Enrollment Status Requirements for Veterans Education Benefits: For Chapters 30, 31, 35, 1606 and 1607, A veteran must be enrolled in at least 6 unit-equivalents, as determined by the UCLA Extension Registrar, each quarter in order to receive Veterans Educational Benefits.
- Full Time = 12 units
- ¾ Time = 9-11 units
- Half Time = 6-8 units
- Less than Half-time = 4-5 units
- Quarter time = 1-3 units
For Ch. 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill recipients, a Veteran enrolled at more than half time can qualify for a monthly housing allowance based on DoD's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rate for an E-5 with dependents. VA determines eligibility for housing allowance by calculating the rate of pursuit.
Rate of pursuit is expressed in a percentage calculated by dividing the number of credits in which the student is enrolled by the number of credits considered to be full time. A student with a rate of pursuit greater than 50% can qualify for the housing allowance.
12 semester or quarter hours are generally required for full-time training. The school submits the term dates and credit hours of the enrollment to VA and the VA will calculate the rate of pursuit.
For example, if 12 credits is considered full-time, a course load of 6 credits yields a rate of pursuit of 50% (6 ÷ 12 = .50), whereas a course load of 7 credits yields a rate of pursuit of 58% (7 ÷ 12 = .58). In this scenario, a Veteran would need to enroll for at least 7 credits (such as two 3-credit classes and a 1-credit lab) in order to receive the housing allowance benefits.
Distance or Online only Enrollments
If you are enrolled full time, but taking classes entirely online or through distance learning, the housing allowance payable is equal to half the national average MHA payment for an E-5 with dependents.
If you need assistance calculating your enrollment status, benefit eligibility or monthly housing allowance payments, contact the VA at (888) GI-Bill-1 (888-442-4551) or visit their website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill. If you are not a fulltime student, learn how your housing allowance can be paid.
NOTE: Your enrollment status may vary throughout the quarter because UCLA Extension courses have variable beginning and ending dates. We can only submit the published beginning and ending dates of the course(s) to the VA. The VA calculates enrollment status based on the specific dates and number of weeks you are in attendance and the credit hours you earn during that period.
Academic / Admission Policy: These polices are established within the academic department and approved by the Deans Office. Students are required to adhere to information in the UCLA Extension Catalog which is applicable to all students. Public Law requires education assistance benefits to veterans and other eligible persons be discontinued when the student ceases to attend or fail to make satisfactory progress toward completion of their training objective (certificate program). The school is required to have and to enforce standards of progress and conduct for the programs to be approved for Veterans Administration benefits.
Attendance / Make-Up Work: Regular attendance at all class sessions is a primary obligation of the student. The successful completion of college work is dependent on regular attendance. Each UCLA Extension instructor will explain the absence policy for his or her class at the beginning of the quarter; however, failure to attend regularly may result in a reduction of the student's final grade, or in the student being dropped from the class altogether. In the event of a prolonged illness, instructors should be notified by the student. Veterans should contact the Financial Aid/Veterans Affairs office.
Repeating Courses: A student may not repeat a course in which a "C" or higher grade has been received. A grade of "D" may be repeated when school policy requires a "C" grade for transfer or the certificate requirements. Students may not receive VA benefits for repeated courses in which VA benefits were previously received.
Grading System / Minimum Satisfactory Grade Level: A VA benefit recipient must receive and maintain a minimum 2.0 ("C") GPA for all units for which they are certified each quarter. The following is how GPA is determined:
The UCLA Extension Grading Scale:
A - Superior
B - Good
C - Fair
D - Poor
F - Failure
I - Incomplete (work of passing quality but incomplete; may be revised by completing work as required)
DR - Deferred Report (see Students Rights and Responsibilities)
P - Passed (work which would otherwise earn a grade of "C" or better)
NP - Not Passed (less than "C")
All grades except Incomplete ("I") are final when filed by the instructor in the Final Grade Report.
Grade Reports: If you have provided us with an email address, you can view your grades, request official transcripts, change credit status, obtain enrollment verification, and update your personal information when you log in to the student portal. You may also inspect your grades in person at Student Services, 1145 Gayley Ave, 1st Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90024 or by calling (800) 825-9971. Official transcripts requests can be submitted online.
More on Grades: In all courses in which grades are awarded, instructors may grant students up to 1 quarter to make up an Incomplete (I). After 1 quarter-or sooner if required by instructor-an "I" grade will automatically lapse to an "F." Grades "A," "B," "C," and "D" may be modified by the suffixes + or -. The temporary grade of "DR" will be posted if allegations of academic dishonesty are pending.
