St. Mary’s offers numerous incentives to active and former military members

For more information, contact Andrew Lyons, Coordinator of Veteran and Military Affairs, at alyons1@stmarytx.edu.

  • This page details the aid specific to military and veteran students. VA students and their dependents can qualify for additional financial aid. Learn more by visiting the St. Mary’s Financial Aid page.

Benefits Requirements

For VeteransPost-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33)Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR & E; Chapter 31)Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (Chapter 30)Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 1606)Reserve Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 1607)
Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in its entiretyXXXX
DD Form 214XXXXX
Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE)XX
VA Form 22-1995-Change of Program (Required if benefits were used at another school)As neededAs neededAs neededAs needed
28-1905 (Received from Voc Rehab Counselor)X
DD-2384 -1 (NOBE)X
Military TranscriptsXXXXX
Certification of Enrollment FormXXXXX
For Spouses and DependentsPost-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33)Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA)-Widow/Child (Chapter 35)Fry Scholarship
Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in its entiretyXXX
Sponsor’s DD Form 214XX
VA Form 22-1995-Change of Program (Required if benefits were used at another school)As needed
22-5495- Change of Program (Required if benefits were used at another school)As neededAs needed
Certification of Enrollment FormXXX

Rate of Pursuit

Chapters 30, 35, 1606, and 1607: VA Benefits are paid based on training time. In a standard semester, VA measures training time as follows:   

Undergraduate Rate of Pursuit

Credit hoursEnrollment status
12 hoursFull-time
9-11 hours3/4 time
6-8 hours1/2 time
4-5 hours< 1/2 time
1-3 hours< 1/4 time

Graduate/Ph.D. Rate of Pursuit 

Fall/SpringSummer8-week classesEnrollment status
8+ hours3+ hours6+ hoursFull-time
5-7 hours2 hours4-5 hours3/4 time
4 hoursN/A3 hours1/2 time
1-3 hours1 hour1-2 hours< 1/2 time

Law Rate of Pursuit 

Fall/SpringSummerIntersessionEnrollment status
10+ hours3+ hours4 hoursFull-time
6-9 hours2 hoursN/A3/4 time
5 hoursN/A1 hour1/2 time
1-4 hours1 hourN/A< 1/2 time

Yellow Ribbon Program

St. Mary’s is a Yellow Ribbon School for the eligible 100% Post 9-11 students and may fund the tuition and fee expenses that exceed the VA national annual maximum allotted to private institutions.

What is Yellow Ribbon?

The Yellow Ribbon Program allows private schools to enter into an agreement with the VA to fund the tuition and fee costs that exceeds the yearly national cap of $24,476.79 for students enrolled in private institutions (after August 1, 2019). The Yellow Ribbon Program is utilized in conjunction with student’s Post 9-11 GI Bill® and funds are paid directly to the school when the enrollment certification is processed. St. Mary’s will match the 50% VA contribution and fund 50% of the remaining unmet tuition & fee charges for all eligible students. 

How do I qualify?

  • Must be using Chapter 33 Post 9-11 Benefits at 100% eligibility 
  • Must have remaining time/months of benefits.  Yellow Ribbon does NOT cover tuition/fees if benefits are exhausted/expired. 
  • Registered for Fall/Spring/Summer and total yearly tuition cost.
  • NOT Active Duty personnel or spouse of active duty sponsor*

*Current active duty personnel or their spouses are not eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program until August 1, 2022, with the exception of Purple Heart Recipients, who are eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program regardless of their active duty status.

Please note:

  • Awards are made to qualified applicants. 
  • The amount each student will receive from St. Mary’s will vary according to the cost of their degree program and any tuition specific scholarships or grant they may have been awarded. The Yellow Ribbon Program award cannot be combined with other University of the St. Mary’s institutional awards to result in a surplus for the student. 
  • Yellow Ribbon contributions will not be adjusted after the last day to drop classes without a W assigned. Any costs accrued due to adding or dropping classes after that date each semester will be the responsibility of the student. 
  • Once St. Mary’s receives the Yellow Ribbon funding from VA and has been posted to the student’s account, the St. Mary’s Office of Financial Aid will add the matching amount. Please be aware, the standard processing time for the VA is 4-6 weeks. 
  • Once selected for the Yellow Ribbon Program at St. Mary’s, students will be funded each year they are in their current program of study as long as St. Mary’s continues and is approved to renew its agreement with the VA each academic year. St. Mary’s has the right to reduce awards or discontinue the program at the end of each academic year. 

For additional information about the Post 9/11 GI Bill® and the Yellow Ribbon Program, please visit the GI Bill® website.


