US Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits

To find out your eligibility, visit the VA website directly as the University of York is unable to assess your eligibility for this funding. 

It is important that you contact us as soon as your Certificate of Eligibility letter is sent out, as the VA will not inform the University of York. In addition, to receive VA funding for studying overseas, the course you are applying for needs to be approved by the VA.

The University of York has several courses already approved. Find our list of courses approved for VA funding. It is important to note that while some courses may have similar names and/or content, each specific course must be individually approved. 

Please check the list of approved courses as soon as possible, as new course approval applications made by the University to the VA, are currently taking around 6 months to approve. 

Please note that if studying a degree that lasts multiple years, you'll need to confirm prior to each year of study that you want to continue using your VA benefit entitlement.

Once you have received an offer to study from the University, you should complete our online application form to notify us of your intention to use your VA benefits at the University of York, at the earliest opportunity. 

If the course you want to study is not on the list of approved courses, the University will need to request approval from the VA. Once we receive your application, we will contact the VA to submit your course for approval. The approval process can take around 6 months, therefore, please complete the form as soon as you receive your offer to get the process started. 

• Step 1: Check your own eligibility for VA funding.
• Step 2: Submit your application on the VA website. If your application is approved, the VA will send you a Certificate of Eligibility letter.
• Step 3: Check whether the course you plan to study is noted on our list of courses approved for VA funding.
• Step 4: Complete our online application form to securely submit your certificate and information relating to your VA benefits.

If necessary, we will then begin the process of requesting approval for your course of study.

It is important that you contact us as soon as your Certificate of Eligibility letter is sent out, as the VA will not inform the University of York that you have applied for your VA benefits.

Please note that if studying a degree that lasts multiple years, you'll need to confirm prior to each year of study that you want to continue using your VA benefit entitlement.

The VA can only pay your personal maintenance benefits into a US bank account. It will be your responsibility to transfer them to a UK bank account so that you can access them while at the University of York.

If you receive financial support for tuition, your tuition payments will be made directly to the University of York by the VA. They will convert the GBP amount into USD using the Federal Reserve foreign exchange conversion rate effective on July 1 prior to the beginning of the enrolment period.

Once your attendance at the University of York has been confirmed at the start of the academic year, we will submit an enrolment certificate to the VA.

The VA does not provide a timeframe of when students will receive their funding once the enrolment certificate has been submitted. Due to data protection laws, the VA will never share your funding details with the University of York. As such, we will not be able to assist if you have specific queries about your funding.

If you do have any questions about the payment of your benefits, you will need to contact the VA directly.

Because we cannot guarantee that your tuition fees will be covered in part or in whole by the VA, you must have sufficient funds to cover any shortfall between the funding you receive and the tuition fees you are expected to pay.

You will also need to have sufficient funds to cover the cost of your tuition fees and living expenses in the UK to apply for a student visa with UK Visas and Immigration. Your VA funding will not be accepted as proof that you can financially support yourself during your time in the UK.

The GI Bill Comparison Tool can help you estimate how much you could receive. To find out exactly what you are entitled to, please contact the VA directly.

Chapter 33 benefits may include financial support for tuition, fees, books, supplies, and housing. 

Chapter 35 benefits are a monthly payment made direct to the dependent (spouse or child) of a US Veteran. They do not cover tuition fees.