Enrollment Status for Students Receiving VA Benefits
Note: The VA training times indicated below are for the individual enrollment periods only. Each sub-term must be considered individually and cannot be combined with other enrollment periods for the assignment of a training time. These training times are designed for Veteran Affairs benefits only, and should not be used to calculate course loads for financial aid or outside scholarships. For all other purposes (i.e., confirmation of enrollments for lenders, insurance companies, etc.), enrollment status is determined not by individual enrollment periods, but by the entire semester.
Undergraduate Training Time
Undergraduate 8 – week Sessions (Sessions A, B, C, D, E, & F subterms) | Full time | 3/4 time | 1/2 time | <1/2 time | 1/4 time |
Undergraduate level | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Fall, Spring, & Summer terms
Full time | 3/4 time | 1/2 time | <1/2 time | 1/4 time | |
Undergraduate level | 12 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
Undergraduate – Summer | 9 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Undergraduate Training Time
Mandi, who is an undergraduate student, is enrolled in one A term course and one B term course. She will be considered 1/2 time to the VA for the entire semester because the VA training time for an eight week course is 1/2 time for three hours and full-time for six hours (see the charts above).
*MHA Pay: Mandi would not earn an MHA payment, because she must be more than half time to qualify (see MHA section below.)
Ryan, who is an undergraduate student, is enrolled in one C term online course, one D term online course, and one 15-week term on-campus course, all in the same semester. He will be considered 3/4 time for the entire semester because the terms overlap. Ryan would be at least half-time for the semester because he is in one course in both the A and B terms but he is also in a 15-week term course so he can add that training time to the 1/2 time. The training time for a 15-week term course, for an undergraduate student, is Less than 1/2 time (but more than a 1/4) for three hours (see charts above). When the VA processes the different enrollment periods, they will see that the 15-week term course overlaps the A and B terms. The VA will add the terms together, giving Ryan a status of 3/4 time for the semester.
*MHA Pay: Ryan would earn 80% of the full residential MHA for the entire semester. Because the 15-week term course is on-campus and it overlaps both the C term and D term, it satisfies the on-campus requirement for both terms. The VA rounds up training time to the nearest tenth (see MHA section below.)
Graduate Training Time
Graduate 8 – week Sessions (Sessions A, B, C, D, E, & F subterms) | Full time | 3/4 time | 1/2 time | <1/2 time |
Graduate level | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Graduate – Summer | 3 | N/A | 2 | 1 |
Graduate 15 – week Session Fall, Spring, & Summer terms | Full time | 3/4 time | 1/2 time | <1/2 time | 1/4 time |
Graduate level | 9 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
Graduate – Summer | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Doctoral level | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Juris Doctor ONLY: 16 – week Session Fall, Spring, & Summer terms | Full time | 3/4 time | 1/2 time | <1/2 time | 1/4 time |
Juris Doctor | 10 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
JD – Summer | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Mandi, who is a master’s student, is enrolled in one C term on-campus course and one D term online course. She will be considered 3/4 time to the VA for the entire semester because the VA training time for an eight week course is 3/4 time for three hours and full-time for six hours (see the charts above).
*MHA Pay: Mandi would earn 80% of the full residential MHA for the C term, and she would earn 80% of the full distance-only MHA for the D term (see MHA section below.)
Rebecca, who is a master’s student, is enrolled in two C term courses (one on-campus and one online) and two D term courses (one on-campus and one online). She will be considered full time to the VA for the entire semester because the VA training time for an eight week course is full time for six hours (see the charts above).
*MHA Pay: Rebecca would earn the full residential MHA for the entire semester, because she is full time in each term, and she has at least one on-campus course in each term (see MHA section below.)
Leslie, who is a master’s student, is enrolled in two C term online courses and one D term online course. She will be considered full time to the VA for the C term semester because the VA training time for an eight week course is full time for six hours (see the charts above), but she will only be considered 3/4 time for the D term because the VA training time for an eight week course is 3/4 time for three hours and full-time for six hours (see the charts above).
*MHA Pay: Leslie would earn the full distance-only MHA for the C term. Because she is only 3/4 training time for the D term, she would earn 80% of the full distance-only MHA for the D term. The VA rounds up training time to the nearest tenth (see MHA section below.)
Ryan, who is a master’s student, is enrolled in one C term course online, one D term course online, & one 15-week term on-campus course all in the same semester. He will be considered full time for the entire semester because the terms over lap. His training time for each C and D terms is 3/4 time, and his training time for the 15 week term is 1/3 time. When the VA processes the different enrollment periods they will see that the 15-week term course over laps the C and D terms. The VA will add the terms together giving Ryan a status of full time for the semester.
*MHA Pay: Ryan would earn the full residential MHA for the entire semester. Because the 15-week term course is on-campus and it overlaps both the C term and D term, it satisfies the on-campus requirement for both terms (see MHA section below.)
VA Chapter 33 Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA)
Under the Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill, eligible students are paid a monthly housing allowance (MHA) based upon their training time. There are two different MHA rates:
- Residential MHA rates are based upon the zip code of the school (equivalent to the BAH for an E-5 with dependents.)
- Distance-only MHA is a nation-wide rate (half the national average BAH for an E-5 with dependents.)
Students eligible to earn the MHA must be more than half time to qualify. To earn the residential MHA, a student must be enrolled in at least one on-campus course at all times. If all courses within a term are online, the student will be paid the distance-only MHA.
Please expand the examples listed above to show examples of MHA pay rates. Still have questions? Email vabenefits@regent.edu.
PLEASE NOTE: MHA pay rates are prorated based upon training time and Chapter 33 Percentage of Eligibility.
VA Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Subsistence Allowance
In some cases, Veterans participating in the VR&E program may receive a subsistence allowance while they pursue an educational or training program in preparation for a future career. The subsistence allowance is paid each month, and is based on the rate of attendance in a training program (full time, three quarter time, or half time), the number of dependents, and the type of training. If a Veteran qualifies for the Post-9/11 GI Bill he/she may be eligible to receive the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rate for subsistence.