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VA Enrollment Certification FAQ
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Welcome to the Office of the Registrar VA Enrollment Certification Form FAQ.

Purpose of VA Enrollment Certification form: 

The form needs to be submitted each semester that an undergraduate student wants to use their VA education benefits.

The VA supports students who enroll in courses that are required for their approved program of study, and the enrollment certification process informs the VA that students are properly enrolled.

Who fills out this form?

Undergraduate students wishing to use their VA benefits.  

PBU/Masters/PhD/Med/Law, or any student enrolled in a 500 level or above course must submit a different form found here: http://go.hawaii.edu/Wqx

Prior to filling out this form:

It is highly recommended that you meet with your academic advisor to discuss your registration before filling out this form.

TOP FAQs

Q: Why is my course not In Program?  What do I do if my course is not In Program?

If a course is NO in In Program on this form, the Registrar’s Office will not certify your course. If the course is required, you must see an advisor to get an exception, and then submit the form 2 days later to clear any NO designations. If it is a NO for a community college class, please see below.  Certification will be done based on what is showing on the form at the time of submission, and once submitted, the designation will not change on the submitted form.

Q: Why aren't my community college courses showing as In Program?

There is currently a glitch that we are trying to resolve. If you are certain that your community college courses are showing as In Plan in STAR, you may go ahead and submit this form.  We will verify that designation in STAR.  If STAR does not show it as In Plan, we will not certify the course.  We are actively looking for a fix, and once implemented, the STAR designation should carry over onto this form.

Q: Why is my course saying it's a Repeat?

Any course taken previously in which you received a letter grade (even an F) will be designated as a Repeat.  You must certify that the course is still required.  

Q: What's the difference between Residence and Distance credits?

Residence = In Person courses.  Distance = Online. The total of your Residence + Distance will be used to determine your full time status to calculate your Monthly Housing Allowance

(if applicable).  Example: 9 Residence + 3 Distance = 12, which is full time.

This FAQ document is broken down based on the layout of the form.

You may jump to any section of the form here:

Request Information

Semester/Term

Student Information

Degree Information

VA Information

Financial Information

Course Information

Total Credits

Certification of Courses In Program

Not In Program

MSL/AS/NAVL Courses

Final Steps

You may also jump to the FAQ list here.

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  1.  Request Information

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FAQ:

Q:  If a student has added/dropped a course, which form do they submit?

A:  It depends on whether the New Enrollment form has already been processed (students will get an email once the form has been processed). If the New Enrollment form has already been processed, then the student submits an Add/Drop. If the New Enrollment form has not yet been processed, the student submits another New Enrollment Certification form.

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  1.  Select the term you are requesting enrollment certification

Screen shot of the semester and year section on the form

Semester & Year:

month it is.

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FAQ:

Q:  When does certification become available for each semester?

A:  Fall: Mid-July;  Spring: Mid-November;  Summer: Mid-March

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  1.  Student Information

Screen shot of student information section.

Screenshot of Phone Number/Address section if information is incorrect. The text box now becomes red and editable.

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FAQ:

Q:  If I update this info on this form, does it automatically update my UH information?

A:   No.  If you want to update your UH information, you must do so via MyUH Services.

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  1.  Degree Information

Notice: If this section fails to appear it means you have not yet registered for the semester stated in section 2 (Semester & Year). Register for the semester and wait two days after registering before coming back to complete the form.  

Screen shot of degree information section. Contains a text box which lists your current degree program.

Screen Shot of Listing Additional Majors or Minors

Screenshot of the degree information section in the scenario that student is an exploratory student. Note is highlighted that exploratory students must provide their intended major.

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FAQ:

Q:  What should I do if my major is not correct?

A:  You must change your major and resubmit this form. Your advisor will have to override the course designations in the STAR system manually (all courses must be required for your declared major). Come back to this form 2 business days after the overrides in STAR have been applied by your advisor.

Q:  I changed my major, but how come it isn’t showing on the form?

A:   If you change your major after the deadline for the last day to add classes, it will be effective the following semester. A change made prior to the deadline will be reflected on this form 2 business days after the change has been made.

Q:  My change in major cannot be reflected now. What should I do?

A:  Your advisor will have to override the course designations in the STAR system manually (all courses must be required for your intended major).  Please come back to this form 2 business days after the overrides in STAR have been applied by your advisor. 

Q: What if I am an undeclared student and I still do not know what I want to major in?

