VA Benefits & Tuition Assistance

GI Bill®

SUNY Oswego’s VA Certifying Official assists veterans and eligible dependents entitled to educational benefits studying under programs administered by the Veterans’ Benefits Administration. The official can help students through the entire process from determining eligibility to receiving educational assistance benefits. Benefits are based on a student’s status: full-time, part-time, or less than part-time.

If interested in pursuing benefits covered under the GI Bill® please contact:

Financial Aid Office
SUNY Oswego
231 Sheldon Hall
7060 State Route 104 West
Oswego, New York 13126
Phone: 315.312.2248
Fax: 315.312.3696
Email: [email protected]

Getting Started

Initial consultation may require 30 minutes or more, so please plan accordingly. To assist in this process, please be sure to bring the following items if they apply:

Your SUNY Oswego acceptance letter
Your Certificate of Eligibility
DD214 for the veteran under which you are applying for benefits
Notice of basic eligibility (if you are in the Reserves)
Necessary paperwork to demonstrate eligibility for Chapter 35
A record of previous college courses

SUNY Oswego permits any student receiving Chapter 33 or Chapter 31 benefits to attend and participate in coursework during the period for which a Certificate of Eligibility, Statement of Benefits, or VAF 28-1905 is received.

SUNY Oswego will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement of funding from VA under chapter 33 or 31.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Military Tuition AssistanceFederal

SUNY Oswego accepts Military Tuition Assistance from all U.S. service branches. All Active Duty Service Members, including Guard and Reserve, must contact their Education Service Officer or Education Counselor within your branch of service prior to enrollment. Once they have established eligibility, we can assist in the process of enrollment. This involves creating a student agreement outlining your degree plan and the transfer credits awarded, submitting the courses, dates, and charges prior to the start of a given semester, and inputting grades once received. As a Non-Letter of Instruction school, these steps will be completed on an individual basis.

For more information or assistance please contact:

Division of Extended Learning
337 Sheldon Hall
Oswego, New York 13126
Phone: 315.312.2270

Student Accounts
408 Culkin Hall
Oswego, New York 13126
Phone: 315.312.2225

Tuition Assistance Branch Information

Return of Tuition Assistance

Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded.

To comply with Department of Defense policy, SUNY Oswego will return any unearned TA funds on a prorate basis through the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. These funds are returned to the military Service branch.

For withdrawals due to military service obligations, please see the Military Leave of Absence policy.

Military Tuition AssistanceNew York State

The Recruitment Incentive and Retention Program (RIRP) is a New York State program designed to recruit and retain quality members for the New York Army and Air National Guard and the Naval Militia. Any active member of the New York National Guard or Naval Militia, in good standing, is eligible to apply to receive tuition assistance, up to the cost of the State University of New York’s (SUNY) maximum in-state undergraduate tuition, at any college, university, or community-technical college in the State of New York recognized and approved by the New York State Board of Regents or State University of New York.

The following are basic RIRP eligibility requirements:

Be in good standing with the State Military Forces (attend or make-up all drills and annual training)
Be accepted and enrolled in an undergraduate degree-granting program for a minimum of six (6) credit hours per semester or four (4) credit hours per quarter
Be a resident of the State of New York for a period of 186 days prior to using the program, excluding Active Duty periods

Applications are processed exclusively by the NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

*Drilling Reservists of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard are eligible for NY Naval Militia membership as long as your primary drilling location is in New York State. More information can be found here.