First year and Transfer Students

Establish VA Educational Benefits at Utah Tech

Ensure you obtain all the documentation needed to establish VA education benefits while attending Utah Tech. Not all the numbered Items may apply to your benefit. Numbers 4 and 5 apply to those who have served in the military. Number 6 applies to those who have CH 35 - Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits. Number 7 provides you information about receiving the in-state tuition rate while attending Utah Tech.

Apply to Utah Tech University

Make sure you are accepted to attend Utah Tech before attempting to connect benefits. You will need a D Number and a Utah Tech student email to complete the online form in number 3.

Apply to Utah Tech

Apply for your VA Educational Benefit

You must obtain a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in order to complete the online form in number 3. You may call the VA after two weeks of applying for your COE online at 888-442-4551 and see if the COE can be emailed to you. Expect it to take 30 days to receive your COE in the mail. The VA will send the COE to the address listed with them. You will need to digitize the COE in a pdf format before uploading it to the online form.

Apply for VA Education Benefits

Establish VA Educational Benefits at Utah Tech

To establish your VA Educational Benefits here at Utah Tech, go to the link below and complete the online Statement of Understanding (SOU), Procedure, and Release Form.

Pay attention to the SOU and procedure topics. They review the rules you need to know to have your classes certified for VA benefits.

You will need to be enrolled as a student at Utah Tech (see number 1) and have received a Certificate of Eligibility (see number 2) before completing the online form. See the steps below for additional forms or information you may need.

Establish VA Benefits

DD 214 or Leave and Earnings Statement (LES)

If you did not serve in the military, please skip this step.

Obtain a copy of your DD214 or recent LES. Make sure it is digitized in a pdf format for uploading in the online form.

Joint Service Transcript (JST)

If you did not serve in the military, please skip this step.

This is for non-Air Force service members. If you served in the US Air Force, you may please obtain your Community College of the Air Force transcripts and submit them to Utah Tech Admissions.

Generally speaking, you can receive one general elective credit for each semester hour on your official JST transcript. If you submit your JSTs to our office, they must be evaluated for credit. In many cases credits given from JSTs only count as general electives, which is not usually beneficial to your degree plan. Many students in the past have found that it is more beneficial to not have their JSTs evaluated for credit so they can receive additional VA benefits and have flexibility in establishing class schedules that can be certified.

Please thoughtfully consider if submitting your JST transcripts to be evaluated for credit is right for you. Contact Utah Tech Veteran and Military Services if you are unsure.

You must formally request that we process your JSTs once you have received them. Use the link below to access the JST Request Form and email the form to us once it is filled out:

JST Request Form

Request your JSTs

Obtain Information to Establish CH 35 - DEA Benefits

Students using CH 35 – DEA benefits will need to provide the social security number and the first and last name of the veteran under which they are entitled to benefits so we can enroll and certify them with the VA.

Apply for In-State Tuition Based Upon Military Service Exceptions

Your VA education benefit qualifies you to receive the in-state tuition rate even if you are not a resident of Utah. It is important to apply for in-state tuition because it lowers the tuition bill significantly. To apply for In-state Tuition based upon Military Exception, go to the link below and click on the “Residency Form” link. Click yes on the radio button for “Are you applying for a military exception.”

Students who do not qualify for the top four reasons to qualify for this benefit and have a COE should select the bottom reason: “Eligible person entitled to benefits under 38 U.S.C.”

There has been a very recent change to the law which permits students using VA education benefits to attend Utah Tech at the in-state tuition rate without having to establish a residence in the state. Our forms have not been updated yet to adjust for this change.

When filling out the form, please upload your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) as your “Evidence of Eligibility” to show that you are eligible for VA education benefits. We ask that you upload the COE again in the “Objective Evidence Documentation” section so that you can fill out the form completely and submit it.

Applications are only accepted until the first two weeks of the semester. Contact the Registrar if you have questions: 435-652-7708 or residency@utahtech.edu.

Apply for the In-State Tuition Rate

VA Benefits Information and Resources

Helpful Forms

Semester Certification Request: Use this form to request certification of your class schedule for VA education benefits.

Joint Service Transcript (JST) Request: You may receive one general elective credit for each semester hour on your official transcript. Login with existing credentials or create an account and send an official transcript to Utah Tech. Transcripts are not evaluated until after the drop date of the semester after the request is received. See the Utah Tech academic calendar for the current semester’s drop date.

CH 33, Post 9/11, GI Bill® Hardship: Request payment of your chapter 33, Post 9/11, GI Bill® tuition and fees in order to receive your UT financial aid benefits on the first week of school due to the financial hardship annotated on the Semester Certification Request.

Purple Heart Waiver: Waive Utah Tech tuition if you received a purple heart and are a resident of Utah.

Veterans Tuition Gap Program: The Veterans Tuition Gap Program is a State supplemental grant to provide tuition assistance to Veterans who are recipients of Chapter 1606, 30, 31, 32, or Chapter 33 GI Bill® educational assistance and whose benefits have been exhausted. This award covers the cost of tuition, and if additional funds are available, may cover fees. See the form’s details to know if you qualify for this grant.

Other Education Benefits

GI Bill and other education benefit eligibility

Tuition Assistance Top-Up Program

CHAMP-VA

Utah National Guard and Service Branch Benefits:

Federal tuition Assistance (FTA):
Here is a general overview of the steps involved to use Federal Tuition Assistance through the ArmyIgnitED Portal:

1. Establish your account and educational goal:
A. Create or Log in to your ArmyIgnitED account.
B. Submit your educational goal (required by the Army, Army National Guard, or Army Reserve Educational Offices).
C. Upload your Evaluated Degree Plan (required by the Army, Army National Guard, or Army Reserve Educational Offices).

2. Enroll in courses and request TA:
A. Register for the courses you wish to take within your degree plan.
B. Return to the AI Portal and request TA (no earlier than 60 and no later than 7 days prior to the course start date).
C. Ensure that the registered course matches your TA request.

3. Approval and Utilization:
A. Your supervisor is notified and must approve or deny your TA request.
B. Your Education Center is notified and must approve or deny your request.
C. Once approved, you will receive a TA voucher via email. Forward this to Utah Tech University at veterans@utahtech.edu.

4. The Service Member is solely responsible for all tuition costs if TA is not approved prior to the course start date.

Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA)

Call the Utah National Guard at 801-432-4400 Option 6 for personalized help. Use the links below to learn more about National Guard benefits.

State Tuition Assistance

State Tuition Waiver

Yellow Ribbon

The Yellow Ribbon program is used for non-resident students for the requested semester. In order to be eligible students must be using Chapter 33 Post 9/11 or Chapter 33 Transfer of
Entitlement (TOE) benefits at the 100% rate as determined by the VA. Students who are eligible to receive the in-state tuition rate are disqualified from using the Yellow Ribbon benefits.

Utah Tech will waive not to exceed half of the difference between the nonresident and in-state tuition rates. The VA will match Utah Tech’s yellow ribbon rate. Students are responsible for any balance which is not covered by the Yellow Ribbon program or by the VA.

VA policy mandates that students who are eligible to receive the in-state tuition rate must apply for it. If you are residing in Utah, you are eligible for the in-state tuition rate based on military exception. Applying for this option should be the first priority before applying for yellow ribbon.

If you qualify to use the yellow ribbon program you must apply for it every semester you have classes.

Yellow Ribbon Application link