MILITARY PERSONNEL
The University of West Florida recognizes that many active duty military personnel face formidable barriers in the pursuit of a college degree. As part of the University’s continuing commitment to educational opportunities for military personnel, UWF offers a program designed to assist active duty military men and women in the quest for bachelor’s, master’s, specialist or doctoral degrees. Many departments have agreed to offer degrees through a system tailored to the specific needs of active duty military personnel. Previous college credit, work experience, service schools, and other forms of nonacademic experiences will be considered for college credits. For further information, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
SERVICEMEMBERS OPPORTUNITY COLLEGES
The University of West Florida has been designated as an institutional member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), a group of more than 1800 colleges and universities providing voluntary postsecondary education to members of the military throughout the world. As a SOC member, UWF recognizes the unique nature of the military lifestyle and is committed to easing the transfer of relevant course credits and crediting learning from appropriate military training and experiences. SOC has been developed jointly by educational representatives of each of the armed services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and a consortium of 12 leading national higher education associations. It is sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
VETERANS’ BENEFITS
The University of West Florida is approved by the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) for the education of veterans, active duty personnel, reservists, and eligible dependents under current law. UWF’s Veterans Services Office (VSO) is part of the Office of the Registrar at UWF, not the DVA. The VSO is the point of contact for students receiving benefits from the DVA. The office has a professional staff augmented by veteran peer counselors to assist in providing information about entitlements, filing claims to the DVA, and certifying enrollment.
The VSO monitors the academic progress of students receiving DVA educational benefits. Students who receive DVA benefits are subject to different academic regulations and should be aware that auditing courses, enrollment status, withdrawals, repeating courses, changing degree programs, adding majors and minors, grade forgiveness, and other actions may affect eligibility for educational benefits.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE
To receive educational benefits from the DVA, the student must be pursuing an approved bachelor’s degree, or
be enrolled in a VA approved certificate program at the University. VA will only pay benefits for classes required
for graduation or for completion of an approved VA certificate program. Required courses must be reflected in a
student’s SASS audit before they can be certified for VA benefits. Substitutions to the SASS audit must be made
prior to VA certification. To avoid delays in a certification it is a student’s responsibility to ensure that required
classes are being taken. Failure to do so may prohibit certification of classes for future semesters. Students who
do not have an on-line SASS audit must submit a signed program description sheet.
TUITION DEFERMENT
Deferred payment status for tuition and registration fees may be granted upon application by the student on the
following grounds:
Deferral eligibility is granted to students receiving veterans’ educational assistance benefits from federal or state
assistance programs if aid is delayed in transmission to the student through circumstances beyond the student’s
control.
Veterans and other eligible students receiving benefits on active duty and under Chapters 30, 32, 33, 35, 1606,
and 1607, U.S.C., are eligible for one deferment each academic semester. A 90-day deferment will be issued for
the spring and fall semesters and a 30-day deferment will be issued for summer and mini terms. An additional
deferment extension may be issued if there is a delay in the receipt of benefits provided the extension is
requested prior to the deferment due date and not after the last day of the semester.
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A veteran may request a deferment (promissory note) via their VA Enrollment Certification in ARGUS or at the
VSO for the amount of tuition and fees. The VSO will submit the approved promissory note to the University
Cashier prior to the fee payment deadline. Failure to make payment by the deferment due date will result in $100
late payment fee. Students who do not make payment or request a deferment may be deleted for non-payment.
Students who are deleted for non-payment may appeal for reinstatement and will be assessed a $200
reinstatement fee.
Any change in a VA deferment to a National Guard or other military billing status after the fee payment deadline
will result in the assessment of the late payment fee of $100.00.
The University reserves the right to deny deferral status to students who have established an unfavorable credit
rating.
ACADEMIC PROGRESS
University academic standing is discussed in the academic policies
section of this Catalog. Students receiving veterans benefits are held
to the stricter requirements set forth below.
Undergraduate Standard:
VA Academic Probation: A VA student will be placed on VA Probation if the student’s semester grade point
average (SGPA) or cumulative grade point average (CGPA) falls below 2.0. This is an initial warning.
VA Academic Probation extension: A student who receives consecutive semester GPA’s below 2.0, but has a
Cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0 will continue on VA academic probation.
