Office of Veteran Student Success

Chapter 30 – Montgomery GI Bill^®

Benefit provides a monthly educational assistance allowance for up to 36 months. Additional information and payment rates can be found on above link.

Chapter 31 - Veterans Readiness and Employment

Benefit provides 100% of tuition, fees & books to qualified veterans with an established service-connected disability. Benefit includes a monthly allowance for living expenses. Additional information and payment rates can be found on above link.

Chapter 33 – Post 9/11^®

The benefit provides qualified veterans and dependents (with transferred entitlement) up to 36 months of educational assistance. Beginning fall 2021, students at the 100% benefit level will receive up to $26,042.81 per academic year toward tuition/fees and may qualify for Yellow Ribbon benefits; students with less than 100% benefit will receive their prorated benefit level of the $26,042.81. For students beginning fall 2022, the benefit amount will be increasing to $26,381.37 with the same eligibility parameters. In addition, students are eligible for a book stipend up to $1,000 and a monthly housing allowance. Additional information and housing allowance rates can be found on above link.

Yellow Ribbon Program

RIT is proud to be a partner with the US Department of Veteran Affairs in administering the Yellow Ribbon program, providing qualified veterans and dependents 100% tuition coverage per standard academic year for Undergraduate and Graduate degree programs.*  Eligible students must be approved for Post 9/11 benefits at the 100% tier

Yellow Ribbon Contribution: RIT will contribute up to an additional $14,237 per academic year and the VA will match dollar for dollar. These combined contributions, in addition to the $26,381.37 Post 9/11 benefit, provide students with up to $54,855.37 in funding towards RIT tuition, per academic year. Total Contributions cannot exceed the cost of tuition.

*Exception applies to students within RIT’s EMBA programs. Yellow Ribbon funding can be utilized but tuition coverage will vary. Contact Veteran Services Office for details.

Chapter 35 – Dependents’ Education Assistance (DEA)

Benefit provides monthly educational assistance to eligible dependents of certain veterans for up to 36 months. Additional information and payment rates can be found on above link.

Chapter 1606 – Montgomery GI Bill®: Selected Reserve

Benefit provides a monthly educational assistance allowance for up to 36 months. Additional information and payment rates can be found on above link.

All students applying to use military funding at RIT should already possess the VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) confirming benefits. If you do not have this form, you will need to complete the VON APP (VA application for benefits) found on the VA website.  Once you have the Certificate of Eligibility and have been admitted to RIT, please fax/scan/drop-off the required documents to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

If you are a Veteran, Service member, Active Duty Soldier, Dependent or Spouse using Chapters 30, 31, 35, 1606 or Post 9/11® AND are a new student at RIT the following documents must be submitted before benefits can be administered:

• Military & Veteran Services Student Benefit Worksheet
  • 2022 – 2023 Academic Year - closed
    • 2023-2024 RIT VA Benefit Worksheet
• VA Certificate of Eligibility or Award Letter
• Veterans DD214 (required by Veterans only)
• Change of Place of Training VA Form 22-1995 or 22-5495 (only required if benefits have been used at an institution prior to attending RIT)

If you received military benefits at RIT during the 2021-2022 academic year, the following documents must be submitted to the Veterans Services Office at RIT to ensure continuation of benefits in the 2022-2023 academic year:

• Military & Veteran Services Student Benefit Worksheet
  • 2023-2024 VA Benefits Worksheet
• Confirmation of remaining months of entitlement
  • Veterans must provide either a recent VA award letter or an eBenefits printout
  • Dependents must provide a recent VA award letter

The RIT Helen and Frederick Blaessig Annual Memorial Scholarship Award was established by Monroe County Powers Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 15 in honor of Frederick Blaessig, a 1941 RIT graduate.

A deserving disabled American veteran, or the spouse, child, or grandchild of a disabled American veteran will be selected annually in May for payment in the following year. The Award recipient will be selected based on demonstrated Academic Excellence and Financial need. Candidates for this award must be registered, matriculated students (full-time or part-time) at the Rochester Institute of Technology during the year the award is paid. The application form can be downloaded here. Applications will be accepted between November 15th, 2023 and April 15th, 2024

To be considered for the scholarship, please submit the completed form and supporting documents to the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships.

Veteran and active duty service members are eligible for an application fee waiver. After you submit your application the waiver will be applied automatically based on the military status.

More information on third party scholarships can be found here.

• http://www.va.gov/
• GI Bill hotline: 1-888-442-4551
• Submit a Question to the VA

RIT participates in the Principles of Excellence program, which sets guidelines that universities receiving federal funding for some military and veterans educational benefits programs. 

Based on these guidelines, active duty military, veterans and their dependents can expect RIT to:

• Give you a written personal summary of the total cost of your educational program, including:
  • The costs covered by your benefits.
  • The financial aid you may qualify for.
  • Your expected student-loan debt after you graduate.
  • Other information to help you compare aid packages offered by different schools.
• Give you an educational plan with a timeline showing how and when you can fulfill everything required for you to graduate.
• Assign you a point of contact who will give you ongoing academic and financial advice (including access to disability counseling).
• Allow for you to be gone for both long and short periods of time due to service obligations (service you must fulfill) for active-duty service members and Reservists.
• Make sure all new programs are accredited (officially approved) before enrolling students.
• Make sure their refund policies follow Title IV rules, which guide federal student financial aid programs.
• Not use fraudulent (deceitful) and aggressive methods of recruiting.

