Funding for Veterans and Active Military

The VA requires the school to certify a student’s enrollment for payment of veterans’ educational benefits. To have your enrollment certified, complete the following:

• Step 1: Create your student account through MyDCE Portal
• Step 2: Submit your Documentation of Benefit Entitlement. Submit only one of the items listed below. Documentation may be uploaded via the document upload tool (accessible by logging into your student account), or you may email documentation to MilitaryBenefits@Extension.Harvard.edu. If you have already submitted documentation of benefit entitlement for a prior term you do not need to submit it again, unless requested. Additional documents may be required if you are attending, or have attended, other colleges or universities (see “Previous Affiliation” below), or if you have had a name change.
  • For Vocational Rehabilitation, your case manager must authorize your funding, and it will be your case manager who submits the documentation of your benefits.
  • Post-9/11 GI Bill® Statement of Benefits. The Post-9/11 GI Bill® Statement of Benefits is a document generated through the VA.gov portal. It provides details on remaining entitlement, eligibility percentage, and benefit end date.
  • Certificate of Eligibility (obtainable from the VA)
• Step 3: Submit additional payment if necessary. If your VA benefits do not cover the full tuition charged to your student account, you will need to provide additional payment to cover any remaining balance by the payment in full deadline.

Student Financial Services (SFS) will certify your enrollment with the VA for payment of benefits each term you are enrolled, until your benefits expire or until up-to-date documentation is required. If up-to-date documentation is required you will be notified. If you do not wish to use your benefits for a semester, you must send written notification to MilitaryBenefits@Extension.Harvard.edu.

SFS begins certifying enrollments after August 15 for the fall term, December 15 for the spring term, and May 20 for the summer term. Changes to student’s schedules will be reported to the VA on a regular basis.  Please note, you must be registered for the term before your enrollment can be certified to the VA.

Only courses that count toward completion of your degree program may be certified with the VA for payment of veterans’ educational benefits.

If you are eligible to receive Post-9/11 GI Bill® or Vocational Rehabilitation & Education benefits, you may register using these benefits as anticipated financial assistance without making an up-front payment, unless your benefit does not cover the full cost of tuition and fees.

SFS will estimate your anticipated financial assistance based on your benefit entitlement level (as indicated by the VA on your documentation of benefits), and the number of credits you enroll in. SFS then posts anticipated financial assistance, which may be used for registration purposes, to your student account.

Please allow up to seven business days from the date we receive your documentation of benefit entitlement or VR&E Funding Authorization for anticipated financial assistance to be posted to your student account.

If you register using your anticipated education benefit, but for any reason the benefit does not cover your balance, you are responsible for the outstanding balance. Payment must be received within 10 business days of the notification of your outstanding balance or you may be removed from your course(s).

To calculate your education benefit amount, refer to the GI Bill® summary on the GI Bill® website. Questions about eligibility and benefit amounts should be directed to the VA at 888-GIBILL-1 (888-442-4551).

If you have been affiliated with another institution of higher learning (IHL), there are requirements you must fulfill in order to have anticipated funding posted to your student account, and for the VA to provide educational benefits for your participation at the Harvard Extension/Summer School. These requirements depend upon your current status with the IHL previously attended. Failure to comply with the appropriate requirement may result in the VA not paying your educational benefits, in which case you will be responsible for the outstanding balance.

1. If you are currently a degree candidate at another college or university, and the Harvard Extension/Summer School course(s) you plan to enroll in will count towards your degree, you must have your primary school submit a primary school letter to MilitaryBenefits@Extension.Harvard.edu. At most schools, a primary school letter can be obtained from either your School Certifying Official or an Academic Advisor.
2. If you are not currently a degree candidate at your previous college or university and if the Harvard Extension/Summer School will be your primary school, you will need to submit a Request for Change of Program or Place of Training (VA Form 22-1995 or VA Form 22-5495) to the VA, and then notify us via MilitaryBenefits@Extension.Harvard.edu that you’ve completed the Request for Change of Program or Place of Training.

Harvard University Extension requires students to complete 2 or 3 prior credit prerequisite courses to qualify for admission, in order to ensure students have the foundational knowledge to succeed in our degree programs. VA benefits cannot be certified for these courses.

Visit Admissions for a full description of our course and non-course requirements for degree program admissions.

Once admitted, students may, if VA benefit-eligible, access and apply their GI Bill® benefits for the remainder of the courses required for their degrees.

Harvard University Extension will submit certified enrollment to the VA, once formally accepted into a degree program. The VA will make the final determination of eligibility and payment of benefits.

