Veterans Services

Students who have served in the US Armed Forces may be eligible to receive Veterans’ educational assistance with educational expenses as well as Title IV Financial Aid funds. Veterans' benefits may also extend to the spouse and children of Veterans who are 100% permanently and totally disabled. Also, those who are in receipt of Post 9/11 G.I. Bill®, Transfer of Entitlement Benefits and the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry scholarship.

The Veterans Services staff at Broward College acts as liaisons between the Veteran students and the Veterans Administration by offering the following:

  • Submission of completed forms to the Veterans Administration
  • Certification of attendance
  • Certification of tuition
  • Current news and information
  • Checking on the status of payments, housing, and tuition
  • Verifying sponsor information for dependents
  • Checking status of applications
  • Verifying entitlement

Veterans needing additional assistance with Veterans education benefits should visit va.gov or call toll-free 888-442-4551 (888-GIBILL1) to speak with a Veterans Administration representative.

Broward College has Veterans support services at the Central campus location in Davie Florida. Veteran students can also receive assistance remotely by joining Qless. Qless is a virtual line to speak with a representative. Broward College Veterans service team is here to assist Veterans with their transition to college. Veterans must submit a Veteran Benefits Certification request form each term they are enrolled. To submit the form, click step 2 on the Eligibility and Benefit Processing page. Students can meet with the Veteran advising team or Senior Financial Aid Advisor for assistance with completing and reviewing documents in order to be certified by the Veterans Services. Broward College has approved programs for Veterans training which includes pursuing approved Associate and Bachelor's degrees and some certificate programs.

Veterans are encouraged to apply for experiential learning credit for training received in the Armed Forces in order to accelerate their educational goals. The Broward College Admissions Office will grant credit for evaluated military education that has been recommended as suitable for postsecondary credit by the American Council on Education Guide. Veterans who served in the Army, Coast Guard, Marines, or Navy will request an official transcript or Joint Services Transcript (JST) at https://jst.doded.mil. Veterans who served in the Air Force will need to request their transcripts from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) at https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Barnes/CCAF/.

Prior education transcript and Joint Service Transcripts must be submitted to the admissions office, https://www.broward.edu/registrar/.

For more detailed information, see the Credits for Prior Learning section of this catalog. Once an official Military transcript (JST or CCAF) is received, the Veteran must meet with an Academic Advisor and request a review of military training.

Veterans who have submitted a certification request form will be certified by the Broward College Veterans Coordinator. Students can only be certified if in good academic standing and adhering to the college attendance policy. More detailed information on attendance and academic requirements may be found on the Broward College website. Veterans needing additional assistance with their benefits can email veterans@broward.edu or visit the VA website at va.gov or call toll-free 888-442-4551 (888-GIBILL1) to speak with a Veterans Administration representative.

VETERANS BILLING POLICY

In accordance with Title 38 US Code § 3679 subsection (e), and effective August 1, 2019, this school adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Veterans Readiness & Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from the VA. Within 90 days of the date when Broward College certifies the student's tuition and fees following receipt of the student’s VA Certificate of Eligibility,

 Broward College will not:

  • Prevent the student’s enrollment.
  • Assess a late penalty fee to the student.
  • Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding.
  • Deny the student access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

However, to qualify for this provision, Broward College students will be required to provide the College with:

  • A copy of his/her VA Certification of Eligibility (COE) or a Statement of Benefits which can be obtained from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) website eBenefits at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov. Student's will need to upload this document to the Veteran Benefit Certification form at https://www.broward.edu/veterans/eligibility-benefit-processing.html
  • An approval letter or Tungsten Authorization form for chapter 31 benefits, from the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VRE) counselor.

Veterans receiving benefits must complete all coursework each term to avoid being billed for withdrawing or being dropped from classes. If a Veteran student does not attend class after the drop and add period in each session, the student will be withdrawn from classes and/or receive a failing grade for non-attendance. Withdrawing from or dropping courses could result in termination of benefits and/or owing money to the VA and Broward College. It is the Veteran’s responsibility to notify the Veteran Coordinator before withdrawing from any class at any point during the term. 

Veterans who receive Title IV funding (Financial Aid) must adhere to the withdrawal policies (6hx2-4.19 and 6hx2-5.36) and the Federal Return of Title IV Funds policy (6hx2-6.46).

ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY

In accordance with Florida Statute 1009.21(10)(a), Active Duty members of the Armed Services of the United States, their spouses and dependent children and active drilling members of the Florida National Guard who are residing or stationed in Florida at the time of acceptance to a Florida College System institution or state university, shall be classified as Florida Residents for Tuition Purposes. 

In addition, in accordance with Florida Statute 1009.21(10)(b), Active duty members of the Armed Services of the United States, their spouses and dependents attending a Florida College System institution or state university within 50 miles of the military establishment where they are stationed at the time of acceptance to the Florida College System institution, shall be classified as Florida Residents for Tuition Purposes, if the military establishment is within a county contiguous to Florida.  

