Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! NC State loves the diversity that military-affiliated students bring to the life of the campus. We are a Best for Vets, Top Military-Friendly, and Military Spouse Friendly school.

NC State offers a Director of Military and Veteran Services, a Service Center on campus, and two VA Education Benefits specialists. Military and Veteran Services also provides programming to students, faculty, and staff to ensure we are in line with the nation’s best practices for serving our military-affiliated students. Some of these best practices include specialized advising and orientation for military-affiliated students, honor cords for graduating veterans and service members, and a number of specialized resources across campus for our military-connected students.

Although it is not required, we highly recommend that all military-connected students indicate their affiliation through the application process. That way, we can connect with you shortly after you are admitted!

If you did not indicate your affiliation during the application process, or your affiliation has changed, we recommend you update your information on your MyPack Portal.

Student Profile – Personal Information – Veterans Information – Military Affiliation. Our office uses this information to send emails and updates to our students with resources and opportunities.

Click here to see estimated costs for undergraduate and graduate courses along with other costs that may occur.

You can find numerous online degree and certificate programs here. For other online options, we suggest reaching out to the department of interest directly.

You can find the school’s policy here.

Yes! Once you have been accepted to NC State, visit our Military Credit page and complete the Military Credit Request form.

There are numerous resources to be utilized here at State. Click this link to read more.

Yes! The Student Veteran Association (SVA) is an organization for Veterans, Active Duty, Guard members, and Reservists enrolled at NC State. Founded in 2011, the SVA has launched service projects, fundraising events, veteran suicide awareness campaigns, professional networking events and social support gatherings. We generally have about one meeting a month and also have an online Facebook group. Read more here.

• VFW Post 7383 is located at 522 Reedy Creek Road in Cary, NC
• US Veterans Corps is located at 1100 S. Saunders Street in Raleigh, NC
• American Legion Post 1 is located at 3600 Lee Road in Raleigh, NC
• Military Missions in Action is located at 411 N. Judd Parkway NE in Fuquay-Varina, NC
• Vets to Vets United, Inc. is located at 2510 Glendale Avenue in Durham, NC

As a current service member or veteran, you will apply as a transfer student. You can start by going here.

Please note the minimum 24-30 credit hour recommendation to be a competitive transfer student applicant, as well as the recommended coursework and GPA per college. The credit hours required to apply are typically earned at a community college or another university.

Application deadlines are October 1 for the spring semester and February 15 for the fall semester.

If you have questions about the application process, please contact undergraduate admissions at 919.515.2434 or undergrad-admissions@ncsu.edu.

We have partnerships with NC Community Colleges and participate in the Community College Collaboration, or C3 program. This is a great option to get back into the classroom mindset. Read more here.

You may also be interested in participating in the Non-Degree Studies program. Although benefits may not cover these courses, you can earn credits towards admission requirements. Read more here.

Contact undergraduate admissions for special accommodations at 919.515.2434 or undergrad-admissions@ncsu.edu.

Beginning in 2021, the undergraduate application fee will be waived for active-duty military personnel on the Common App, and for active-duty military personnel and veterans on the Coalition App. Additionally, your fee may be waived due to financial hardship. Please contact the Veterans Education office for more information regarding this process at 919.515.3048 or veterans-ed@ncsu.edu.

Specific programs may also have a military fee waiver, such as the MBA program. Check with your program of interest.

If applying as a transfer student, you do not need ACT or SAT scores.

If applying as a freshman, scores must be taken within five years of the semester you are applying for. For 2021 spring and fall applicants, submitting the SAT or ACT will be optional due to the limited testing opportunities caused by COVID-19. Check with Undergraduate Admissions for more information.

If you are using Post 9/11 GI Bill®, CH30 MGIB, or Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship the VA will pay the tuition and fees at the “In State” rate; you will be responsible for the remaining fees unless you are eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

If you are currently serving on active duty orders in North Carolina or are a dependent of an active duty service member stationed in North Carolina you may be eligible for reclassification.

More information can be found here.

Yes! You are able to use your VA education benefits at NC State as long as you are enrolled in a degree-seeking program, certificate program, or are an approved guest student. Information can be found here.

Receiving VA education benefits does not impact federal aid (e.g. federal grants and loans). We always encourage students to complete the FAFSA application each year to check eligibility for grants and scholarships.

Once the VA receives an education benefits application or a request for an updated Certificate of Eligibility letter, it can take the VA 4-6 weeks to process the application and mail a Certificate of Eligibility letter. We understand that the timing of accessing a letter may conflict when certifications are submitted to the VA for the semester.

