a course that has already been successfully completed with a passing grade.
Request for Enrollment Certification
Submit veteran enrollment forms to the Office of the Registrar as early as possible to avoid delays in your payment(s) from the VA. UH Mānoa will not certify VA educational benefits unless the request is made in writing. Visit Application Process for enrollment forms and information.
Once your course enrollment is reported to the VA, you will receive a confirmation email from the VA to your Hawaii.edu account stating that your 22-1999 has been electronically received. Applicants should expect to wait approximately six to eight weeks from the date of certification for Veterans Affairs to process and send your first payment(s).
It is your responsibility to notify the Office of the Registrar of continued enrollment by completing the veteran enrollment forms each semester. Failure to do so will cause a break in the payment cycle. If you are a Chapter 30, 1606 or 1607 student, you must also verify your enrollment with the VA each month on W.A.V.E..
Change in Enrollment (ADD/DROP)
Any changes to your enrollment status may impact benefits you are receiving. With this in mind, carefully consider the implications of decreasing your credit load. Notify the Office of the Registrar immediately if you add, drop or withdraw from a course used for certification by completing a VA Add/Drop Form. Failure to do so may result in an overpayment charge and cause a delay in future benefit payments. UH Mānoa will report dropped courses to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs within 30 days.
Tuition and Fees
For official University tuition schedules please refer to Tuition and Fees. You are responsible for your own Tuition & Fees by the payment deadline for your student classification. Once your course registration is certified by the VA Certifying Official, applicants should expect to wait approximately six to eight weeks for Veterans Affairs to process and send your first payment.
Note: Post 9/11 students should refer to Post 9/11 or contact the VA Certifying Official for additional Tuition and Fees information.
Non-resident veterans who were honorably discharged from active duty within 3 years of enrollment and are eligible for GI Bill® education benefits may be eligible to pay in-state tuition (spouses and dependents may be eligible if GI Bill benefits are transferred). You must complete and submit the Veteran Exemption to Non-Resident Tuition Rate Form, along with your (or your sponsor's) DD-214 and VA Certificate of Eligibility to the Admissions Information Counter, Queen Liliʻuokalani Center for Student Services, room 001 before the semester begins.
For more information on establishing residency in the State of Hawaiʻi for tuition purposes, visit Hawaiʻi Residency Requirements.
Tuition only Scholarships, Tuition Assistance (TA) and Tuition Waivers
If you are receiving Post 9-11 GI Bill (CH 33) benefits, any "tuition only" scholarships, tuition assistance or tuition waivers awarded to you must be reported to the Office of the Registrar each semester. Examples of tuition scholarships, tuition assistance or waivers include: Centennial Scholarships, Regents Scholarships, BOR Presidential Scholarships, Athletic Scholarships, ROTC Tuition Assistance, Top-up, the Kuaʻana Tuition Waiver and Graduate Assistant (GA) Tuition Waivers, etc. The VA requires any assistance that is specifically designated for the sole purpose of reducing a student's tuition and fees be deducted from the tuition and fee charges that are reported to the VA for certification.
Monthly Checks
Once your course registration is certified by the VA Certifying Official, applicants should wait approximately six to eight weeks for Veterans Affairs to process and send your first payment. If you have not received payment from the VA within six to eight weeks from the date of certification, please call the Department of Veterans Affairs at 1-888-442-4551 and have your VA file number handy.
Note: The VA generally pays you on or after the first of each month following the month for which payment is due. This system is called "post-payment."
Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA)
If you are eligible to receive a monthly housing allowance from the VA, MHA is payable if you are enrolled in 1 in-residence course and are considered more than ½-time (7 credits for Undergraduate and Law students and 5 credits for Post-Baccalaureate and Graduate students*). Effective August 1, 2011 the housing allowance will be prorated by the student's rate of pursuit, rounded to the nearest tenth. For example, an Undergraduate student taking 9 credits would have a rate of pursuit of 75% (9÷12) and would receive 80% of the housing allowance. If you have questions regarding your individual MHA payments, contact the VA at 1-888-442-4551.
*Post-Baccalaureate students must be enrolled for at least one graduate course. Graduate students who are enrolled for 1 credit of 700F, 800, 800C or PSY 778 are considered to be full-time. Graduate assistants who are enrolled for 6 credits and receive a tuition waiver are considered to be full-time.
Undeclared Majors
General Arts and Sciences students (GEAS) may only request certification for General Education courses or courses being used for Graduation Requirements. GEAS students must declare a major by the beginning of the first semester of their junior year in order to continue receiving VA benefits.
Declaring a Major
You must declare a major by the beginning of the first term of your junior year (55 earned credits) in order to continue receiving VA benefits. Check STAR to view your total earned credits. Please consult with your academic advisor to identify and declare/apply for your major on time.
Changing your Major
You may only request certification for courses that are applicable toward your current degree program. Please notify the Office of the Registrar of any changes in major after you submit a declaration of major form at the appropriate Student Academic Services Office.
Note: Double majors have been approved for VA educational benefits. Please notify the Office of the Registrar if you are declared as a double major.
"F" Grades
UH Mānoa will report "F" grades to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs if you received the "F" grade due to non-attendance.
"I" Grades
UH Mānoa will report "I" grades to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. If you receive an "I" grade for a course, the VA allows you one calendar year immediately following the end of the term during which it was assigned to make it up. Please notify the Office of the Registrar once a final grade has been assigned by your instructor. If the "I" grade has not been replaced after one year, the VA may retroactively terminate the benefits you received for that course, unless you submit evidence of acceptable mitigating circumstances.
"NC" Grades
UH Mānoa will report "NC" grades to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including incomplete or "I" grades that revert to "NC". Unless you have completed additional credits of required full-time coursework that semester or can demonstrate acceptable mitigating circumstances, you will need to repay the benefits you received for that course.
"W" Grades
UH Mānoa will report "W" grades to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including the dates of withdrawal. This may result in an overpayment and will include a portion of the tuition and fees that has been paid to the University if you are receiving Post 9-11 (CH 33) GI Bill benefits.
For UH Manoa tuition refund information, visit Refunds.
Academic Suspension
UH Mānoa will report academic suspension to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Suspension will result in the termination of your subsistence check(s). Veterans or dependents who accept VA checks after being suspended will be charged an overpayment.
Military Activation & Withdrawals
If a complete withdrawal or leave of absence is necessary due to military activation, submit a copy of your orders to your college academic advisor or Advising office. You will be advised as to your options concerning your enrollment at UH Mānoa.