Getting Started

Chapter 31 pays for all tuition and fees but it doesn’t pay immediately. By VA rule, Veteran Services cannot invoice for the cost of a student’s classes until after the add/drop date. That means that payment for the classes won’t happen until roughly mid-semester and the balance will show until the VA makes payment. Chapter 31 students do not have to prepay for tuition/fees. Chapter 31 students must coordinate with their Chapter 31 case manager to ensure the college has received the appropriate purchase orders for tuition/fees and for books/supplies. Chapter 31 students are coded in the MWCC data base as “protected veterans” and will not be removed from classes for not paying their bill.

“Rate of Pursuit” is the term the VA uses to determine the level of benefits used and paid. It is based on the number of classes taken by the student each term. Full time for a fall or spring semester at MWCC is 12 credits taken over the full term. Full time students receive full benefits, part-time students receive a proportional benefit.

• Mixing full semester and cycle classes interferes with this calculation and is highly discouraged. Contact Veteran Services for details.

Chapter 31 also pays a monthly stipend directly to the student. If the student is still eligible for Ch33 benefits, the stipend rate corresponds to the Ch33 BAH rate. This rate is as follows: 2024 in-residence rate is $2943 per “full” month of full time attendance. The 2024 on-line rate is $1,054.50 per full month of attendance. The housing allowances are normally paid by the first week of the month after school starts. Therefore, September’s payment would come in October, October’s in November and so on. The starting and ending month (September, December, January, May) are never “full” months, therefore the stipend is adjusted.

• A student must take at least 1 in-person class to be eligible for the in-residence rate.

“Rate of Pursuit” comes into play with housing allowance¹. The VA will pay the student a percentage of BAH/MHA based on how many credits taken per term compared to full-time enrollment. For example, if the college considers 12 credits to be full time per semester and the student is taking 9 credits per semester then the Rate of Pursuit is 80% (9 divided by 12, rounded to the nearest tenth).

• Under most circumstances, to be eligible for MHA, your rate of pursuit must be more than 50%. However, Ch31 students should check with their case managers for clarification.

“Non-Punitive Grades” – The VA will not pay any GI Bill® benefits associated with any class in which the student receives a “non-punitive grade.” Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that once the term begins, the student cannot withdraw from a class or “never attend” a class. Both will hurt the student financially. Contact Veteran Services before taking action to understand the financial ramifications.

•  MWCC’s definition of Never Attending: Students must attend/participate in the first week of class or the instructor will report the student as never attending. This is required by the Federal Department of Education as a condition of college’s access to award financial aid. Online classes are not self-paced classes and therefore students must participate in the first week or risk being reported as never attending by their instructor. Students will be charged for classes they fail to attend.
• For the college’s full attendance policies, please reference: Academic Catalog

Note: The VA will not pay for the college’s health insurance program if you have health insurance. Be sure to waive your health insurance: iConnect home>pay my bill>waive health insurance.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at Benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Chapter 33 pays for tuition and fees according to the student’s eligibility tier but it doesn’t pay immediately. By VA rule, Veteran Services cannot invoice for the cost of a student’s classes until after the add/drop date. That means that payment for the classes won’t happen until roughly mid semester and the balance will show until the VA makes payment. Chapter 33 students do not have to prepay for tuition/fees. They are coded in the MWCC data base as “protected veterans” and will not be removed from classes for not paying their bill. However, students are responsible to pay whatever percentage the VA is not covering.

“Rate of Pursuit” is the term the VA uses to determine the level of benefits used and paid. It is based on the number of classes taken by the student each term. Full time for a fall or spring semester at MWCC is 12 credits taken over the full term. Full time students receive full benefits1, part-time students receive a proportional benefit1. Regardless of the rate of pursuit, CH33 benefits pay for tuition/fees based on the student’s eligibly tier.

• Mixing full semester and cycle classes interferes with this calculation and is highly discouraged. Contact Veteran Services for details.

Eligibility for benefits if you served less than 36 months (as per VA’s Post-911 web information).

If the student served on active duty for less than 1,095 days (36 months), the student is eligible for only part of the Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefit. The VA bases the percentage of eligibility for on the total amount of time served on active duty (with or without breaks in service). The VA calls this the “eligibility tier.”