Post 9/11 GI Bill®

If you were on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001, you may be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The Post 9/11 GI Bill® (effective Aug. 1, 2009) makes the following educational benefits available:

  • Tuition and fees paid directly to the school are capped at $27,120.05 for the 2023-2024 academic year. For more information, see VA – GI Bill Benefits.
  • A monthly housing allowance based on the rate of an E-5 with dependents at the location of the school.
  • A stipend for books and supplies of up to $1,000 a year.

For additional information about the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program, please visit the GI Bill website.


Chapter 31: Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR & E)

To view program requirements and to apply, visit www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre. If you are accepted into the Chapter 31 program and registered at St. Mary’s University, you will need to submit the following forms: 

  • St. Mary’s University request for Certification of Enrollment (every term/semester)  
  • VA Case Manager sends PO Authorization to School   
  • Military Transcript  
  • Send all official academic transcripts to Admissions

Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD)

The Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD) can help you pay for education and training programs. If you’ve served at least 2 years on active duty, find out if you qualify for the MGIB-AD program.

For additional information about the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty, please visit the VA website.


Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR)

The Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) program offers up to 36 months of education and training benefits. If you’re a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard Reserve, Army National Guard, or Air National Guard, you may be eligible for this benefit. Find out if you qualify.

For additional information about the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve, please visit the VA website.


Survivors and Dependent Assistance (DEA) Chapter 35

Find out if you’re eligible for VA education benefits for dependents and survivors (also called Chapter 35 benefits). If you’re a dependent spouse or child—or the surviving spouse or child—of a Veteran, you may qualify for Chapter 35 benefits or job training through a GI Bill program.

For additional information about Survivors and Dependent Assistance, please visit the VA website.


Grants

Undergraduate Grants

Active-duty military: The tuition rate for qualified part-time military students is $260 per credit hour. Only applicable for classes that satisfies the requirements for degree. Cannot be used for English as a second Language classes (ESL). For qualification requirements at the undergraduate level, contact Undergraduate Admission at 210-436-3126.

Graduate Grants

Active-duty military, retired military, Department of Defense employees, and spouses of these groups qualify for the $260 per credit hour tuition with or without military/DOD tuition assistance. This per-credit hour rate is valid for part-time and full-time students. Only applicable for classes that satisfies the requirements for degree. Cannot be used for English as a second Language classes (ESL). Graduate students should contact Graduate Admission at 210-436-3126.

Please note: The military tuition rate is not applicable to the Ph.D. programs or the School of Law at St. Mary’s University.

The discount is applied to tuition only and any other fees associated with enrollment will be the responsibility of the students. Discounts are not applicable to students for whom 100 percent tuition is paid by any third-party payer or using VA Educational Benefits. Discounts may be reversed if third-party or VA eligibility for benefits is received after discount(s) have been applied.

Active-duty military, retired military, Department of Defense employees, and spouses of these groups who are interested in pursuing a Masters of Jurisprudence may do so at $800 per credit hour with or without military/DOD tuition assistance credit rate. This per-credit hour rate is valid for part-time and full-time students. For more information, Graduate students should contact Andrew Lyons the Coordinator of Veteran and military Affairs at 210-436-3682 or alyons1@stmarytx.edu.

Please note: The military tuition rate is not applicable to the Ph.D. programs or the School of Law J.D. or LL.M. programs at St. Mary’s University.


Book and Supply Voucher

Ch. 31 Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR & E) students are the only students provided with these vouchers. Book Vouchers are sent directly to the St. Mary’s Bookstore. Please contact the Business Office or review your Student Account in Gateway to ensure funds have been sent to the Bookstore. Please note, a current VA 22-1905 must be on file to provide the vouchers.

Requirements:

  1. PO must be created through the Tungsten Network 
  2. Service provider should be Barnes & Noble
  3. Service provider email should be the store’s email address SMXXXX@bncollege.com. Please note the Tungsten system may auto-populate a store email that is invalid. Please verify and change, if needed, before submitting. If you need help changing the auto-populated email, please contact Pamela.Salazar@va.gov.
  4. The Federal tax ID # is Barnes & Noble Education – Fed ID 46-0599018
  5. We do not supply a facility code. Please contact VRE_IPPS.VBACO@va.gov
  6. Once the PO is created, a file is sent over to Barns & Noble within the hour. Once we get the file, the files start to load about every other hour. 

Scholarships

There are many scholarships created specifically for the men and women who have served our country. For an up-to-date list of the latest scholarships, contact Andrew Lyons, Coordinator of Veteran and Military Affairs, at alyons1@stmarytx.edu.


Requesting Military Records

The DLIFLC Registrar’s Office provides two types of academic documents: resident foreign language course transcripts and DLPT/OPI ACE credit recommendation reports.


GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

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