In accordance with Florida Statute 1009.26(14), Active Duty members of the Armed Forces of the United States, residing or stationed anywhere outside of Florida, will be provided an out-of-state tuition and fee waiver for enrollment at Broward College, or at any Florida public university, a career center or charter technical career center.

Active Duty service members, eligible Reservists, and National Guardsmen can also use their military benefits at Broward College. Tuition Assistance (TA) and Educational Dollars for Duty (EDD) are also Active Duty military benefits that help pay the cost of tuition for those who are eligible. These programs are administered and sponsored by the service member's specific branch of the military. To use military Tuition Assistance or Educational Dollars for Duty at Broward College, Active Duty, Reservist, and National Guard students must submit a copy of the Tuition Assistance voucher or Educational Dollars for Duty voucher to the Cashier's office. You can submit your voucher at your campus Cashier Office or online via Third Party Voucher Submission Form.

Students using TA or EDD are responsible for obtaining the approved voucher and submitting it to the Cashier’s Office. The Cashier’s Office will apply tuition coverage once the voucher is received and classes for the student will not be dropped while BC waits to receive payment from the military.

Note: It is the student’s responsibility to notify their Command and the Broward College Bursar’s office of schedule changes in circumstances where the military TA or EDD is covering tuition. TA and EDD students must pay any charges not covered by TA or EDD by the College's established due date to prevent classes from being dropped for non-payment. TA and EDD students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA as well. Completing the FAFSA does not affect TA or EDD. 

FLORIDA RESIDENCY AND VETERANS FEE WAIVER

In accordance with 38 United States Code § 3679(c), and effective July 1, 2015, Florida Statute 1009.26(13) was established to provide out-of-state tuition and fee waivers to veterans and eligible dependents who attend Florida public, post-secondary institutions and who physically reside within the state of Florida. The Florida Statute, known as the Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young Veteran Tuition Waiver Program, waives out-of-state fees for a person who is:

  1. An honorably discharged veteran of the United States Armed Forces, the United States Reserve Forces, or the National Guard who physically resides in this state while enrolled in the institution.
  2. An individual who is entitled to and who is using educational assistance provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs [this could include veterans who do not have an honorable discharge] for a quarter, semester, or term, and who physically resides in Florida while enrolled in the institution.

If you do not qualify for Florida residency, you may be eligible for an out-of-state tuition waiver for Veterans and Dependents. If you are an honorably discharged veteran, National Guardsman, or Reservist seeking approval for the waiver under category #1, above, you must provide a copy of your DD Form 214 (Member 4) or DD Form 256, indicating your honorable discharge status. If you are a veteran or a veteran dependent (spouse or child) seeking approval under category #2, above, you must provide your VA Certificate of Eligibility, a VA Statement of Benefits, or a Chapter 31, Tungsten Authorization form. Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, National Guard, and Reserves, as well as veterans and veteran dependents receiving and using educational assistance form the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must provide proof of physically residing within the state of Florida while enrolled at Broward College. This may include but is not limited to a copy of a Florida driver’s license, a Florida identification card, or a copy of a lease. Please note the documents do not have a minimum issue date.

*All documents must be dated before the semester start date for the term in which you’re seeking the waiver of out-of-state fees.

This Out-of-State Tuition Waiver for Veterans and Dependents must be submitted each semester by the student.

To access and complete the form for the "Out of State Tuition Waiver for Veterans & Dependents", students should visit the Admissions & Registration page at https://www.broward.edu/studentforms/.

DISABLED VETERANS FEE WAIVER

On October 20, 2022, the State Board of Education approved Rule 6A-10.0451, Florida Administrative Code, Tuition and Fee Waivers for Disabled Veterans. The rule allows Florida College System (FCS) institutions to establish a fee waiver for disabled veterans who are enrolled in a postsecondary program and receive educational assistance under the G.I. Bill®, but who do not qualify for the 100 percent eligibility tier federally. This bill and the accompanying rule create greater access to higher education for disabled veterans, building upon Florida’s longstanding commitment to military service members.

These students are eligible to receive a waiver in the amount that is the portion of tuition and fees paid with federal benefits under 38 U.S.C. s. 3313 and any federal or state scholarships and grants, subtracted from the full amount of tuition and fees charged by the institution attended.

The waiver will be granted if the following criteria can be met:

  1. The individual is a resident of the state of Florida and can provide proof of residency. This may include but is not limited to a copy of Florida driver’s license, Florida identification card, or copy of lease, electric bill, or water bill.
  2. The individual can provide proof they have a service-connected 100% total and permanent disability rating for compensation.
  3. This would include but is not limited to:
    • An official document from the Department of Veterans Affairs or an Armed Forces branch certifying the 100 percent total and permanent service-connected disability rating.
    • An official document or retired orders from an Armed Forces branch showing that the veteran was retired due to a service-connected disability or has been transferred to a Disability Retirement List with a 100 percent total and permanent service-connected disability rating.

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