Neither participation in the Harvard Extension School professional graduate certificates nor Premedical Program constitutes participation in an approved program of study for payment of VA educational benefits.

Please make yourself familiar with the terms of your VA benefits. Information can be found on the VA’s GI Bill® website, Benefits.va.gov/GIBill/, or by contacting the VA directly at the GI Bill® Help Line (1-888-442-4551).

In accordance with federal regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 668.18 and the Department of Defense Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding, Harvard Extension School (HES) endeavors to promptly readmit service members who seek reentry to a degree program that was interrupted due to a uniformed service obligation.

Harvard Extension School is pleased to participate in the Post 9/11 Yellow Ribbon Program which makes available supplemental financial assistance to the base educational benefits provided by the Post-9/11 GI Bill®. Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP) funding is available to Harvard Extension School admitted degree candidates who meet VA eligibility requirements (see below). Yellow Ribbon funding is supplemental to the base tuition and fees benefits provided by the VA through the Post 9/11 GI Bill®.

Eligibility requirements:

• Student must have Post 9/11 GI Bill® entitlement level of 100%
• Student must not be on active duty or a spouse using transferred entitlement.
• Student must have reached the annual tuition and fees cap on Post 9-11 GI Bill® benefits for the academic school year (August 1 to July 31).
  • Cap on tuition funding for the 2023-24 academic year (8/1/2023 to 7/31/2024)  is $27,120.05
  • Cap on tuition funding for the 2024-25 academic year (8/1/2024 to 7/31/2025) is $28,937.09

Child transferees of active duty Service members may be eligible if the service member is qualified at the 100 percent rate.

If tuition and fees costs exceed the tuition and fees benefits provided by the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, veteran students who meet eligibility requirements will be provided with Yellow Ribbon funding automatically. There is no limit on the number of students who may receive Yellow Ribbon funding.

Active Duty Military Tuition Assistance (TA)

Active-Duty Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is a unique, distinct source of funding that may be available to eligible service members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard respectively. The process for securing TA funding varies among the different branches of service. For questions regarding TA eligibility or the process for applying for TA, speak with your Education Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within your specific branch prior to enrolling in courses and requesting TA. Additional information on utilizing Military Tuition Assistance can also be found online.

• Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy service members only: to ensure your TA authorization is for the correct school within the Harvard University system, your TA Authorization Form must include the following information: School Code 4845A, and Institution: Harvard Division of Continuing Education.

Eligible service members may upload approved TA Authorization Forms using the secure document uploader accessible in your account via the MyDCE Portal.  Please allow up to seven business days from the date we receive your TA Authorization Form for the payment to be credited to your student account.

Information on payment deadlines, registration deadlines, and other important dates can be found on the Harvard Extension School Calendar or Harvard Summer School Calendar.

Please note, if you elect to utilize approved active-duty military tuition assistance as a method of payment on your student account, these funds will be applied to your balance due for the term as the first source of payment. If for any reason your benefit does not cover your balance due in full, you are responsible for any remaining outstanding balance.

If you drop a course covered by TA funds during the drop for full tuition refund period, all TA funds will be returned to the appropriate military service branch. If a student with TA funding withdraws from a course(s) in a term, Student Financial Services may be required to return a portion of the TA funds to the appropriate military service branch based on when the student ceases attendance. Per DoD policy, when a student ceases attendance in a term, TA funds must be returned on a proportional basis up to the 60 percent point in the term.

Student Degree Plan
If you are required to provide a degree plan as part of your application for TA, please send an email request to MilitaryBenefits@Extension.Harvard.edu. Make sure your request contains the following information:

• The name of the degree program you plan to complete
• Your full name
• Your DCE ID
• The branch of service that is funding your TA

Cost Verification
If you are required to provide a cost verification as part of your application for TA , you need to  complete the course registration process to then view your statement (when available) by logging into your MyDCE student account.

Harvard Division of Continuing Education fully complies with Section 103.1.(b) of the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018. For students who are covered under Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Chapter 33, Harvard Division of Continuing Education will not impose any penalty on any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement of funding from the VA under Chapter 31 or Chapter 33. Covered students will not be prevented from attending or enrolling in courses, will not be charged late fees, and will not be otherwise denied access to University services due to late payment from the VA until 90 days after the school has certified tuition and fees to the VA following the receipt of a Certificate of Eligibility or Statement of Benefits. The Certificate of Eligibility or Statement of Benefits should be provided to the Student Financial Services Office prior to the start of classes to ensure that benefits are processed in a timely manner.