Veterans Services Veterans Services

Services for Veterans

The Veterans Benefits Office welcomes you to Columbia College.  Our role is to assist and support veterans and qualified dependents in accessing veterans educational benefits, such as the GI Bill®, as well as other programs and resources. 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

VA Educational Benefits-G.I. Bill®

  1. New Students
  2. Continuing Students

Priority Registration

Veteran students are eligible for Level 1 priority registration at Columbia College.  To receive a priority registration date, a veteran student must:

Provide a copy of their DD-214 Member 4 form to the Admissions and Records office via email or in person and complete the matriculation steps below:

  • meet with your counselor to create an educational plan.
  • complete the Columbia College online orientation.

To view which of these tasks you still need to complete, click "Registration Date & Time" on connectColumbia or contact the Counseling Office at 209-588-5109.

Veteran Academic Counseling

If you are using your VA education benefits, you must have a veteran counselor-approved education plan.  Rebekah Rogers and Katie Marquez are the academic counselors for veterans.  Before any classes can be certified and benefits paid, please make an appointment with one of them.  209-588-5130.  

Mental Health Counseling

Columbia has a full-time mental health counselor available in the fall and spring semesters for appointments.  Please visit the following link to access services: https://www.gocolumbia.edu/mentalhealthservices/ 

Credit for Prior Learning and Transfer of Previous Credits

Veterans are encouraged to leverage their military training into transfer work credits to help them finish their academic program in the shortest amount of time.  Credit for Prior Learning can be petitioned for experiences that may qualify to meet program requirements.  The first step is to have your documentation (JST transcripts, credential documents, etc.) in hand for your meeting with your veteran counselor.  Your counselor can look at your documentation and guide you in the CPL process.  Please visit the Credit for Prior Learning web page for the rules and regs around this credit option.

The VA requires students who are using veteran education benefits to request transcripts from previous institutions to be sent to the Admissions and Records office of Columbia College.  Once the transcripts have arrived, you need to file a Transfer Work Request after meeting with your counselor to have your transcript evaluated for potential credit.

Veterans Resource Center

The Columbia College Veteran Resource Center, located in Tamarack 119, strives to meet veterans wherever they are in their transition from military to college life and assist by providing an inclusive community of those who understand the culture of military service. Services include:

  • R & R area 
  • Use of computers with internet access and free printing
  • Separate quiet space with a computer equipped with adaptive technology 
  • Veterans Club meetings and events

Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018

The Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-407) was signed into law on December 31, 2018. This law has five sections pertinent to the administration of Veterans' educational or training benefits with two of the provisions directly affecting schools. The first of these provisions will be implemented in August. 

Beginning on August 1, 2019, educational institutions must have a policy in place allowing G.I. Bill ®  and VR&E beneficiaries (Chapter 33 and Chapter 31 beneficiaries) to attend a course of education or training for up to 90 days from the date the beneficiary provides a certificate of eligibility, or valid VAF 28-1905. This allows a student to attend the course until VA provides payment to the institution. The educational institution must also have a policy to not impose a penalty, or require the beneficiary to borrow additional funds to cover tuition and fees due to late payments from VA. Section 103 requires a State Approving Agency (SAA), or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) when acting in the role of the SAA, to disapprove certain courses of education. VA can grant a waiver to these requirements. Columbia College is in compliance with Title 38 USC 3679 (e).  

‘‘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."

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