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MILITARY & VETERAN FINANCIAL AID

Regardless of eligibility for Military/VA benefits, all students are encouraged to apply for additional assistance (scholarships, grants, etc.) with the DBU Financial Aid office: https://www.dbu.edu/financial-aid/.

Questions about how VA benefits may interact with any financial aid or military funding should be directed to the VA School Certifying Officials (SCOs) in Military & Veteran Services and the designated military point-of-contact in Financial Aid.

“Eligibility” vs. “Applicability” of Institutional Awards in conjunction with VA Benefits:

Anticipated/actual VA benefits will not adversely affect a VA student’s “eligibility” for any institutional Financial Aid award; however, most institutional (unfunded) awards are designated by Financial Aid only to be “applicable” at-need towards any remaining uncovered tuition costs. 

Example 1:  If students receive all of the tuition paid by VA Chapter 31 (VR&E) or 100% Chapter 33 (Post-9/11) benefits, (or if all tuition is paid by employer tuition reimbursement), then there is not any remaining tuition “applicable” for institutional awards. 

Example 2:  If students receive fewer than the 100% rate of Chapter 33 (Post-9/11) benefits (or if partial tuition is paid by employer tuition reimbursement), then there may be at-need remaining tuition “applicable” for institutional awards.

Example 3:  If students receive 100% Ch. 33 (Post-9/11) benefits, but are not eligible for Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP) funding (see separate YRP section below), and they surpass the VA annual tuition & fees cap, then there may be at-need remaining tuition “applicable” for institutional awards.

Example 4:  If Ch. 33 benefits of any percentage tier will exhaust mid-term without extension, tuition-only institutional scholarships are not applicable.  Therefore, in such rare cases, it may be in the best interest of the student to elect not to be certified in order to receive other institutional awards, depending on which funding source can potentially provide more value.

Any applicable institutional award (e.g., Christian Service, Academic Honors, etc.) or other third-party private scholarships (e.g. employer tuition reimbursement) applied directly to the student’s account and designated only to pay for tuition are deducted from the VA tuition & fees certified/reported by the VA SCOs for Chapter 33 (Post-9/11) or Chapter 31 (VR&E) benefits (i.e., Chapter 33 or 31 only pays towards the net amount of tuition after any applicable scholarships).

Note that students (regardless of VA status) may miss out on “eligibility” for some institutional awards if they do not apply in their first semester, depending on certain award requirements.  Therefore, even if a VA student anticipates 100% of their tuition to be covered for most of their education program, it may still be in their best interest to continue applying for other Financial Aid awards each term that may eventually be “applicable” if/when they run out of VA benefits entitlement.

Students receiving VA benefits should note that the VA calculations for Rate-of-Pursuit (ROP) or Training-Time (TT), depending on chapter of VA benefits, are based on each specific enrollment term and can be different from the measurements used by DBU’s Registrar’s Office and Financial Aid office for other government reporting of academic status (Full-Time, Half-Time, etc.).  See the “VA Academic Load” section above for more details.

Credit Balance Refunds in conjunction with VA Benefits:

Anytime a credit balance is created by any payments/funding, the student’s account is reviewed to ensure no VA debts may be incurred by the institution before approving refund to the student.  In compliance with Title IV regulations, the Financial Aid Office does not withhold/postpone the application/refunds of federal grants/loans.  Once received, the grants/loans are immediately applied to the student’s account by the Financial Aid office to pay towards any charges on the account.  Students should understand that grants/loans designated for the purpose of education costs are paid to the institution and are not directly paid to the student.  If the student account balance is greater-than the amount of the grants/loans, then there will not be any credit balance generated for student refund.  If the student account balance is fewer than the amount of the grants/loans, then only a partial credit balance may be generated for student refund; subsequently, additional funding (e.g., VA benefit) that arrives later may generate an additional credit balance for student refund.  VA Chapter 33 (Post-9/11) and Chapter 31 (VR&E) tuition and fees payments do not generally arrive until later in each term after the invoicing/billing processes have been completed.  If a VA student is anticipating all/some of their account charges to be covered by VA benefits while also applying for grants/loans expecting to receive all/some of the grant/loan funding as a refund check, then there will be a delay between the application of the grant/loan early in the term and when the VA payments arrive later in the term.  Students should not expect expedited processing of the VA certification/billing processes by the VA SCOs and Financial Aid office for the desire of receiving potential refunds from grants/loan sooner; instead, all students may be assured that the respective departments are diligently processing all students as soon as possible and within federal compliance timelines.


MACM Chaplaincy Scholarships:

For eligibility and award amount information, please contact the Director of the Chaplaincy Program in the Graduate School of Ministry regarding either the “DBU Chaplaincy Scholarship” or the “DBU Military Chaplaincy Scholarship.”  As of January 2022, the Chaplaincy Program Director confirmed to the VA SCOs and Financial Aid office that both chaplaincy scholarships are “funded” awards able to pay for any remaining student account charges; however, the awards are not refundable, meaning that they will be adjusted if awarded in excess of remaining charges after other funding is applied such as VA benefits or employer tuition reimbursement.  Because these awards do not apply only towards tuition, they are not deducted from the net amount of VA billing.

Private Scholarships

Students who have been accepted to the university and paid the admissions “enrollment” fee can access a list of private “Scholarship Opportunities” in the MyDBU portal which can be filtered or key word searched for several military and dependent related awards.  For assistance with this list, please contact Scholarship and Grant Resources (Scholarships@dbu.edu, 214-333-6939).

Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship

The Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship is a provision of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act (Forever GI Bill®) which gives extra benefits to VA students training in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. It provides up to nine months of additional Post-9/11 GI Bill® entitlement (or a maximum of $30,000) to qualifying Veterans and Fry Scholars seeking a STEM degree or who have earned a STEM degree and are seeking a teaching certification. Eligibility is determined by VA. For additional information, including how to apply, visit the Rogers STEM Scholarship website at https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/fgib/stem.asp.

Fry Scholarship

If your parent or spouse died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, while serving in one of the Armed Forces, or was a member of the Selected Reserve who died from a service-connected disability, you may qualify for this benefit.  The Fry Scholarship funding is a sub-category of Chapter 33 (Post-9/11) VA benefits (see “Chapters of VA Benefits” section above).  For complete eligibility information of the Gunner Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship, visit: https://www.va.gov/education/survivor-dependent-benefits/fry-scholarship/.

Hazlewood Act:

Unfortunately, the Hazlewood Act is available only for use at Texas public schools, and DBU does not qualify for this benefit since we are a private institution.  If Hazlewood is your only means of paying for your education, you may visit https://www.tvc.texas.gov/education/hazlewood/  for info about applying and finding a “public” school.  However, you may be eligible for other VA benefits applicable at DBU (see “Chapters of VA Benefits” section above).  Regardless of eligibility for Military/VA benefits, all students are encouraged to apply for additional assistance (scholarships, grants, etc.) with the DBU Financial Aid office: https://www.dbu.edu/financial-aid/.

Military Tuition Assistance (TA)

Dallas Baptist University is a signatory to the current Department of Defense Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (DOD MOU).

Students should coordinate Tuition Assistance (TA) benefits with the designated military point-of-contact representatives in both the Financial Aid and Cashier departments. Tuition Assistance (TA) and some chapters of VA benefits may not be utilized simultaneously during the same term. Questions about how TA funding interacts with VA benefits should be directed to the VA School Certifying Officials (SCOs) in Military & Veteran Services .

DoD Federal Tuition Assistance (TA)

The Department of Defense (DOD) Tuition Assistance (TA) program provides financial assistance to service members for voluntary off-duty education programs. TA may be available for courses that are offered in the classroom or through distance learning that are part of an approved academic degree or certificate program. Links to “Service-Specific TA Policies and Procedures” are available at: https://www.dantes.doded.mil/FinancialAid/MilitaryTuitionAssistance.html.

Texas State Tuition Assistance (TA)

Funded by the State of Texas, the State TA program is an education benefit that provides money for college to eligible members of the Texas Military Department pursuing their educational and career goals. This benefit is available during Fall and Spring semesters only (no Summer classes) to actively drilling members (not AGR) of any of the 3 following Texas components: Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG), Texas Air National Guard (TXANG), Texas State Guard (TXSG).  For more eligibility/application information, visit: https://tmd.texas.gov/state-tuition-assistance-program.

National Guard Scholarships

To receive one of these scholarships, you must be involved in the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) with a National Guard unit while in school and have a letter of acceptance from a local Guard unit stating that they will accept you in an SMP status. Following graduation, cadets begin a new Military Service Obligation (MSO) contract and serve eight years in the Guard, which includes training. Please visit https://www.nationalguard.com/tools/guard-scholarships/ for information about the Dedicated Army National Guard (DEDNG) scholarship, the Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty (GRD) Scholarship, and the Minuteman (MM) Scholarship.

ROTC Scholarships

See catalog sections titled “Army ROTC” and “Air Force ROTC” under the “Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)” catalog section for further information about ROTC admission.  (Home > Undergraduate > Special Programs)

Questions about how VA benefits may interact with any ROTC awards should be directed to the VA School Certifying Officials (SCOs) in Military & Veteran Services.

DBU ROTC Tuition Scholarship

ROTC cadets may receive award of $1,000.00 per semester towards tuition.  Students should confirm eligibility stipulations with DBU’s ROTC liaison or the VA SCOs in Military & Veteran Services.

DBU ROTC Room & Board Scholarships

Per “Memorandum of Agreement between the US Army, Dallas Baptist University, and University of Texas at Arlington – Supplemental Considerations for the SROTC program: 4 Year National Scholarship awardees will receive a 4 year room and board scholarship from DBU.  3 Year National Scholarship awardees will receive a 3 year room and board scholarship from DBU [which] will commence at the start of the cadets’ second year.”  Students should confirm eligibility stipulations with DBU’s ROTC liaison or the VA SCOs in Military & Veteran Services.

Army ROTC Scholarships

Please visit https://www.goarmy.com/rotc/scholarships.html for information about high school students, current college students, and enlisted soldier scholarships.  For additional information, contact the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Military Science (Army ROTC) department: https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/liberal-arts/departments/military-science.

Air Force ROTC Scholarships

Please visit https://www.afrotc.com/rotc/scholarships/ for information about high school students, current college students, and enlisted airman scholarships. For additional information, contact the Texas Christian University (TCU) Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC) department: https://addran.tcu.edu/academics/majors-minors-programs/air-force-rotc/index.php.

Home of the Patriots Scholarship (HOPS)

Some military students or family members may be eligible for up to $600.00 per Financial Aid Award Period (up to $1,800.00 per year) of institutional scholarship funding to reduce the cost of tuition. Students should confirm applicability with the VA SCOs in Military & Veteran Services and the designated military point-of-contact in Financial Aid.

Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP)

See the Yellow Ribbon Program catalog section for further information on this program. (Home > Introduction to the University > Military & Veteran Student Information > Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP))