Veteran Guidelines

If a veteran or military-affiliated student initially enters Germanna Community College as an out-of-state student but believes they have achieved Virginia domiciliary status, they should submit a Virginia Domicile Appeal Form to the Admissions & Records Office. If a determination is made in the student’s favor, the student will become eligible for in-state tuition rates for the next semester in which the student enrolls. A student who disagrees with their tuition classification may follow the appeal process located in the Germanna Community College catalog.

Note: The Guidelines for Determining Domicile and Eligibility for In-State Tuition Rates set forth in § 23-7.4 of the Code of Virginia will be followed by Germanna Community College throughout the domicile appeals process.

If a veteran or military-affiliated student does not meet Virginia's domiciliary requirements, but is using educational assistance under Chapter 30 (Montgomery GI Bill®), Chapter 31 (Veteran Readiness & Employment), Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill®), or Chapter 35 (Dependents Education Assistance), can apply for a 1-year Military Tuition Exception per Public Law 117-68, Title 38 of the United States Code, as long as they are living in the Commonwealth of Virginia while attending a school located in the Commonwealth of Virginia (regardless of his/her formal State of residence).

In order to apply for the Military Tuition Exception, the student must submit a Virginia Domicile Appeal Form to the Admissions & Records Office. Current military exceptions to domicile information can be on The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) website at schev.edu.

Veteran student enrollment must be certified by the college in order to receive VA benefits. All veteran students must contact the Veterans Affairs Office when initially enrolling and each semester thereafter. Veteran students must be enrolled in an official degree program to receive benefits and the program must be approved for veterans education by the State Department of Education’s Committee on Veterans Education. Be sure you enroll in the correct program.

Certifications are done after the official drop/add period. Changes in classes after the drop/add period may result in benefit adjustments retroactive to the beginning of the semester. Veteran students are to be certified only for those courses which apply to the graduation requirements of the program; electives can not exceed the specified elective hours in the program. The college catalog will help you determine what courses you need and what courses will be certified.

Course substitutions may be made with proper approval, but the student is expected to proceed satisfactorily through the curriculum outline toward graduation. Prior training must be evaluated and the appropriate credit granted by the College, the official program must then be shortened appropriately. Students failing to have transcripts submitted could lose their benefits. To have military experience evaluated you must fill out a request for evaluation of transfer credit at the Admissions and Records Office at either campus along with your transcripts and DD 214.

Veteran students are authorized to repeat classes for VA benefits only if they are repeating an “F” grade (since the course is required for graduation) or if the minimum passing grade (i.e., “C”) is required for progression in the program. At the end of each semester, a student’s satisfactory progress is checked. If the grade point average falls below the minimum requirement, the veteran’s benefits may be terminated.