Gaston College is approved by the NC State Approving Agency (NCSAA) to offer VA educational benefits through the Dept. of VA (DVA). Students who are eligible to receive veterans benefits must come to the Veterans Affairs Office on the second floor of the Myers Center located on the Dallas Campus to complete the necessary forms before benefits can begin.

Veterans Affairs

Things You Will Need

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Certificate of Eligibility
If you do not have one fill out the appropriate form below

  • First-time users of GI Bill™ must file VA form 22-1990; this can be done at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/.
  • Dependent of service member must file VA form 22-5490; this can be done at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/.
  • Transferring Service member (previously received MGIB from another school) must update school (place of training) information through VA form 22-1995.
  • Transferring dependent of service member must file VA form 22-5495

Link to all required forms
http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/handouts_forms.asp

Official Transcripts – High School and College Transcripts are required from all schools attended. They can be hand delivered in an unopened enveloped from previously attended school(s) or they can be mailed directly to:
Office of Admissions, Gaston College
201 Highway 321 South
Dallas, NC 28034-1499

ELIGIBILITY

The DVA will determine eligibility and send you notification of your eligibility via mail. If eligible, you will receive a certificate of eligibility that provides all information pertaining to your benefits under the education program that you have chosen. The letter provides you with the following information:

  • Notification that your application has been processed for a specific period, including inclusive dates for which payment will be issued, how many months of entitlement, and delimiting date.
  • Under Chapters 30, 1607, and 1606  the monthly rate of payment the student can expect to receive is included in the Certificate of Eligibility, with your rate of percentage of entitlement. These students must notify the VA on the last day of each month or within the 1st week after to verify enrollment.

ACADEMIC MAJORS

All new students must meet with one of the Gaston College Academic Counselors prior to registration. After completing your admission process and testing if needed, the counselors will be happy to assist you on your career pathway. The Gaston College Counseling Center will be your initial counselor for most majors until a permanent academic advisor is assigned.

CHANGE OF MAJOR

Changing of major is allowed but in order to change your major you must sit with a counselor from the Counseling Center. The student must notify Certifying Official for Gaston College located in the Financial Aid Office to ensure that your major change is put into the system for accuracy of your pathway. Chapter 31 students must speak with their Vocational Rehab Counselor before making any changes in their pathways. The Financial Aid Office is located on the 2nd floor of the Myers Center.

Academic Requirements

Minimum grade point average (GPA) for students receiving VA educational benefits (veterans, reservists, dependents) is 2.0. Students receiving VA benefits whose GPA falls below 2.0 will be placed on academic probation. If unsatisfactory progress continues, the students will have benefits suspended until the GPA returns to satisfactory status with a 2.0 GPA or better.

Schedule Changes

You must notify the Gaston College Certifying Official immediately if you change your class schedule to prevent overpayments. If you decide to increase or decrease the number of credits that you are taking the Certifying Official must be notified in order to process paper work for your payment. You may be required to reimburse the VA funds received if you drop classes, are considered a No Show (NS) or if you Withdraw (W) without mitigating circumstances.  Only courses required for your current major are eligible for VA payment.

Monthly Verification

Students under Chapter 30, 1606,  and 1607 are responsible to notify the VA on the last day of each month or within the 1st week after to verify your enrollment status. You can call (877) 823-2378 or go on line at https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do for enrollment verification.

Monthly Payments

VA monthly benefits are paid based on the credits student have registered for per semester.
Full time – 12 or more credits
Half time – 6 credits
Students enrolled in Post 9/11 Chapter 33 need to be enrolled in more than half time to receive BAH benefits; otherwise you will only receive tuition and fees. Students enrolled in less than half time will receive benefits of tuition and fees only.

Called To Active Duty

If you are in the Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606 or 1607) and are called to active duty, you are entitled to a full refund of your fees. You are not required to pay back any VA money due to termination enrollment, but you are required to turn in a copy of your orders along with a refund request to the Veterans Office. It is the responsibility of the student to go to the Records and Registration Office and withdraw from all of his or her classes. Refunds will not be processed without proper documentation of orders to active duty status and deployment. If due to rapid recall, the orders can be faxed or mailed. All materials must be sent to the Registrar o be processed.

The student can be readmitted to the same program at the same stage that he/she left during that time of active duty recall. However, students in a cohort may have to be readmitted into a different cohort depending on the length of active duty status. If the student chooses and meets the requirements for the program, the student can be admitted to a different program. The school will assess no more than the tuition and fee charges that other students in the program are assessed for that academic year.

Tuition Assistance

For students that are active duty members, Reservist and National Guard members using Tuition Assistance (TA), please consult with your unit Educational Service Officer or Non-commissioned Officers prior to enrolling for the best use of education benefits that are afforded to the service member.

It is recommended that you complete the process of requesting tuition assistance at least thirty (30) days prior to the class start date! Students must first create an account on their portal and gain approval from their service branch. Military members should follow the prompts detailed on their appropriate TA service portals to sign up for Tuition Assistance. If you have any issues concerning NCTAP, you can email NCTAP@ncseaa.edu for login assistance.

Basic Steps for Requesting Tuition Assistance
1.  Contact the local Education Office to ensure you are eligible for Tuition Assistance.
     Army Education Office
     Navy Education Office
     Airforce Education Office
     Marines Education Office
     Coastguard Education Office
2.  Follow the instructions provided by the Education Office on how to request Tuition Assistance for your course(s) for your school.
3.  The military approves your Tuition Assistance (TA) request(s).
4.  Verify that the Financial Aid Office has received your approved Tuition Assistance (TA) to process.

Class Fees
Tuition Assistance (TA) usually pays for tuition and will not pay for fees. The student is responsible for paying fees to their school.

Grades
The student will be responsible to repay any Tuition Assistance (TA) funds received for grades that are not considered passing. The following grades are acceptable and will not be recouped:  A, B, C and D.

Return of Department of Defense Military Tuition Assistance

Department of Defense Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded.

To comply with Department of Defense policy, Gaston College will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. These funds are returned to the military Service branch.

Prohibition of High-Pressure Recruitment Tactics

In accordance with Federal regulations, 34 C.F.R 668.71-668.75 and 668.14, and as mandated by the Isakson and Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-315) Gaston College prohibits inducements, including any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, transportation, lodging, meals or other item having a monetary value of more than a de minimis amount, to any individual or entity, or its agents including third party lead generators or marketing firms other than salaries paid to employees or fees paid to contractors in conformity with all applicable laws for the purpose of securing enrollments of Service members or obtaining access Tuition Assistance funds.

Gaston College prohibits the payment of any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on securing enrollments or federal financial aid, including Tuition Assistance, to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting, admission activities, or making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance.

Gaston College prohibits high-pressure recruitment tactics such as making multiple unsolicited contacts (3 or more), including contacts by phone, email, or in-person, and engaging in same-day recruitment and registration for the purpose of securing Service member enrollments in non-credit courses/programs.

Veteran’s Scholarship

Anthony Castelli Veteran’s College Scholarship Annual scholarship awarded to a current military veteran or honorably discharged veteran or parent, sibling, child or grandchild of a current or honorably discharged veteran. Application deadline is Memorial Day, May 25, and each succeeding Memorial Day. For more information, please click here.