APU Doctoral Handbook

In this section

Last Revision: August 21, 2026

Veteran's Benefits

Students interested in applying for VA Educational Benefits (GI Bill®) should complete an application for benefits on the VA website. Student should note that the VA School Certifying Official (VASCO) at American Public University (APU) cannot determine if a student is eligible for VA educational benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs may approve or deny benefits, based on the information provided on the application.

When completing an application for benefits, please use the following information for the school:

American Public University
111 West Congress Street
Charles Town, WV 25414

Once the VA has completed a review of the student's application, they will mail a Certificate of Eligibility (COE), outlining the student's entitlement information, which will need to be provided to APU. Students may upload a copy of their COE securely through the Secure Document Upload portal using their ecampus login credentials, or email it to VAQuestions@apus.edu. 

VA Enrollment Information

Enrollment certification cannot be submitted to the VA until APU receives a copy of a student's Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and they have successfully enrolled in a class. Once the student's COE is processed and they have started classes, the SCO will electronically submit their enrollment certification to the VA. All VA enrollment certifications will be submitted after the session add/drop period. Once a student's enrollment has been submitted, they will receive an email from the VA as verification.

Enrollment Verification

The VA requires that any student using GI Bill® benefits verify their enrollment monthly at the end of every month after their courses begin. Students can verify their enrollment online, via text message, via email, or by calling the Education Call Center (ECC) at 888-442-4551. For more information regarding monthly enrollment verification, students can visit the VA website.

VA Payments

Students using Montgomery GI Bill® benefits (Chapters 30, 35, and 1606) will receive monthly payments from the VA based on their monthly enrollment status. Payments are sent from the VA after students have verified their monthly attendance. APU requires students using Chapters 30, 35, and 1606 to make payment arrangements with the university prior to the start of courses. An enrollment certification will not be submitted to the VA until payment arrangements have been finalized.

Tuition and fees for Chapter 33 are paid directly to APU. If a student is not receiving the 100% benefit rate, payment arrangements for the remaining amount will need to be made to the university prior to course access being granted.

Current VA payment rates may be viewed on the VA's website.

If the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has not made payment within 90 days of APU submitting an enrollment certification, APU will not impose any penalties on students including assessment of late fees, denial of access to courses, library resources, or other student services. Additionally, there is no requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds due to delayed VA payment. This information pertains to students with a primary payment type of Post 9/11 GI Bill® or Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E Chapter 31). Additionally, if APU is notified by the VA that the student has exhausted VA entitlements or is not eligible for VA education benefits, the student will be responsible for tuition and fees and APU collection policies will apply. 

Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA)

Post 9/11 GI Bill® students (other than those on active duty) will receive a monthly housing allowance (MHA) for online courses, which is equal to half of the national average MHA. Students must be enrolled at a rate of pursuit greater than half-time (.51%) to receive this benefit. The housing allowance is pro-rated based on the student's enrollment status, percentage of eligibility, and dates of course enrollments.

Using VA Benefits at Multiple Institutions

The VA requires students to declare an institution at which they will receive a degree or certification. VA benefits cannot be used at multiple institutions without a declaration of a primary or "parent" school and subsequent secondary or "guest" school. For more information regarding using benefits at APU and another institution, please contact VAQuestions@apus.edu.

VA Consent to Enrollments Submit Enrollments

When a student selects a VA payment option at the time of registration, they are consenting that they wish to have their enrollment for that particular course(s) submitted to the VA on their behalf. Students who register selecting a payment other than VA will be prompted to provide consent at the time of registration to have the course(s) submitted to the VA on their behalf. Students who register before submitting VA documents to APU may be required to complete a Veterans Benefits Certification Request Form to identify courses or terms students would like to have submitted to the VA.

Yellow Ribbon Program

The Yellow Ribbon Program is an agreement between the VA and participating institutions to cover all, or a portion of tuition and fees charged after a student has met or exceeded the yearly tuition cap. As a participating university in the Post 9/11 GI Bill® Yellow Ribbon Program, APU agrees to make additional funds available for a qualifying student’s education program without an additional charge to their GI Bill® entitlement.

It is important that students designate themselves as an active-duty service member or veteran when completing the university's admission application. Current students are encouraged to check their contact information (Updating Contact Information on File with the University) to be sure it shows their current military status and update if necessary.

Students should visit the VA Benefits website to determine if they may be eligible for this benefit. Eligible students must complete a Yellow Ribbon Application Form for courses for which they are using Post 9/11 GI Bill® funding. Students may contact VAQuestions@apus.edu for questions about this program. 

