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Foreign Program Approval - Students
The following
information must be submitted by Veterans, Servicepersons, Reservists, and
Eligible Dependents to assist VA to evaluate their intended program of education.
NOTE: Independent
study (distance learning) courses must be accredited by a nationally
recognized accrediting association.
This document provides general information about the
approval of programs of education at foreign schools. It also provides specific information for veterans, servicepersons,
reservists, and eligible dependents who are planning to pursue training at
a foreign school.
1.) To
be eligible for training in a foreign school, you must meet the same basic
eligibility requirements as for training in the United States. In
addition, the
training at the foreign school must be at an institution of higher learning
leading to a standard college degree, or the equivalent, and the program of
education at the foreign institution must have been approved by VA.
You should submit the appropriate
application form listed below to VA. All
of these forms can be downloaded from this website by clicking on the
“Education Forms” link in the menu area at the left of this page.
These forms can also be submitted electronically by clicking on the Electronic
Application Form link in the menu area at the left
of this page.
NOTE: Applying
electronically will establish your date of claim on the following business
day but may necessitate you mail related paperwork to VA, including your signature,
before you can receive benefits.
If you know the foreign educational institution and program of education
you intend to pursue, please indicate this on your application.
a.) Veterans/Servicepersons/Reservists
Submit VA
Form 22-1990, Application for Education Benefits, if you are a veteran, serviceperson, or reservist and are applying for the
first time.
Submit VA
Form 22-1995, Request for Change of Program or Place of Training, if you are a veteran, serviceperson, or reservist and
you are requesting a change of program or place of training.
b.) Dependents
Submit VA
Form 22-5490, Application for Survivors’
and Dependents' Educational Assistance, if you are a spouse or a
child and are applying for the first time.
Submit VA
Form 22-5495, Request for Change of Program or Place of Training - Survivors’ and Dependents Educational
Assistance, if you are a spouse or a child and you are requesting a change
of program or place of training.
c.) Disabled Veterans
Submit VA Form 28-1900,
Disabled Veterans Applications Application for Vocational Rehabilitation, if you have a service-connected
disability which VA has rated at least 20 percent disabling, or 10 percent
disabling if you have a serious employment handicap.
2.) If you are determined to be eligible for VA benefits,
you will be issued a Certificate of Eligibility showing the number of months
of entitlement you have, as well as the date your eligibility expires. If possible,
you should have this document in your possession before enrolling at a foreign
school.
3.) You
should submit your application early enough to have the program of education
approved before leaving the United States. (See General Instruction below.)
4.) You
may receive VA benefits under the following programs of educational assistance:
a.) Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty (Chapter 30)
b.) Montgomery GI Bill – Selected Reserve (Chapter
1606)
c.) Post-Vietnam Veterans’ Educational Assistance
Program – VEAP
(Chapter 32)
d.) Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational
Assistance Program (Chapter 35)
e.) Educational Assistance Pilot Program (Section 901)
f.) Omnibus Diplomatic Security & Antiterrorism Act
1.) Before
enrolling at a foreign school:
a.) Determine
if your program of education is approved for VA benefits. The
educational institution you plan to attend should be able to advise you if
the program you are interested in pursuing at their school has already been
approved for VA benefits. If
you are unable to obtain this information from your school, contact us using
our
Questions & Answers link
in the menu area at the left of this page. Provide the name of the foreign
school, the complete address, and the name of the program you intend to pursue.
We will advise you whether the program has already been approved for VA benefits.
IMPORTANT: If the program of education you intend to pursue has not yet
been approved for VA benefits, you should contact an official from the foreign
school and request they apply for approval. Only an official
of the foreign school may apply for approval of a program; you cannot
submit the request on the school’s behalf.
b.) Make
arrangements with the school for acceptance, enrollment, payment of tuition
and fees, and for any other requirements such as living accommodations.
c.) Make
arrangements for travel including your passport, visa, and vaccinations,
as required. You should also check
with your intended school to ascertain the school’s or host country’s
requirements for health insurance. This
is very important since, in some instances, you may not be able to start
classes until health insurance arrangements have been made.
d.) Maintain
a sufficient financial reserve to care for all of your needs until VA educational
assistance allowance payments begin. Please bear in mind that any payment
of VA benefits will be made directly to you, not the school. VA benefit rates
are set by Congress based on your training time and attendance; they will
not necessarily cover the total cost of your school’s tuition
and fees. You are solely responsible
for payment of all charges assessed by your school.
If your program of education has already been approved, you
will normally receive your first check only after you have completed your first
month of school. Chapter 30 or Chapter 1606 students have the option to have benefit payments deposited into a United States checking or savings account.
IMPORTANT: If
you are receiving benefits under a program other than Chapter 30 or Chapter
1606, or if you do not arrange for payments to be deposited into a U. S.
account, payments will be mailed to the American Embassy in the country
of your residence and will be forwarded to you by the Embassy. This
may delay receipt of your checks by up to 30 days. Please
plan accordingly.
IMPORTANT: If
your program of education has not already been approved, you may
experience further delays while VA evaluates whether your program can be
approved for VA benefits. If approval of your program of education is denied by VA,
you will still be responsible to your school for all charges, including
tuition and fees.
e.) Some countries have their own version of the Privacy Act. Students attending
school in these countries should furnish written permission to school officials
allowing them to release information as necessary to VA. Failure to do so
may affect receipt of VA benefits.
