Types of Benefits

The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) website provides extensive details on the education benefits available to veterans in various statuses, such as vocational/rehabilitation, the Post 9/11 GI Bill ® , and active duty.

The Haas School of Business, as part of the public University of California system, is one of the few top ranked MBA programs in the country that is able to benefit from the expanded Post-9/11 Benefits signed into law in January 2011. Depending on length of qualifying service, veterans can obtain:

  • Funding for up to 100% fees (everything except the Nonresident Tuition)
  • A monthly housing allowance (determined by the VA Office)
  • An annual book stipend up to $1,000

Check out the VA’s Benefits Calculator to learn more details about the amounts available to you. Please also check out the BAH Calculator to get an idea of what your housing allowance might be.

MBA students who are fully sponsored, meaning all fees are paid by a third party or outside agency, may choose to work as GSIs and/or Readers. However, if you are eligible for a fee remission from UC Berkeley, you will only receive it if your sponsoring agency reduces the sponsorship by that amount. Fee remissions will not be paid to the student as a refund if fees are being covered by an outside source.

For those of you who waive the student health insurance, the Health Insurance Fee will not be triggered to your account, so expect a lower partial fee remission.

Overview of Process

After admission to the program:

  1. Request your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from the VA Office.
  2. Review handy checklist for initiating benefits at UC Berkeley.
  3. Ultimately, benefits covering part or all of the fees will be disbursed to the university when you start your program. Housing allowances and book allowances are disbursed directly to the student.

The Fry Scholarship (expanded to include surviving spouses)

Section 701 of the Choice Act expands the Fry Scholarship to include the surviving spouses of Service Members who died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001. Prior to this, only children were eligible for this benefit. Eligible spouses are entitled to receive:

  • 36 months of full benefits, equal to 100% level of the Post-9/11 GI Bill ®
  • Education must start on or after January 1, 2015. Education prior to January 1, 2015, is not eligible to receive benefits under Section 701
  • A spouse has 15 years from the date of the Service Member’s death to utilize benefits. If a spouse remarries, benefits end the date of the remarriage.

To learn more, please review the Veteran Affair’s Fact Sheet. To either apply or make an election, complete an application (Form VA-Form 22-5490) and follow the application instructions.

Other Considerations

Nonresident Tuition Waiver: Sometimes Veterans can secure a tuition waiver which reduces the cost of the program. Information specific to military personnel is available on the Office of the Registrar website.

Health Care for Dependents: The Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) is only for individual students, not a spouse or children. However the University Health Services office has reputable options for dependent care coverage, which would be paid for separate from your student bill.

Resources

Haas Veterans Club
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://haas.campusgroups.com/veterans/home

Veteran Services
Office of the Registrar
120 Sproul Hall #5404
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720
Ph (510) 642-1592, Fax (510) 643-4222
Email: [email protected]