VA Academic Suspension: A student who receives consecutive semester GPA’s below the 2.0 and has a
Cumulative GPA below a 2.0, will be placed on VA academic suspension. If the student receives written
counseling from their academic counselor and provides that written documentation to the VSO the student may
remain eligible for educational benefits for an additional semester.
VA Termination: A student’s VA benefits will be terminated if the student’s Cumulative GPA remains less
than a 2.0 for more than two consecutive semesters. The VSO will notify the DVA of unsatisfactory
progress and educational benefits will be terminated.
Graduate Standard:
VA Academic Probation: A VA student will be placed on VA Probation if the student’s semester grade
point average (SGPA) or cumulative grade point average (CGPA) falls below 3.0. This is an initial
warning.
VA Academic Probation extension: A student who receives consecutive semester GPA’s below 3.0, but
has a Cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0 will continue on VA academic probation.
VA Academic Suspension: A student who receives consecutive semester GPA’s below the 3.0 and has a
Cumulative GPA below a 3.0, will be placed on VA academic suspension. If the student receives written
counseling from their academic counselor and provides that written documentation to the VSO the
student may remain eligible for educational benefits for an additional semester.
VA Termination: A student’s VA benefits will be terminated if the student’s Cumulative GPA remains less
than a 3.0 for more than two consecutive semesters. The VSO will notify the DVA of unsatisfactory
progress and educational benefits will be terminated.
ADVANCE PAYMENT
Advance payment of DVA benefits may be available to new students and those students who were not enrolled in
the previous semester. Application should be made through the UWF Veterans Services Office no later than 45
days before the first day of classes of the anticipated enrollment semester.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Recertification of benefits is not automatic and must be requested each semester. It is the responsibility of each
student to keep the UWF Veterans Services Office informed of the following:
A. Class Registration. After registering, eligible students may request a VA certification through Argus or visit the
UWF Veterans Services Office to complete necessary paperwork. The earlier a student registers and
provides the registration information to the VSO, the earlier certification paperwork can be forwarded to the
DVA.
B. Changes to Schedule. Any additions, drops, withdrawals, or other interruptions must be immediately reported
to the UWF Veterans Services Office by the student.
C. Failure to Attend Class. Routine class attendance is required for those receiving DVA benefits. Students who
are unable to attend class(es) for an extended period of time should notify the instructor(s) and the Veterans
Services Office.
D. Change of Major. The DVA must be notified when a student changes a major. These changes may be
approved if there is minimal loss of credit hours.
E. Change of Address. If a student’s address changes, both the DVA and UWF must be notified.
To prevent overpayment and subsequent indebtedness to the Federal Government, it is important to notify the
Veterans Services Office immediately of changes that may affect the student’s eligibility for benefits.
COURSES NOT ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS
Courses not meeting University requirements for graduation cannot be certified to the DVA for benefits payment.
Although not all inclusive, the following list reflects types of courses that will not be certified to the DVA:
A. Courses not on the student’s SASS audit or Program Description Sheet (PDS) unless an addendum is
provided before the last day of the drop/add period;
B. Repeated courses that have been previously completed with a grade of ―D-‖ or higher unless the student’s
program requires a higher grade; this includes courses transferred from other colleges;
C. Courses taken to fulfill requirements at another institution unless a transient authorization is received;
D. Courses taken on an audit or noncredit basis or courses in which the permanent grade is ―non-punitive,‖ (e.g.,
―W‖ or ―V‖);
E. Courses for which an ―I‖ or ―I*‖ was assigned, but not changed to a letter grade (A through F) within one year
of the completion of the semester; in this case, the DVA will be notified retroactively.
CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
Not all certificate programs are approved for VA benefits. Check with the Veterans Services Office for further
information.
CLASS ATTENDANCE
It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor(s) of absence from class (es) prior to, or as soon as possible after, the absence. Students must check with their respective instructor(s) regarding the attendance policy for each class. If a student receiving DVA benefits is found in violation of the policy, the DVA will be notified and benefits may be reduced accordingly.
OFF-TERM COURSES
Off-term courses are those beginning and/or ending on other than the regular semester dates. These are referred to as B, C, D or E term courses. Students should be aware that the DVA review is made on a term-by-term basis and not by semester. Taking B, C, D or E term courses may affect the student’s training rate for pay purposes and eligibility for break pay.