Special Grading Policy for X 300, X 400, and 900 Courses: UCLA Extension follows a nonpunitive grading system in these courses. For students enrolled in these courses "For Credit, Letter Grade," the grades "A," "B," "C," "D," or "F" may be recorded. However, if a student fails the course, no record of his/her enrollment will appear on the transcript. Similarly, for students enrolled "For Credit, Passed/Not Passed," a grade of "P" is recorded; if the student receives a grade of "NP," no record of enrollment appears on the transcript.
Any grade in which the student receives 0 grade points is considered failing for VA progress standards. The GPA is computed by dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of units attempted for which "A", "B", "C", "D" or Failing grades were given.
Veterans Minimum Progress Guidelines: Federal regulations require UCLA Extension to establish, publish, and apply standards of satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility. If you fail to meet minimum progress standards, you will become ineligible to receive veteran’s education benefits until you are in compliance with the standards. If, during any quarter, you expect you cannot meet the satisfactory academic progress requirements listed, you should contact the UCLA Extension Financial Aid/Veterans Affairs Office immediately.
Qualitative Standards:
- The qualitative standard for Veterans is receipt of at least a "C" grade in each class. This requires at least a "C" in classes taken for a letter grade and a "P" for each class taken Pass/No Pass.
Quantitative Standards:
- The quantitative standard requires you to be enrolled in at least 6 unit-equivalents, as determined by the UCLA Extension Registrar, each quarter in order to obtain funds.
- You must also successfully complete at least 18 unit-equivalents each year of your program.
- If your grades are 2.0 or below in a quarter, you are put on probation. You will have up to 2 quarters to bring up your grade to 2.0 or higher. After 2 quarters of probation, a veteran may be declined benefits if not making satisfactory progress toward the completion of their certificate program.
To ensure that veterans meet these mandated minimums, plan to enroll in classes with start dates at the beginning of the quarter. If those classes cancel, you will then probably have options for enrolling in other courses, thereby meeting your minimum unit requirement. If you enroll in courses with start dates later in the quarter and those courses cancel, you will have few or no options for fulfilling the minimum unit requirements and, as above, you will be responsible for payback. In other words, you will be held financially responsible regardless of the circumstances.
Withdrawal and Cancellation: Withdrawal from a quarter in which you receive veteran’s education benefits may apply as a quarter attended and may work to your disadvantage in reaching the quarter cap of your program. Cancellation of registration (prior to the first day of classes), however, does not apply as a quarter attended. Refund and payback of VA education benefit received is based on the date you officially withdraw or cancel.
Disqualification and Reinstatement: The Financial Aid/Veterans Affairs Office monitors satisfactory progress annually. Progress is measured according to the number of quarters you have attended and the number of unit-equivalents you have successfully completed. If you have not met the requirements, you will be disqualified from receiving funds and your VA educational benefits will be discontinued until the deficiencies are satisfied.
Veterans’ education benefits eligibility is reinstated for the quarter following the quarter in which you reestablish compliance with the unit-equivalents-per-quarter agreement. For example, if you successfully complete all deficit units in Fall Quarter and therefore make up the deficiency, you become eligible for VA education benefits in Winter Quarter.
Appeals Process: If you fail to meet the satisfactory academic progress standards and are disqualified, you may appeal your disqualification. To appeal, submit a letter and supporting documentation to the UCLA Extension Financial Aid/Veterans Affairs Appeals Committee. In your letter, be sure to explain the circumstances that led to your disqualification and how they affected your ability to meet the requirements. On written receipt of your appeals packet, the Financial Aid/Veterans Affairs Appeals Committee will review your request and inform you in writing of its decision.
Privacy Act of 1974: The following Privacy Statement is provided for you to read and understand pertaining to information sought of all claimants for VA benefits.
Public Law 93-579 entitled the Privacy Act of 1974 requires that all claimants be informed of the purposes and uses to be made of the information which is solicited. The following is furnished to explain the reason why the information is requested and the general uses to which that information may be put.
- Authority: The Veterans Administration is empowered to solicit the information requested in this form under the authority of Title 38, United States Code.
- Purpose: The information requested by this form is considered relevant and necessary to determine maximum entitlement to the benefit for which you have applied.
- Uses: The information will be used in your best interests in determining eligibility to the maximum benefits allowable by law. The responses which are submitted may be disclosed as permitted by law outside the Veterans Administration.
- Effects of Non-Disclosure: Disclosure of the requested information is voluntary. No penalty will be imposed for failure to respond. However, the decision as to entitlement for the benefit you are claiming must then be made on the basis of the available evidence of record. This may result in a delay in the processing of the claim, payment of less than maximum benefits, or complete disallowance of your claim. Failure to provide information in connection with the benefit currently being sought will have no detrimental effect on any other benefit to which you are entitled.
