Swansea University participates in the following VA Educational Benefits Programmes.
US Veterans and their dependants can use their GI Bills funding to contribute towards their tuition fees, and depending on their eligibility their housing/living expenses too.
Many benefits are available to advance the education and skills of Veterans and Service members. Spouses and family members may also be eligible for education and training assistance. In fact, 25% of those benefiting from VA’s education programs are non-Veterans. Some might find they're eligible for more than one benefit or that one programme is more suited to certain education and training goals than another.
Learn about these and the other education and training programs available through VA that Swansea University are authorised to administer, or start your application now (as a foreign school, you will need to complete and submit your application online).
Programme approval: Once the US Department of Veterans Affairs has confirmed that you are eligible to receive benefits under any of the GI Bills detailed below, you should contact Jan Gosling who administers the VA benefits here at Swansea University as soon as possible. We will confirm if the programme of study you wish to undertake has already been or needs to be approved by the VA, and because we may first need to seek approval from VA for your chosen course of study, and the approval can take several weeks at busy periods of the year, the sooner you contact Jan the smoother and quicker the process.
Programmes are approved for in-residence training only. The VA cannot pay benefits for distance learning. Our University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) Collaborative PhD Programme is not eligible for VA funding.
School certification: Swansea University will need to confirm your attendance before your benefits will be released by the VA. For this you will need to hold an offer letter from our University for your chosen programme, and you will need to provide us with your social security number (SSN). The University is unable to certify the enrolment of studies any earlier than 120 days before the start of the academic session.
Receiving funds: The first tuition fee payment will be made directly to the University in readiness for the start of your academic year. A further two payments will be made during the academic year. The payments are received as US dollar cheques that need to be converted into sterling by the University before payment can be made against the student’s tuition fee account. This may result in a small deficit or surplus of funds by the end of the year, which you will either need to personally pay if it’s a deficit, or the surplus funds will get refunded directly to you. The University’s VA Administrator will advise you of the converted amount each time a cheque is received and processed.
Housing stipends (if eligible) are paid monthly to the student.
Please find the latest information about VA Payment Rates for the Academic Year on the Department of Veterans Affairs website.
Once the University has submitted your VA Enrolment Certification to the VA, please contact the Department of Veterans Affairs for any enquires about the status or timeframe of your benefits, and not the University. However, please keep Jan Gosling at Swansea University up to date on the progress.
- The Post-9/11 GI Bill offers higher education and training benefits to Veterans, Service members, and their families who served after Sept. 10, 2001.
- The Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) assists active duty and Reservists with the pursuit of higher education degrees, certificates, and other education and training. It is available to those who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces. There are two main programs:
- Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD) For active duty members who enrol and pay $100 per month for 12 months and are then entitled to receive a monthly education benefit once they have completed a minimum service obligation.
- Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) For Reservists with a six-year obligation in the Selected Reserve who are actively drilling.
Swansea University is also authorised to administer the GI Bill programme known as Chapter 35 (Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA)), which offers education assistance to survivors and dependents of Veterans.
- The Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) Program offers education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition or of Veterans who died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition.
Transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill to Spouse and Dependents
The transferability option under the Post-9/11 GI Bill allows Service members to transfer all or some unused benefits to their spouse or dependent children. The request to transfer unused GI Bill benefits to eligible dependents must be completed while serving as an active member of the Armed Forces. The Department of Defence (DoD) determines whether or not you can transfer benefits to your family. Once the DoD approves benefits for transfer, the new beneficiaries apply for them at VA. Further details can be found here
Please note that Swansea University does not take part in the Yellow Ribbon Programme.
As an educational institution authorised to certify Veteran Affairs (VA) funds for educational assistance for entitled Covered Individuals (students) under Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, or Chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, this policy confirms Swansea University’s compliance with the requirements as outlined under the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-407), section 3679€ of title 38, United States Code (amended 2019).