• 910 to 1,094 days (30 to 35 months): 90% of the full benefit
• 730 to 909 days (24 to 29 months): 80% of the full benefit
• 545 to 729 days (18 to 23 months): 70% of the full benefit
• 180 to 544 days (6 to 17 months): 60% of the full benefit
• 90 to 179 days (90 days to 5 months): 50% of the full benefit

Chapter 33 pays a $5001 book stipend directly to the student around the beginning of the Fall and Spring terms. There is no book stipend for the summer term. The amount of the book stipend is dependent on the rate of pursuit. For example, a student attending ½ time would receive a 50% book stipend1.

Chapter 33 also pays a housing allowance¹(BAH) directly to the student. The 2024 in-residence rate is $29431 per “full” month of full time attendance. The 2024 on-line rate is $1,054.501 per full month of attendance. The housing allowances are normally paid by the first week of the month after school starts. Therefore, September’s payment would come in October, October’s in November and so on. The starting and ending month (September, December, January, May) are never “full” months, therefore the stipend is adjusted.

• A student must take at least 1 in-person class to be eligible for the in-residence rate.

“Rate of Pursuit” comes into play with housing allowance. The VA will pay the student a percentage of BAH/MHA based on how many credits taken per term compared to full-time enrollment. For example, if the college considers 12 credits to be full time per semester and the student is taking 9 credits per semester then the Rate of Pursuit is 80% (9 divided by 12, rounded to the nearest tenth).

• To be eligible for BAH/MHA, your rate of pursuit must be more than 50%.

“Non-Punitive Grades” – The VA will not pay any GI Bill® benefits associated with any class in which the student receives a “non-punitive grade.” Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that once the term begins, the student cannot withdraw from a class or “never attend” a class. Both will hurt the student financially. Contact Veteran Services before taking action to understand the financial ramifications.

• MWCC’s definition of Never Attending: Students must attend/participate in the first week of class or the instructor will report the student as never attending. This is required by the Federal Department of Education as a condition of college’s access to award financial aid. Online classes are not self-paced classes and therefore students must participate in the first week or risk being reported as never attending by their instructor. Students will be charged for classes they fail to attend.
• For the college’s full attendance policies, please reference: Academic Catalog

Note: The VA will not pay for the college’s health insurance program if you have health insurance. Be sure to waive your health insurance: iConnect home>pay my bill>waive health insurance.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

1 According to eligibility tier percentage.

Chapter 35 benefits do not pay for tuition and fees. Students are responsible to pay for tuition and fees. Working with Student Financial Services on a payment plan is recommended.

“Rate of Pursuit” is the term the VA uses to determine the level of benefits used and paid. It is based upon the number of classes taken by the student each term. Full time for a fall or spring semester at MWCC is 12 credits taken over the full term. Full time students receive full benefits¹, part-time students receive a proportional benefit¹.

• Mixing full semester and cycle classes interferes with this calculation and is highly Contact Veteran Services for details.

Chapter 35 pays a monthly stipend directly to the student for “full months” of attendance in school. However, it doesn’t pay immediately. The monthly stipend¹ is normally paid by the first week of the month after school starts. Subsequently, September’s payment would come in October, October’s in November and so on. The starting and ending month (September, December, January, May) are never “full” months, therefore the stipend is adjusted.

“Non-Punitive Grades” – The VA will not pay any GI Bill® benefits associated with any class in which the student receives a “non-punitive grade.” Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that once the term begins, the student cannot withdraw from a class or “never attend” a class. Both will hurt the student financially. Contact Veteran Services before taking action to understand the financial ramifications.

• MWCC’s definition of Never Attending: Students must attend/participate in the first week of class or the instructor will report the student as never attending or “no-show”. This is required by the Federal Department of Education as a condition of college’s access to award financial aid. Online classes are not self-paced classes and therefore students must participate in the first week or risk being reported as never attending by their instructor. Students will be charged for classes they fail to attend.
• For the college’s full attendance policies, please reference: Academic Catalog

¹ “Rate of Pursuit” comes into play with monthly stipends. The VA will pay: Full-time enrollment: $1,574 for each full month; 3/4-time enrollment: $1,244 for each full month; 1/2-time enrollment: $912 for each full month (2025 rates)