A: Even if you still do not know what you would like to major in, the VA can only certify courses in eligible programs.  We advise that you select a major that requires all of the courses you have registered for. You may change your major as you see fit within your time at UH. This way ensures that you will receive your VA education benefits.

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  1.  VA Information

Screenshot of the drop down menu to select your Chapter.

Screenshot of Chapter 31 - Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment. This section includes a separate link to attach the require Ch 31 e-authorization.

Screenshot of the VA Information Section. Includes question to indicate whether on active duty.

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  1. Financial Information

The display items will vary depending on the selected VA Chapter.

Lists check all that apply options

will be receiving.  

they selected. Chapter 33 students will see the most, with 3 boxes.

Chapter 33 - Post 9/11 GI Bill Example

Screenshot of Ch 33 Financial Information Section.

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FAQ:

Q:  What is a non-UH scholarship?

A:   A non-UH scholarship is a scholarship not using UH/UH Foundation money and is typically awarded through an outside entity.  Scholarships through your FAFSA/Financial Aid office/STAR are UH scholarships and do not need to be reported here.

Q:  What happens if I don’t list a scholarship here?

A:   If you receive a scholarship that we are unaware of we may have to recalculate your eligibility amounts, as the VA requires that we account for all tuition assistance. As a result, you may end up owing money back.

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  1.  Course Information

This section lists your registration and identifies information necessary for the enrollment certification process.

This information takes time to update, and it is not up to the minute data.  Any registration changes/advisor overrides will be reflected two business days after you make the change.  If you are not seeing something reflected properly, please wait 2 days after the change and check back again.

Screenshot of course certification section. Contains: CRN, Course Title, Number of Credits, Online, Start & End Date, In program, and Repeat data.

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FAQ:

Q: Why is my course not In Program?/What do I do if my course is not In Program?

If a course is NO in In Program, the Registrar’s Office will not certify your course. You must see an advisor to get the exception, and then submit the form 2 days later to clear any NO designations. If it is a NO for a community college class, please see below.

Q: Why aren't my community college courses showing as In Program?

There is currently a glitch that we are trying to resolve. If you are certain that your community college courses are showing as In Plan, you may go ahead and submit this form.  We will verify that designation in STAR.  If STAR does not show it as In Plan, we will not certify the course.  We are actively looking for a fix, and once implemented, the STAR designation should carry over onto this form.

Q: Why is my course saying it's a Repeat?

Any course taken previously in which you received a letter grade (even an F) will be designated as a Repeat.  You must certify that the course is still required.

Q: What's the difference between Residence and Distance credits?

Residence = In Person courses.  Distance = Online. The total of your Residence + Distance will be used to determine your full time status to calculate your Monthly Housing Allowance

(if applicable).  Example: 9 Residence + 3 Distance = 12, which is full time.

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  1.  Total Number of Credits

Screenshot of the total number of potentially eligible and not eligible credit hours.

Total Number of potentially Eligible credit hours: number of credits the VA may certify

  1. There are cases where the VA Registrar staff will override the In Program designation.

Total Number of potentially Not Eligible credit hours: credits will NOT be certified.

  1. The VA Registrar staff will not override any of these credits; if it says Not Eligible here, it will not be certified.
  1. If you want to change the designation to In Program, you must work with your academic advisor to obtain a manual override in STAR and complete this form 2 days after those overrides are inserted in the system.

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  1. Certification of Courses In Program

Do you certify that you are required for your current degree/program to take every course showing "YES" in the 
"In Program" column?

This section checks that you understand which classes you will be certified for, as some courses may show “YES” but are not covered by your VA benefits. Please double check that all the “YES” in program courses listed are required in your program.

If the course is wrongly reported as in program this may negatively impact your eligibility for VA benefits.  

Do you certify that you are required for your current degree/program to take every course showing "YES" in the 
"In Program" column?

Shows if No is selected. A pop-up section is shown to list courses that are not required.

If a course that is not required in your degree program, but displays “YES” in the “In Program” column, fill in the following pop up section.  

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FAQ:

Q: Is the course designation “In Program” 100% accurate?

A: No, due to the large quantity of students there may be errors in the course designation. It is the student’s responsibility to know which classes you need to take for your program, and will be covered by the VA. Incorrect course designation may impact your VA benefit eligibility.

Q: What happens if I fail to list courses not required for my degree/program?

A: You may be required to pay back tuition costs and excess housing allowances. If it is later determined that the course is not required for your degree/program.

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  1.  You have at least one course that is Not in Program…

This section will only show up if you have at least one course designated as “NO” in the “In Program” column.

