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.
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:
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.
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.
Non-Resident fees are NOT covered by your VA education benefits.
AB 13 (VACA) Exemption or Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act (VACA H.R. 3230)
Veterans or dependents of an eligible Veteran who meet the following requirements shall be exempt from paying non-resident tuition at Columbia College. A "covered individual" for purposes of compliance with the VACA Act and Education Code Section 68075.7 is defined as:
Under this exemption, students are NOT eligible to receive a California College Promise Grant (Formerly BOG waiver). Students will still be classified as a non-resident but given an exemption from paying non-resident tuition.
Senate Bill (SB) 701 amended California Education Code (CEC) 68075.7 to conform with the federal law that eliminated the requirement of the expiration of a 3-year eligibility period. Regardless of the passage date of SB 701, colleges must still implement the change by the August 1, 2021 effective date.
To apply for AB13 (VACA) California Non-resident Tuition Exemption for Eligible Veterans & Dependents you must:
Columbia has a full-time mental health counselor available in the fall and spring semesters for appointments. Please visit Columbia College Mental Health Services.
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.
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: