Veteran Education Policies

Please see below for a list of the policies included on this page:

Students Called for Military Service
Veterans & Service Members Priority Registration
In-State tuition Fees for Veterans & Their Family Members
In-State Tuition Rates for Members of the Armed Forces on Active Duty, Spouses, and Dependents
No Penalties for Students Receiving Military Related Education Benefits
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Title 38 USC 3679 (e) Compliance
College Financing Plan (Executive Order 13607 Principles of Excellence)

I. Students Called for Military Service

This policy applies to students who are called to active U.S. military service while attending classes. This includes students who are temporarily activated for duty (including annual and/or monthly training), being mobilized or deployed for an extended period of time, or being reassigned or transferred permanently.

If a student who is a member of the National Guard or a member of a reserve unit of the U.S. Armed Forces withdraws from school after September 11, 2001, because they are called into state active duty or into active service with the U.S. Armed Forces, Gateway Technical College shall do the following:
1. Ensure that the student is provided a reasonable opportunity to complete final coursework for all courses in which the scheduled end date of the course is not more than 30 days after the date of the order calling the student into active duty or service.
  1. The student is required to contact their instructor to get permission to receive an incomplete.
    1. If approved for an incomplete, the student and instructor will work together to determine an appropriate deadline to have all assignments completed.
  2. There may be situations where Gateway Technical College will be unable to offer the incomplete/extension option (ex. clinical or labs, nature of course content missed, or length of ordered leave). In these circumstances, the student would be eligible for option 2 (below).
2. At the student’s request, do the following for all courses from which the student is unable to complete due to their military leave:
  1. Remove 100% of tuition and fees, and delete the courses from the students record.
  2. Give the student the same priority in registering for courses that the student would have had if they had registered for courses at the beginning of the registration period.
The Student Accounts Department Military & Veterans Education Benefit staff are responsible for presenting the student with the options available for each course (e.g. incomplete grade, deletion).
1. Students are not required to use the same option for all of their courses.
2. Staff will also ensure the student understands the potential impact on their benefits and other funding.

II. Veterans and Service Members Priority Registration

In compliance with Wisconsin Act AB201, Gateway Technical College offers eligible veterans and service members the opportunity to receive priority course enrollment dates assigned by admission status.
Service members interested in priority enrollment must submit eligible documents verifying service member status to Gateway's Veteran Services Office. Once eligibility for priority registration has been established, students will be assigned a priority enrollment appointment based on their admission status.
Visit the Priority Registration page for more information.

III. In-State Tuition Fees for Veterans and their Family Members

2015 Wisconsin Act 21-AN ACT to amend 38.24 (3) (a); and to create 38.24 (3m) of the statutes; relating to: charging resident fees to nonresident veterans and their family members attending the Wisconsin Technical College System:

A veteran living in this state, regardless of whether the veteran is a resident, if the veteran was discharged or released from at least 90 days of active service within the three years before the date of enrollment in the technical college; and
The veteran's spouse or child, living in this state, who is eligible for certain federal benefits by virtue of his or her relationship to the veteran. Act 21 further provides that an individual who is enrolled in a technical college and has been charged resident fees under its provisions on the date that begins the third year after the qualifying veteran was discharged or released from service shall continue to be charged resident fees for as long as the individual maintains continuous enrollment at the college.
All students that meet the criteria listed above are required to have an approved Residency Verification Form on file prior to the start of the semester.

IV. In-State Tuition Rates for Members of Armed Forces on Active Duty, Spouses, and Dependents

Nonresident members of the armed forces and persons engaged in alternative service who are stationed in Wisconsin on active duty, and their spouses and dependents, are entitled to in-state tuition rates during the period that such persons are stationed in Wisconsin. (Wisconsin Statute 36.27(2)(b))
All students that meet the criteria listed above are required to have an approved Residency Verification Form on file prior to the start of the semester.

V. No penalties for students receiving Military related Education Benefits

This policy applies to any veteran, service member, or their spouses and dependents using any of the following education benefits:
- Wisconsin GI Bill (WI GI Bill)
- Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33)
- Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty (Chapter 30)
- Montgomery GI Bill – Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606)
- Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31) (formerly Vocational Rehabilitation)
- Dependents Educational Assistance (Chapter 35)
- Federal Tuition Assistance
- MyCAA
- Veterans Education Grant
- National Guard Tuition Grant
Effective 08/01/2019: Any student receiving any benefit listed above will be given an additional semester to pay outstanding balances without penalty (as long as they are receiving their benefit for the term in question). Any remaining balance due at the end of the term will be excluded from being sent to collections. If the student still has a balance remaining at the end of the following term at Gateway, that balance would then be subject to the normal collections process at that time and would be subject to collections fees.
Effective 08/01/2019: Any student receiving any benefit listed above for a semester that is also on Gateway’s Payment Plan will be excluded from all payment plan late fees.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by the VA is available at the official U.S. Government Website.