Course Drops/Withdrawals

APU is required to report changes in enrollment to the VA. If a student drops or withdraws from a course(s), an amended enrollment certification will be sent to the VA within 30 days of the change in enrollment. A reduction or termination of enrolled credit hours could result in:

A student debt with the VA for MHA and books/supplies if they are using the Post 9/11 GI Bill®
A student debt with the VA for tuition and fees if they are using the Montgomery GI Bill®

Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, tuition and fee debts will be issued to the school if a student withdraws from a course(s) after the add/drop period. The VA will request repayment of tuition and fees and will send a debt letter to APU. If the VA debt letter requests school repayment that exceeds the institutional refund policy, students may be assigned a debt to the school. For more information regarding GI Bill® debts, including ways to prevent a debt from occurring, students should review the VA's resources on withdrawing from courses.

Mitigating Circumstances

Mitigating circumstances are circumstances beyond the student's control that prevent the student from continuing in school or that cause the student to reduce credits. The VA requires schools to document potential mitigating circumstances. If mitigating circumstances cannot be validated, the VA may request repayment of MHA, books/supplies, or tuition and fees, as of the first date of the term. View more information on mitigating circumstances.

Graduations

When a student using VA education benefits has successfully completed the requirements for the program of study and has officially conferred their program of study, APU will report the student’s graduation to the VA via electronic certification. Students using Chapter 33 benefits and students using Chapter 30 benefits who are on active duty may have the graduation fee accessed by APU paid for by the VA as long as their GI Bill® benefits were used for their last course required to complete their program of study.

Course Extensions

If a student is granted a course extension from their professor, they will not receive VA education benefits during the extension period. The VA will automatically discontinue benefits on the day after the original term ending date. Benefits will not start until a new course has been enrolled in and an enrollment certification has been sent to the VA. Submission of a course extension for VA education benefits will likely result in an adjustment to the student’s rate of pursuit and an overpayment which will require future repayment.

Unsatisfactory Academic Progress, Conduct, and Attendance

VA requires APU to report when a student using VA education benefits is no longer meeting the institution’s academic standards. Once APU is made aware that a VA student is not meeting those standards, the school will electronically notify the VA.

If a student is suspended, dismissed or expelled during a term that was reported to the VA, APU must terminate the enrollment certification. This may reduce tuition and fees, MHA and/or books and supplies payment for the course or term and the student may be required to repay any resulting debt. Students on probation status are not reported to the VA.

Excessive Credits

Students who are using VA benefits for courses may not register for courses that are not applicable to their current program of study. Any courses that are deemed not applicable to the student's current degree program will be considered excessive credits and an enrollment for the courses will not be submitted to the VA. If a previously submitted enrollment results in an excessive credit, the enrollment must be terminated. The resulting termination will likely result in a reduction in tuition and fees, BAH and/or books and supplies payment for the course/term and may require repayment of this debt.

Prior Credits

APU accepts transfer credits that have been completed at accredited institutions of higher learning, as well as many forms of professional military education, non-academic experience and training. The VA requires that all prior (or transfer) credit must be evaluated and granted by APU preferably prior to a student’s initial enrollment. Students must identify any prior credit that has been earned. Additionally, when applicable, a Joint Services Transcript (JST) or Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcript must be received by APU for all students who will be using VA benefits for any courses with APU. Students who are currently having prior credits evaluated are strongly encouraged to register only for courses in which they know they will not receive prior credit. If prior credit is later granted for a course a student is currently taking, using VA education benefits, APU must terminate the enrollment certification with the VA, as this would constitute an excessive credit. Terminations of enrollment certification will likely result in a reduction in tuition and fees, MHA, and/or books and supplies payment for the course for which a prior credit was awarded.

Student Tuition and Fees Debts

APU will hold all tuition and fee refund amounts on a student’s account until notification is received by the VA to return the funds. VA will notify APU of these tuition and fee debts at a future date and APU will return the tuition and fee payments to the VA. Please note that it may take the VA several weeks to issue a debt notification to APU after a change in enrollment status for dropping or withdrawing from a course has been reported.

Chapter 33 students who receive MHA payments and/or a books and supplies stipend from the VA may still be required to repay a portion or all of the funds received to the VA. Students may also owe a debt to APU if the tuition and fees requested to be returned to the VA exceeds the school’s refund policy. For more information regarding GI Bill® debts, to include ways to prevent a debt from occurring, please review the information provided on the VA website.