2.) After enrolling at a foreign school:
a.) Submit your application to VA at least 90 days in advance of your departure
to ensure ample time for processing. Prompt processing of your application
for foreign training will be greatly facilitated if you send your application
to the appropriate VA office.
b.) All students (with the exception of those applying for Vocational Rehabilitation
benefits under Chapter 31) should mail the completed application, or signature
form if applying online, to the following address:
Foreign School Approval Group (22-ESU)
VA Regional Office
130 S. Elmwood Avenue Suite 601
Buffalo, NY 14202
c.) Chapter 31 students should submit their application to their nearest
Regional Office. Once accepted into the program, Chapter 31 students will
work with their VA counselor to arrive at a suitable foreign training program.
d.) If the school is located in the Philippines, send the completed application
to:
Director
U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Manila Regional Office
1131 Roxas Boulevard
1000 Ermita
Manila, The Philippines
e.) When
you receive the Certificate of Eligibility, take it with you and submit it
to the school’s certifying official as verification that you are eligible
to receive VA benefits. Your school’s
certifying official will then submit your enrollment information on VA Form
22-1999. Please
note you will not receive payments until your enrollment information has
been received and processed by VA.
If you are training in
Puerto Rico or the U. S. Virgin Islands, your claim will be handled by the
Atlanta Regional Processing Office (in Decatur, Georgia).
If you are training in the Republic
of the Philippines, American Samoa, Guam, Midway, Wake Island, any of the islands
in the Federated States of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Micronesia,
or the Republic of Palau, your claim will be handled by the Muskogee Regional
Processing Office.
If you are training in
any other foreign country or area, your claim will be handled by the Buffalo
Regional Processing Office.
Normally, foreign schools certify
their students for the complete academic year. If
you plan to attend a foreign school for more than one year, within 120 days
of your reenrollment you should notify the school of your intention to reenroll
and have the appropriate certifying official submit an enrollment certification
for your reenrollment. If your
school does not have a supply of the enrollment certifications, the school
should request a supply of forms from the Buffalo Regional Office and they
will be mailed directly to the school. You
should keep the school advised of your plans for continuing enrollment in order
to avoid any delay in receiving your benefits.
Information concerning
the approval status of a program at a foreign school may be obtained by contacting
VA using our Questions
& Answers link on the left menu area of this page.
Written requests for information should be submitted to:
Foreign School Approval Group (22-ESU)
VA Regional Office
130 S. Elmwood Avenue Suite 601
Buffalo, NY 14202
When submitting an inquiry or
application, you should clearly indicate your school and your planned program
of education as precisely as possible. VA
will then advise you of the program’s approval status and thus enable
you to contact your school without undue delay to initiate any approval procedures
that may be necessary.
IMPORTANT: Independent or distance learning is not approved for GI Bill payment at foreign schools unless it is accredited by a U.S. accrediting body.
The law provides that
VA beneficiaries may not pursue programs of education at schools outside of
the United States unless they are pursuing approved programs leading to a standard
college degree, or the equivalent, at approved institutions of higher learning. The
only exception is for persons eligible for Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational
Assistance (Chapter 35) who may receive VA benefits while pursuing approved
postsecondary non-college degree programs at training establishments in the
Philippines.
The term “institution of higher learning” means
a college or university offering programs of instruction leading to an associate
degree or higher, or its equivalent. The
programs must be recognized as being comparable to a degree granted by accredited
U. S. colleges and universities. VA
will accept degrees granted by public colleges and universities in foreign
countries as being comparable to degrees granted by accredited U. S. colleges
and universities. Degrees, or
their equivalent, granted by private colleges and universities in foreign countries
must be comparable to degrees granted by public colleges and universities in
the same country. Degree or equivalent
programs must have the same entrance requirements as the degree programs offered
by public colleges and universities in the same country.
Programs offered by schools in the Philippines are
subject to approval by the Director of the Manila Regional Office. Programs
offered by all other foreign schools are subject to approval by the Director
of the Buffalo Regional Office. If
a veteran, serviceperson, reservist, or eligible dependent wishes to enroll
in a program of education that has not already been approved, he or she should
ask the school to request approval of the program he or she intends to pursue. VA
can take no action until a request for approval is received from a school
official
IMPORTANT: Some
schools located in the United States offer courses in a foreign country
under contract with the Department of Defense. These
courses are not considered foreign training. Similarly,
“Junior Year Abroad” programs and similar programs offered by
schools in the United States are not considered foreign training.
Instructions on how school officials may apply for
approval of programs of education can be found HERE.
For applications and further information, the following
offices or representatives will be glad to assist you:
- Any VA Regional Office;
- Local representatives of veterans’ organizations and
the American Red Cross;
- Foreign Service Posts;
- Canadian Department of Veterans Affairs (Canadian schools only).
Within all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, call VA’s customer
service toll-free for information about education benefits: 1-888-GI
BILL-1 (1-888-442-4551). For toll-free
TDD service, call 1-800-829-4833. For
information about all other VA benefits, call toll-free 1-800-827-1000.
You may send us an email inquiry 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by using
our Questions &
Answers link on the left menu of this page. You
will generally receive a response within 3 to 5 business days.
During business hours, Monday
through Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm EST, Students and School Certifying
Officials calling from outside the United States may call the Buffalo Regional
Office at 716-857-3196 or 716-857-3197. Once
connected, the caller can immediately enter "option 1" to be placed in a
special priority queue. This is not a toll-free number but the caller will
be routed to the next available Customer Service Representative for priority
service.
To help us provide courteous
responses and accurate information, VA supervisors occasionally monitor phone
calls. No record is kept of the
caller’s name, address, file number, or telephone number.
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