Screenshot of the not in program terms and conditions.

Please choose one of the 3 options on resolving the issue:   

  1. Work with my academic advisor.  
  1. Your advisor must enter in overrides to designate the courses as counting in your program via STAR
  2. Overrides will be reflected two days after being added to STAR, so check back 2 days after your advisor has inserted the overrides.
  3. The form will be processed based on what is showing on the form, and if you do not wait for the changes to be reflected, the VA Registrar staff will not see the changes.
  4. DO NOT submit the form with this box checked UNLESS all your courses are now showing as “In Program.”  
  1. Only courses “In Program” when the form is submitted will be counted for enrollment certification.
  1. Graduating students in this semester have a one-time option to use “Round Out” to make their not-in-program courses count for certification.
  1. Please see the Round Out rules here.
  1. You have at least one course Not in Program, but you do not need that course(s) certified, so are ok with submitting the form as-is.
  1. Students with a full time course load of eligible credits (12+ credits “in program”), may not want to seek certification for additional non-required courses, as it would not make a difference in their certification amount.  
  2. Be aware that students typically do not get charged additional tuition beyond 12 credits.  However, students who take courses in Extension/Outreach/community colleges are charged per credit, regardless of how many credits they have.  Thus, even if you are full-time (12+ credits) if you have non-required courses in Extension/Outreach/community colleges, you may have to pay out of pocket for a portion of your tuition/fees.

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11.  Students enrolled in MSL/AS/NAVL Courses

If you are enrolled in any of these courses, you must answer the questions regarding whether you intend to commission in your respective branch of service.

Screenshot of the ROTC section. Asks whether student is enrolled in MSL, AS, or NAVL courses. Screenshot of choices for which branch of service you intend to commission in.

If you are not intending to commission, the MSL/AS/NAVL course cannot be counted towards your enrollment certification.

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12.  Final Step
Please make sure that you read and understand the rules/regulations/terms of submitting this form
Screenshot of the final steps clauses and statements.
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13.  Submit

Screenshot of the submit button.

Screenshot of confirmation email

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FAQ:

Q:  How long will it take to process this form?

A:   Forms are processed in the order received, thus it depends on how many other forms we are currently working on.  We aim to process your form within 4 weeks.  

Q:  How do I know when my form is processed?

A:   You will receive an email to your hawaii.edu informing you if you were certified (and how many credits were certified), or if the form could not be processed, with any comments.

Q:  What happens if I made a mistake on the form, or if I changed my registration?

A:   You may submit a new form that will be processed in the order the new form is received.  See the first step on what type of form to submit.

Q:  What if I submit multiple forms?

A:   The newest form will replace any existing form that is yet to be processed.  The forms are processed in order they are received, so new forms will be processed with the new submission date (i.e. at the end of the list).


Q: I received my certification email, what do I need to confirm to avoid owing money later?

A:  Once you have submitted the enrollment certification form, you will receive two emails. One, to confirm submission. The second will notify you of how many residence credits and distance credits you have been certified for. Please double check this section to ensure that the credits certified match your enrollment. The total number of credits you have been certified for will impact your VA benefits.

Example A:
Student A is enrolled in 12 credits. Their VA benefits cover 100% tuition. However, only 9 credits are certified of the 12. The student will owe the University tuition for the remaining 3 credits which they did not get certified.  

Q:  Who do I contact with other questions?

A:   Please reach us at uhmva@hawaii.edu (using your hawaii.edu email)

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FAQ List

Q:  If a student has added/dropped a course, what form do they submit?

Q:  When does certification become available for each semester?

Q:  If I update this info on this form, does it automatically update my UH information?

Q:  What do I do if my major is not correct?

Q:  I changed my major, but how come it isn’t showing on the form?

Q:  My change in major cannot be reflected now.  What do I do?

Q: What if I am an undeclared student and I still do not know what I want to major in?

Q:  What is a non-UH scholarship?

Q:  What happens if I don’t list a scholarship here?

Q: Why is my course not In Program? What do I do if my course is not In Program?

Q: Why aren't my community college courses showing as In Program?

Q: Why is my course saying it's a Repeat?

Q: What's the difference between Residence and Distance credits?

Q: Is the course designation “In Program” 100% accurate?

Q: What happens if I fail to list courses not required for my degree/program?

Q:  How long will it take to process this form?

Q:  How do I know when my form is processed?

Q:  What happens if I made a mistake on the form, or if I changed my registration?

Q:  What if I submit multiple forms?

Q:  Who do I contact with other questions?

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