VI. Satisfactory Academic Progress For Federal VA Education Benefits

(Applicable to Chapters 30, 31, 33, 35, and 1606 Only)

Students receiving any of the Federal VA Education Benefits listed below are required to maintain satisfactory academic progress by earning a minimum 2.0 semester grade point average (GPA) and complete at least 67% of the courses attempted within the semester:

Post 9/11 GI Bill ®* (Chapter 33)
Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty (Chapter 30)
Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606)
Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) (Chapter 31)
Dependents Educational Assistance (Chapter 35)
Fry Scholarship

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

Federal VA Education Benefit Statuses

Federal VA Education Benefit Satisfactory Academic Progress (VA SAP) calculations will be completed prior to the start of the semester. Once the student’s final grades are reviewed, their Federal VA Education Benefits will be placed on one of the following statuses: Good Standing, Warning, Probation or Suspension. Students will be notified of their status via their Gateway student email.

Good Standing:

If a student is placed on Warning or Probation and they meet the VA SAP criteria in their next semester of attendance, they will earn back good standing.

Warning:

A student will be placed on Warning if they fail to meet the VA SAP criteria while their benefits are in Good Standing. Students in Warning status are eligible to continue receiving VA Benefits.

Probation:

A student will be placed on Probation if any of the following occurs:

Fail to meet the Federal VA SAP criteria while on warning.
Approved Federal VA Education Benefit Suspension Appeal Form on file.
Successfully Reestablish Satisfactory Academic Progress (earn 6 credits with a minimum 2.0 semester GPA) while on Suspension.

Students are still eligible for Federal VA benefits while on Probation.

Suspension:

If a student is on Suspension, they are no longer eligible to receive their benefits. A student,s benefits can be suspended due to the following:

Failure to meet the VA SAP criteria while on Probation.
Incomplete Federal VA Education Benefit Suspension Appeal form submitted.
Denied Federal VA Education Benefit Suspension Appeal form. Gateway Technical College is required to notify the Department of Veterans Affairs any time a student’s VA benefits are placed on Suspension.
Gateway Technical College is required to notify the Department of Veterans Affairs anytime a student’s VA benefits are placed on Suspension.

Reinstatement of Federal VA Education Benefits

When a student’s Federal VA Education Benefits are placed on Suspension, the student has two options to regain eligibility for benefits:

Federal VA Education Benefit Suspension Appeal Form:
Students that have been placed on Suspension will receive an email that includes a link to the Federal VA Education Benefit Suspension Appeal form. The appeal form should be completed by students who had an extenuating circumstance during their schooling that directly caused them to not meet the VA SAP criteria.
Re-establish Satisfactory Academic Progress:
Students are able to regain eligibility by successfully completing a minimum of six college level credits with a minimum 2.0 semester GPA. Once this step is completed, the student would be placed on Probation, and the student would be eligible to receive their Federal VA Education Benefits for the next semester of attendance.

VII. Title 38 USC 3679 (e) Compliance

In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679 subsection (e), this school adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Veteran Readiness and Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from the VA. This school will not:

Prevent the student’s enrollment.
Assess a late penalty fee.
Require student to secure alternative or additional funding.
Deny student access to any resources (like classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

To qualify for this provision, students may be required to:

Provide Chapter 33 Certificate of Eligibility (or its equivalent) or for Chapter 31, VA VR&E’s contract with the school (VA Form 28-1905) by the first day of class

VIII. College Financing Plan (Executive Order 13607 Principles of Excellence)

Gateway Technical College is committed to student transparency including, but not limited to: student tuition, fees, financial aid, veterans education benefits and all other benefits/funding a student may be eligible for. Gateway Technical College provides financial transparency by having the following information available:

Determine Cost – Tuition and fee charges for the current academic year can be viewed here.
Net Price Calculator – This tool can be used to provide estimated net price information to current and prospective students and their families based on what similar students paid in a previous year.
College Financing Plan – This document is emailed to all students using Federal VA Education Benefits and provides estimated cost of attendance for the academic year, along with any Financial Aid, VA benefits, scholarships or other sources of funding.