MILITARY PERSONNEL
UWF recognizes that many active duty military personnel
face formidable barriers in their pursuit of a college degree. As part of the
University's continuing commitment to educational opportunities for military
personnel, UWF offers a program designed to assist active duty military men and
women in their quest for bachelor's, master's, specialist or doctoral degrees.
Many departments have agreed to offer degrees through a system tailored to the
specific needs of active duty military personnel. Previous college credits, work
experiences, service schools, and other forms of nonacademic experiences will be
considered for college credits. For further information, write the Office of
Admissions.
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges
UWF has been designated as an institutional member of
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), a group of more than 1500 colleges
and universities providing voluntary postsecondary education to members of the
military throughout the world. As a SOC member, UWF recognizes the unique nature
of the military life style and is committed to easing the transfer of relevant
course credits, providing flexible academic residency requirements, and
crediting learning from appropriate military training and experiences. SOC has
been developed jointly by educational representatives of each of the armed
services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and a consortium of 12 leading
national higher education associations. It is sponsored by the American
Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the American
Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC). For further information,
contact the Office of Admissions.
VETERANS BENEFITS
The University of West Florida is approved by the Florida
Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) for the education of veterans, active duty
personnel, reservists, and eligible dependents under current law. More than ten
percent of UWF students receive educational benefits from the DVA. UWF's Office
of Veterans Services is part of the Office of the Registrar, not the DVA. This
office is the main point of contact for students receiving benefits from the DVA.
It has a professional staff augmented by veteran peer counselors to assist in
providing information about entitlements, filing claims to the DVA, and
certifying enrollments at the University.
The office also monitors the academic progress of students
receiving DVA educational benefits. Students who receive DVA benefits are
subject to stricter academic regulations and should be aware that auditing
courses, enrollment status, withdrawals, repeating courses, changing degree
programs, adding majors and minors, grade forgiveness, and other actions may
affect eligibility for educational benefits.
Academic Progress
University academic standing is discussed in the academic
policies section of this Catalog. Students receiving veterans benefits are held
to stricter requirements set forth below.
Undergraduate Standard: A student with a semester grade
point average (SGPA) or cumulative grade point average (CGPA) below 2.0 will be
placed on VA academic probation. If, at the end of the next semester, SGPA is
above 2.0, but the CGPA remains below 2.0, the student will be continued on VA
academic probation for one additional semester. If, at the end of the second
semester of VA academic probation, the student's CGPA is below 2.0, the DVA will
be notified of the student's unsatisfactory progress. Likewise, if a student is
placed on VA academic probation one semester, and both the SGPA and the CGPA are
below 2.0 the second semester, the DVA will be notified of the student's
unsatisfactory progress. However, a student who receives consecutive SGPAs below
2.0 will be continued on VA academic probation if the CGPA remains at least 2.0.
Graduate Standard: A student with a SGPA or CGPA below 3.0
will be placed on VA academic probation. If, at the end of the next semester,
SGPA is above 3.0 but the CGPA remains below 3.0, the student will be continued
on VA academic probation for one additional semester. If, at the end of the
second semester of VA academic probation, the student's CGPA is below 3.0 the
DVA will be notified of the student's unsatisfactory progress. Likewise, if a
student is placed on VA academic probation one semester, and both the SGPA and
the CGPA are below 3.0 the second semester, the DVA will be notified of the
student's unsatisfactory progress. However, a student who receives consecutive
SGPAs below 3.0 will be continued on VA academic probation if the CGPA remains
at least 3.0.
Benefit Re-establishment: Benefits may be re-established
only if there is reasonable likelihood that the student will be able to attain
and maintain satisfactory progress for the remainder of the program. Based upon
correspondence from the student's major department chair, a recommendation will
be made to the DVA.
Advance Payment
Advance payment of DVA benefits may be available to new
students and those students who were not enrolled in the previous semester.
Application should be made through the UWF Office of Veterans Services no later
than 35 days before the first day of classes of the affected semester.
Class Attendance
It is the student's responsibility to inform the
instructor(s) of absence from classes prior to, or as soon as possible after,
the absence. Students must check with their respective instructor(s) regarding
the absence policy for each class. When a student receiving DVA benefits is
found in violation of the policy, the DVA will be notified and benefits reduced
accordingly.
Courses For Which VA Will Not Pay
Courses not meeting University requirements for graduation
cannot be certified to the DVA for benefits payment. Although not all inclusive,
the following list reflects types of courses that will not be certified to the
DVA:
| A. |
courses not on the Program Description Sheet
(PDS)
signed by the advisor and student unless an addendum is provided before the last
day of the drop/add period;
|
| B. |
repeated courses that have been previously completed
with a grade of "D-" or higher unless the student's program requires a
higher grade; this includes courses transferred from other colleges;
|
| C. |
courses taken to fulfill requirements at another
institution unless a transient authorization is received;
|
| D. |
courses taken on an audit or noncredit basis or courses
in which the permanent grade is "non-punitive," e.g., "W" or
"V;"
|
| E. |
courses for which an "I" or "I*"
was assigned, but not changed to a letter grade (A through F) within one year of
the completion of the semester; in this case, the DVA will be notified
retroactively. |
Educational Objective
To receive educational benefits from the DVA, the student
must be pursuing an approved bachelor's, master's, specialist, or doctor's
degree at the University. A PDS signed by the academic advisor and the student
must be on file in the Veterans Services Office before the end of the student's
first semester at UWF. Considerable care should be taken in the development of
this plan as the DVA will consider only courses listed on the PDS in determining
the student's status.
Off-Term Courses
Off term courses are those beginning and/or ending on
other than the regular semester dates. These are referred to as B, C, D or E,
term courses. Students should be aware that the DVA review is made on a
term-by-term basis, and not by semester. Taking B, C, D or E term courses may
affect the student's training rate for pay purposes and eligibility for break
pay.
Reporting Requirements
Recertification of benefits is not automatic and must be
requested each semester. It is the responsibility of each student to keep the
UWF Office of Veterans Services informed of the following.
| A. |
Class Registration. After registering, eligible
beneficiaries must visit the UWF Office of Veterans Services to complete
necessary paperwork. In most cases the earlier a student registers and provides
the registration information to this office, the earlier certification paperwork
can be forwarded to the DVA.
|
| B. |
Changes to Schedule. Any additions, drops, withdrawals,
or other interruptions must be immediately reported to the UWF Office of
Veterans Services by the student.
|
| C. |
Failure to Attend Class. Routine class attendance is
required for those receiving DVA benefits. Students who are unable to attend
class(es) for an extended period of time should notify the instructor(s) and the
Office of Veterans Services.
|
| D. |
Change/Correction of Major. The DVA must be notified
when a student changes a major. These changes are generally approved if there is
only minimal loss of credit hours previously earned.
|
| E. |
Change of Address. If a student's address changes, both
the DVA and UWF must be notified. |
To prevent overpayment and subsequent indebtedness to the
federal government, it is important to notify the Office of Veterans Services
immediately of changes that may affect the student's eligibility for benefits.
Tuition Deferment
Florida law generally provides for one semester's
deferment of tuition per academic year for those students applying for or
receiving veterans benefits. For further information, see the section on
Veterans Fee Deferments.
