Standards of Progress

Veterans, military service personnel and their qualified dependents intending to use VA benefits should contact the Registrar’s Office and be aware of the following policies:

• It is the student's responsibility to notify the Registrar’s Office immediately when increasing or decreasing course load, withdrawing or taking a leave of absence. Students also have the responsibility to inform the Registrar’s Office of which semesters they intend to enroll in and would like to receive benefits for.
• The VA considers its payments a reimbursement, not a subsidy.
• While students are expected to pay their own tuition and be reimbursed by the VA, WMU flags our VA students which grants a two month reprieve to secure payment. Post 9/11 veterans can pay the difference of what the VA will pay and what they owe WMU. It usually takes six to eight weeks from the time a student's papers are processed by the Registrar’s Office until a check is received. Students who file their papers with the Registrar’s Office eight weeks before the beginning of the term will be certified on an "intent to register" basis and can generally expect to have their checks by the second week of the term after their enrollment has been verified.
• Appropriate credit for previous education will be granted.
• All students using VA benefits must make satisfactory progress toward their educational objectives. In general, unsatisfactory progress for veteran's benefits is considered attainment of less than a 2.0 grade point average for two consecutive terms, or 3.0 for graduate students. Students who withdraw from the University may have their benefits terminated as of the beginning of the term of withdrawal. If a student is dismissed for academic reasons, benefits will be terminated as of the date of dismissal. The Veterans Administration must counsel students who have had their benefits terminated in this manner before their benefits will be restored. Students who fail to complete all courses attempted in a term will have their benefits adjusted.
• Students who withdraw from one or more courses in the middle of the term will have their benefits adjusted, except in extenuating circumstances. In cases in which students do not return for the next term benefits will be terminated on the ending date of the previous term.

Additional information can be found online at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.