We recognize that transitioning from the military life to the life of a college student can present new challenges. We are committed to helping you meet these challenges and to succeed at RIT. RIT offers a wide array of excellent academic and personal support services that can be accessed directly. Students looking to use VA benefits for tutorial services or VA work study will be well advised to check with our office first.

Academic Support Services:

Whether you need help with the content of a class, or you need help figuring out the best ways to take notes, study, or manage your time to get all your work well done, RIT has people dedicated to helping you. You can receive help individually, in groups, one time only, or all semester long. There are multiple options! Here are some of the places where you may find the help you need:

• The Academic Support Center offers help to students in content areas (such as math) and with the general skills needed to be a successful student.
• The Bates and Sol Study Centers offers free drop-in math and physics tutoring.

Personal Counseling and Support Services:

RIT’s Counseling Center provides personal counseling, career counseling, group counseling, and psychological and vocational assessments. Although there is no limit on the number of sessions a student may have through the Center, it recognizes that student veterans can experience difficulties resulting from their military life, which can fall outside its expertise. RIT’s Counseling Center is able to refer student veterans to local agencies specializing in veterans’ issues:

• The Veterans Outreach Center, which is not affiliated with the VA
• The Rochester Vet Center
• Rochester VA Outpatient Clinic

Because women’s needs can be different than men’s needs, The Center for Women and Gender strives to foster an educational environment in which women can be personally, academically and professionally successful.

Tutorial assistance helps the student pay for necessary tutoring and is a supplement to the student’s regular education benefit. Tutorial assistance is available if you are receiving VA educational assistance at the half-time or greater rate and have a deficiency in a subject making tutoring necessary. For additional information, including an overview and application form, please review VA - Tutorial Assistance.

Military Tuition Assistance is a benefit paid to eligible members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Each Service has its own criteria for eligibility, application process, and restrictions.

The application process for military Tuition Assistance (TA) funding is specific to each military service branch. Please note, all branches require service members to first receive approval from their command before enrolling for courses.

For more information on eligibility information, and approval for Military Tuition Assistance specific to your situation, speak with your Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within your Military Service. Please see the links provided below for more information and application steps required by your respective branch:

Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard 

Army, Army Reserve, Air National Guard   

Coast Guard

Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserve   

Navy 

Once you receive final approval from your command authority, service members may begin course enrollment. Submit your approved TA request to the Office of Student Financial Services at RIT asksfs@rit.edu , and contact them with any questions regarding your tuition bill and student account.

Note: RIT administers Military Tuition Assistance in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the DoD TA Program MOU. Unearned tuition assistance (TA) funds are returned on a proportional basis through at least the 60 percent portion of the period for which the funds were provided. When a Service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, RIT will work with the affected Service member to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion.

To learn more about using your GI Bill benefits to cover the cost of exams, approved exams, and the process to submit a reimbursement request review VA – Licensing & Certification .

This website can be utilized to request military transcripts be sent to RIT.

All veterans using chapters 30, 1606, or 1607 must verify their enrollment each month to the VA in order to receive payment for that month. This monthly verification can be done by one of the two following ways:

1. Phone: 1-877-823-2378
2. Internet: Log into the program called WAVE (Web Automated Verification of Enrollment)

RIT offers many different housing options to student veterans both on and off campus. In addition, Margaret’s House, a Child Care Center, is located right on the RIT campus.

On campus housing: For information on housing on RIT’s campus, please go to our RIT Housing website.

Off campus housing: There are a lot of options near RIT. For help regarding off-campus housing, visit our Student Affairs website.

Daycare:  Children between the ages of 8 weeks and kindergarten can attend Margaret’s House Child Care Center on campus. Financial aid is available. Children in kindergarten through grade three can also attend Margaret’s House after school hours, on their days off, and in the summer.

School District: RIT is located in the Rush-Henrietta School District, which provides bus transportation. Its excellent high school is rated in the top 1,000 high schools in the U.S. by Newsweek Magazine (2008).

If you are a parent or spouse wanting to transfer your military benefits, utilize the following VA and DoD links to learn more about the process.

VA - Transfer of Post-9/11 GI-Bill® Benefits to Dependents (TEB)

DoD - GI Bill® Transferability

The Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) Program provides opportunity for veterans of all ages to gain access to information about college and career exploration and acquire academic skills required for entry into post-secondary training. Services are offered continuously throughout the year and include short-term remedial coursework in math and English, workshops, self-paced computer tutorials, individualized tutoring and classroom-based instruction. We also offer one-on-one support to help participants transition and succeed at the institution of their choice, which may be a skills center, vocational/trade school, community college and/or university. We understand that not all people have the same needs and the RIT VUB program is designed to meet the unique needs and interests of each veteran admitted to the program.

All VUB classes and supplies are FREE to qualified veterans. This is a TRiO Program, federally funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

This program is funded to serve 125 participants each year from 9 counties within a 90 mile radius of Rochester, NY which include: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates.

For questions, eligibility requirements and to apply, contact Amy Ortiz, Veterans Upward Bound Director at 585-475-5495 or by email at ajoddi@rit.edu