- If you haven't already received a Certificate of Eligibility from VA, please go to this website (va.gov/education/how-to-apply) to activate your benefits. This is a one-time workflow, so you'll never need to do it again. Once you have your Certificate of Eligibility (also called a Notice of Basic Eligibility), you can forward or take a picture of it and send to cavs@kent.edu as an attachment so we have a copy for our records. It’ll take VA about 4-6 weeks to get this to you.
- Be sure to fill out an Intent of Enrollment form EVERY semester you intend to take classes once you have a class schedule for that semester. A link for that can be found at kent.edu/cavs. Once we submit your benefits, you'll receive an automated email from Sarah Helmick with the subject line "Intent of Enrollment" and, once VA accepts that certification, they'll send you an email with the subject line "Confirmation - Enrollment Information Sent to VA".
- If you're a member of the Ohio National Guard, you need to apply for your ONG scholarship every semester (at ongsp.ohio.gov) and it will pay for your tuition (but not fees, parking tickets, library fines, residence hall bills, etc.). And if you have more than 3 months of federal deployment time, contact cavs@kent.edu so we can talk more about which benefit type may be best for you.
- Students using the Post 9/11 GI Bill, Chapter 30, or Chapter 1606 benefits (ONG and Reserves) must verify their attendance with VA every month. Within the Intent of Enrollment form there are instructions on how to do this. Chapter 30 and Chapter 1606 students must verify enrollment near the end of each month with VA by logging in to gibill.va.gov/wave or calling 1-877-823-2378 and Post 9/11 users will verify via a monthly text from VA. You will not receive your monthly stipend if you do not verify your enrollment every month you're taking classes
- Students using the Chapter 35 benefit (for dependents of veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating) may also want to look into the Ohio War Orphan Scholarship at highered.ohio.gov. (The deadline for that scholarship to be used in the upcoming school year is typically in May but the veteran only needs to have a 60% or greater disability rating.) You do not need to reapply for this scholarship every year.
- Send your Joint Services Transcript to KSU to get credit for any military training at jst.doded.mil/jst.
- We encourage you to use resources at kent.edu/cavs/getstarted for a more complete overview of VA educational benefits and our office processes including Federal Tuition Assistance.
- You may want to check out the pages we have for military-connected scholarships and adult learner scholarships at kent.edu/cavs.
- When you fill out an admissions application for Kent State, choose the “Pay Later” option where it asks you for the application fee and, if you’re a veteran, you won’t be charged.
- Be sure to apply for financial aid at kent.edu/financialaid.
- Last, for benefits updates and reminders, follow us on social media using the links at the bottom of kent.edu/cavs and feel free to contact us with further questions at kent.edu/cavs/contact-us.
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