Military students can receive tuition assistance under Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty. Students must meet one of four categories of eligibility to quality for this education benefit. For a list of categories, please visit the VA.gov website.

Veteran students are eligible to receive tuition assistance under Chapter 31 education benefits if they meet the following requirements:

• Received an honorable discharge from duty
• Have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% from the Veterans Administration

If discharged from active duty before January 1, 2013, your eligibility period expires 12 years from either one of the dates listed below (whichever comes later):

• Date of separation from active duty
• Date you received your first VA service-connected disability rating

Veteran students are eligible to receive tuition assistance under Chapter 33 education benefits if they meet one or more of the following requirements:

• You served at least 90 days on active duty on/after September 11, 2001
• You received a Purple Heart on/after September 11, 2001 and received an honorable discharge from duty
• You served at least 30 continuous days (without a break in service) on/after September 11, 2001 and were honorably discharged from duty with a service-connected disability
• You’re a dependent child utilizing benefits transferred by a qualifying Veteran or service member (Find out if you or your family member are eligible for a transfer of benefits)

In addition to tuition assistance, eligible Chapter 33 education benefits recipients may also qualify for a monthly housing allowance (MHA), books and supplies, and a one-time moving expense stipend.

Find out how the VA determines Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits.

Coppin State University is a proud participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program under the Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits. This program was designed to assist with higher out of state, foreign school or graduate school tuition and fees that the Post-9/11 GI Bill alone does not cover. We award a maximum of $1000 to a qualified veteran student in their undergraduate studies. STEM scholarship recipients do not qualify for Yellow Ribbon Program funding.

Yellow Ribbon Program Eligibility and Requirements

Surviving spouses, children or dependent children of a service member are also eligible for VA education benefits. Students will receive a monthly stipend based on your enrollment status to assist with school and related expenses. Dependents who became eligible as of August 1, 2023 can access their 36 months of entitlement over a lifetime and are no longer limited to age or time period. Spouses still have 10 years to access their entitlement from the date their eligibility begins. For more information, visit VA's Survivor and Dependent Benefits webpage.

The MGIB-SR program offers a monthly stipend to help offset the education expenses for Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard Reserve, National Guard or Air National Guard members.

Check your eligibility or current payment rates for this program.

Download the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) fact sheet (PDF) for information about REAP education benefits.

Military students can begin their VA education benefits application online, via mail or in-person.

Online: Complete and submit your VA Educations Benefits Application online.

Mail: Call The Education Call Center at (888) 442-4551 to receive an application via postal mail.

In Person: You can also visit your local VA regional office. Locate the office nearest you.

Coppin State University ranks as one of the most affordable colleges and universities in Maryland, yet our average cost of attendance varies annually. Please visit Tuition and fees to view the cost of attendance for the current and previous years.

Military students will complete and submit their Enrollment Certification Request Form to our School Certifying Official (SCO) every semester they’re enrolled and wish to access their VA education benefits. A copy of your Certificate of Eligibility letter and DD-214 form (if applicable) is needed with your first enrollment certification. The Enrollment Certification form must be submitted within 30 days after the start of the semester. Changes that occur to your enrollment during the semester (course adds, drops, swaps, withdrawals) must be reported to the SCO.

Self-Enrollment Verification: In addition to submitting your Enrollment Certification form, students receiving Chapter 30, 1606 or 1607 benefits must verify their attendance at the end of each month using the WAVE portal.

Students under the Post-9/11 GI Bill receiving monthly housing allowances and a kicker payment must report their monthly enrollment via text or by phone. Call the Education Call Center (888) 442-4551 to begin this process.

Coppin State University accepts up to 70 credits of prior learning from community colleges and up to 90 credits from four-year institutions. We also accept and evaluate all Joint Services Transcripts (JST) for applicable credits.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is an agreement between an institution of higher learning and the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist with out of state, and graduate school tuition and fees that exceed the Post-9/11 GI Bill allowed amount. Funding is only available to veterans who meet the criteria for the Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits. If you are a dependent or spouse of a veteran under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you must be eligible for Transfer of Entitlement (TOE). Visit the VA website for more information about the TOE process. Yellow Ribbon program funding is available for a maximum of 8 students who meet the requirements. A maximum of $1000 is awarded to each student each year.

We understand your service obligation can potentially halt or delay your academic advancement, but we are dedicated to making your temporary departure and return to civilian life a seamless process. Service members withdrawing from their studies to fulfill military orders will first complete the University Withdrawal Request Form indicating deployment/active duty as the withdrawal reason. Submit your form along with a copy of your military orders to the Registrar's Office, located in the Miles Connor Administration Building, suite 138. Returning service members will be reinstated in accordance with Chapter 3 Volume 2 of the Federal Student Aid Handbook. Upon readmission, service members will resume the enrollment and academic status as previously held. If the student is readmitted into their original degree program, they will resume the same tuition/fee amount that would've been assessed during the semester of deployment. Regardless of your academic career, all service members and reservists should also contact the School Certifying Official during this time to discuss any changes/updates in your education benefits that could affect the information reported to the Veterans Administration/Department of War. 

YES! Students are able to utilize Title IV funding and VA education benefits concurrently. Most VA education benefits are tuition and mandatory fees specific, but students are able to apply additional federal aid (grants, loans, scholarships) to offset the cost of other school related expenses such as room/board and books. Students interested in accessing financial aid must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to assess their individual need/eligibility. Please visit the Office of Financial Aid homepage for more information. 

Concurrent access to Chapter 35 VA education benefits is permitted. You would still be limited to a maximum of 36 or 45 months of available benefits. Deductions will occur from each entitlement source on a monthly basis. 

As part of our responsibility to the student, we must do our due diligence in complying with the Department of Defense's policy for returning unearned tuition assistance. If a service member withdraws from a course before the 60% completion date, we must document the withdrawal and return the unused tuition assistance funds for that semester. Below is an example of the funds returned in a semester/session based on the withdrawal timeframe: 

15-Week semester 

9-Weeks Session

7- Weeks Session  

6-Weeks Session 

3-Weeks Session