Frequently Asked Questions

First, make an appointment with the adult student counselor. The counselor can offer you information on Kent State University as well as information specific to adult students and can answer your questions. Then, if you like what you hear, it is time to apply. Fill out an application (which can be found online through the main Kent State web page), have your transcripts sent to the school, and pay the $50 non-refundable application fee. 

1. 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.
2. 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".
3. 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.
4. 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
5. 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.
6. Send your Joint Services Transcript to KSU to get credit for any military training at jst.doded.mil/jst.
7. 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.
8. You may want to check out the pages we have for military-connected scholarships and adult learner scholarships at kent.edu/cavs.
9. 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.
10. Be sure to apply for financial aid at kent.edu/financialaid.
11. 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.

Students may also refer to their monthly stipend as a "B.A.H." You get paid at the beginning of the month for the previous month, so, for example, you should receive payment by March 7th for your February stipend. If you haven't received your stipend, be sure you filled out an Intent of Enrollment form for this semester. You may also want to call VA at 1-888-GIBILL-1 to ask when you can expect to get paid.

(Post 9/11 GI Bill users, Chapter 30, and Chapter 1606 recipients are also required to verify their enrollment with VA at the end of each month. Post 9/11 students will verify via a text message from VA while Chapter 1606 and Chapter 30 students should call 1-877-823-2378 to verify. You will not get paid unless your verify your enrollment every month.)

We typically certify your benefits before the start of the semester. 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 search your old emails and can't find either of these confirmations, email cavs@kent.edu to ask if you submitted an Intent of Enrollment form.

Book money for Post 9/11 GI Bill users is typically deposited to your account sometime within the first two weeks of the semester. Call 1-888-GIBILL-1 to ask for more specific information on when you can expect to see that. If you haven't received your stipend, be sure you filled out an Intent of Enrollment form for this semester.

Kent State doesn't receive these scholarship rosters until just before the semester starts, so you should expect that money to be credited to your account within the first couple weeks of the semester. Contact scholarships@kent.edu with questions. (You must apply for the Ohio National Guard scholarship every semester at ongsp.ohio.gov, but the War Orphan scholarship renews every semester automatically.)

Our office has a list of adult learner scholarships at kent.edu/cavs/adult-scholarships and military-connected scholarships at kent.edu/scholarships.

If you're using military-connected benefits and are thinking of adding or dropping a class, send an email to cavs@kent.edu to let us know so we can adjust your benefit certification, if needed. If you have questions on how that add or drop may affect your benefits, please include that question in the email.  

Go to kent.edu/calendars to see our offering of programs for this semester. You can find info on Veterans Day at kent.edu/veteransday. Go to kent.edu/vci for details about Veteran Career Initiative. We also have info for military-connected students at kent.edu/cavs/veterans-1.

The VA has posted a fact sheet at their website that details the benefits that can be transferred and the transfer process.

View the transfer fact sheet