To assist with the process moving forward in a timely manner, please still complete your certification request through your MyPack Portal. Instead of attaching your COE, submit a screenshot showing when you have submitted your application. Once you do receive your COE, please submit it via email to Veterans Education Benefits at veterans-ed@ncsu.edu.

The Department of Veterans Affairs determines eligibility based on your military records or the records of the service member who transferred benefits to you. Since our office does not have access to this information, you will need to contact the VA directly by either calling 888.442.4551 or using the Ask VA feature on the VA’s website. If you have used VA education benefits before, you can access your benefit level and remaining eligibility by logging into the va.gov statement of benefits.

You need to apply for benefits from the VA using va.gov application at least once. If you wish to be certified for benefits while enrolled in a program, you must submit a Certification Request via your MyPack Portal each semester you register for classes and wish to use eligible VA education benefits.

You can opt to not request to be certified during specific semesters on their program by not completing the certification request. For example, a student may receive scholarships for certain semesters and may want to reserve VA education benefits for another semester.

Courses must be required for graduation to be covered by your Post 9/11 and Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits.

If you are interested in taking a course at another institution that is countable toward your degree, you must first get the approval of your program. If it has been approved, inform your School Certifying Official of your intent to enroll at a second school. The School Certifying Official will provide a “Primary School Letter” that you will need to submit to the School Certifying Official at the other institution.

When using VA benefits at a new educational institution, students are required to submit a VA Form 22-1995 to the VA. You can do this electronically by visiting this VA web page.

The VA allows a school to submit a Post-9/11 certification to reflect course dates and number credits before or during the add/drop period so that the VA can issue the book stipend and housing allowance in a timely fashion. Since tuition and fees can change during the add/drop period, $0 is listed in the initial certification to avoid erroneous payments from the VA for tuition. After the add/drop period concludes, the School Certifying Official will submit an adjusted certification to indicate the accurate tuition amount so that tuition benefits can be sent to the school.

Once a certification requests tuition it can take 2-4 weeks for the VA to process and send payment directly to the school. As a part of this process, student tuition payment is on hold, so students do not need to pre-pay those costs. However, any other costs such as housing and meal plans do need to be paid.

Please note Ch 30, CH 35, and CH 1606 students receive a monthly stipend to their bank account, rather than the VA paying your tuition directly.

The VA sends the housing allowance at the beginning of the month for the previous month’s enrollment. For example, if you are eligible for the housing allowance and enrolled in classes in the month of September, the housing allowance will be sent to the bank account the VA has on file for you during the first week of October.

As a reminder, the VA will only send a payment for the dates you enrolled in classes, so if classes begin or end in the middle of the month, the VA will send a prorated monthly payment.

Please allow 72 hours from the first of the month for VA payments to show up in your bank account. You may call 888.442.4551 with payment questions or create an account through e-benefits. Once logged in, find the Education tab, then click on “VA Payment History.” Here you will find all pending payments, past payments and scheduled payments.

If you are eligible for Post-9/11 education benefits, the VA will send the book stipend directly to the bank account you provided the VA when you applied for benefits. It can take approximately 2-6 weeks from the date the initial certification was submitted by the school for payment to be released to you. The VA will continue to pay the book stipend at a per credit hour rate each term you are certified until your eligible maximum has been met for the academic year.

How much of the Post-9/11 book stipend you are eligible to receive depends on your percentage of eligibility. Please Note: If you are receiving benefits for Chapters 30, 35, and 1606 you are not eligible for the Book Stipend. If you are receiving VR&E benefits you are eligible to receive a Book Voucher to purchase books at the University Bookstore.

If you have questions about a book stipend you received from the VA, you will need to contact the VA directly at 888.442.4551.

Normally the letter will give you a few payment options. If you have further questions contact the VA Debt Management Center at 1.800.827.0648.

Tuition Assistance and Top-up are processed through the individual student’s branch of service. Your Education Center would be able to assist you through the process. For students with access to ArmyIgnited the process is explained in detail on their site.

The Office of Third Party Billing will process the authorization form and send an invoice to the branch of service so payment can be sent directly to the school. For more information, you may contact sponsorbilling@ncsu.edu or 919.513.4277.

If you use the Post 9/11 GI Bill® at the 100% rate, the Student Health Insurance is covered, as health insurance is required to be enrolled at NC State. Also, if you are unable to find a tutor at the school for a certain subject, the VA may provide you with a stipend to help pay for one. You can learn more here.

VA Education Benefits can be applied towards study abroad programs and those using Post 9/11 CH33 benefits may be eligible for additional costs outside of tuition and fees if the study abroad is a requirement of the student’s program.

Our Veterans Education office will work with you to get a cost expense sheet to be filled out by your study abroad advisor. You can email veterans-ed@ncsu.edu or stop by Military and Veteran Services for more assistance.