New Students

The VONAPP (VA Online Application) is retired and the website is no longer available. The application(s) to apply for VA benefits are now available at www.va.gov. Please go to the "Apply for education benefits" button at va.gov to begin the process.

After your application has been processed, you should receive a Certificate of Eligibility letter from the VA determining your eligibility. Please submit a copy of this letter to our office.

You may submit any one of the following documents:

• Certificate of Eligibility (C.O.E.)
• "Proof of Eligibility" page from your eBenefits account. 
• "Post-9/11 GI Bill® Statement of Benefits" from your account on www.va.gov

** Please note, we do not require these documents in order to submit your enrollment certification to the VA.

In order to access your Statement of Benefits or Proof of Eligibility page, you must have an account set up with va.gov or eBenefits. If you have questions regarding your application state or Certificate of Eligibility, please contact the VA Regional Processing Office at 1-888-442-4551.

Apply for formal admission to University of Cincinnati by following the procedures outlined by Undergraduate Admissions or Graduate School, as appropriate.

From the Department of War; All members of Active Duty or Reserve Components must contact their respective Education Service Officer prior to applying for admission to the university to ensure all eligibility requirements have been met.

To successfully apply for your veteran education benefits, you must be certain of both specific degree (e.g. associate, bachelors, masters, etc.) that you will be pursuing upon entry to University of Cincinnati and the major discipline of study within that degree (e.g., biology, accounting, nursing, history, etc.). Your college office will notify you of its admission decision. If you are admitted, the college will provide you with information regarding the specific degree requirements for your particular major. The college also will evaluate any prior study you have completed and will advise you in selecting the appropriate classes for registration.

After you receive notification from University of Cincinnati confirming that you have been admitted to your UC college, be sure to formally accept the offer of admission and pay any required matriculation fee by the deadline. Please be aware that registering for classes does not mean you are accepted by and matriculated into a degree program.

If you have any doubts as to whether or not you are matriculated into a degree program, check with the UC Admissions Office, the Graduate School, or your UC college office. 

Important Note: as required by U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs regulations, to be certified at University of Cincinnati for VA educational benefits, you must be matriculated in an approved program of study.

For a list of University of Cincinnati programs approved by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, follow these steps: 

• Go online to the GI Bill Comparison Tool webpage and under "Schools and Employers," you will click on the link.
• On the resulting page, in the box that says "School, employer, or training provider," you will type in "University of Cincinnati" and click on the search button.
• On the resulting page, click on the campus where your major is housed. If you do not know where your program is located, please contact the VPS Office at: 513-556-6811.
• On the resulting page, scroll to the bottom of the page that says "Approved programs of study" 
• All degree granting programs are under the Institution of Higher Learning link. All post-baccalaureate and post-master's certificates are under the Non-College degree link. You will click on one of those links to verify that your major, or certificate program, has been approved for pay by the VA.

If your program is not included on this list, immediately contact Veterans Programs & Services at (513)556-6811 or by email at: vetcert@ucmail.uc.edu.

For Chapters 30, 35, 1606, and REAP students, the U.S. department of Veteran Affairs pays benefits to the student at the end of each month. These payments may not be sufficient to cover full tuition and fee costs. Therefore, student-veterans must be prepared to pay at least your first semester's expenses (i.e. tuition and fees, textbooks, supplies, etc.) out of pocket.

University of Cincinnati makes available a three-part payment plan. For information regarding your options, visit Enrollment Services (University Pavilion, 2nd floor; (513) 556-1000.

If you have not yet applied for financial aid, visit or contact Enrollment Services to request assistance in applying or apply online. Receipt of VA educational benefits does not necessarily exclude you from additional financial aid monies. 

Contact your college advisor to arrange an advising appointment. Work with the advisor to select classes required for completing your current degree program. Keep in mind that the U.S Department of Veteran Affairs will pay benefits only for classes that progress you toward graduation in your current degree program or classes that are required refresher/ pre-requisite courses approved for VA benefit payment. So be sure to register carefully.

*All students must visit the GI Bill Comparison Tool page to verify that their major is approved for VA pay! If you sign up for a major that is not approved by the VA, the VA will not pay for the program.* Please click on the link below to verify that the program that you are pursuing is approved for pay by the VA. https://www.va.gov/education/gi-bill-comparison-tool/schools-and-employers/institution/11516135/institution-of-higher-learning

If you register for any classes that are not required by your current UC college for your current program, you must identify these non-required classes to our office (in writing).

Each semester, you must apply through Catalyst to utilze your benefits at UC.

***The online benefits application takes a snapshot of your Catalyst database information at the time of submission. Do not submit your application until your program is correct and your schedule is finalized.***

Benefit requests must be requested using the Catalyst system..

Course Certification for Veteran Benefits

1. On the Student Homepage on Catalyst, you will click on the Quick Links & Helpful Contacts window, located on the upper right-hand corner.
2. On the next page, look for the UC VA Certification Request on the lower left-hand side of the page.
3. Next, choose the term that you wish to apply for benefits.
4. Next select the VA benefits chapter that applies to you (30,31,33,35,1606).
5. Next, answer all of the questions that apply to you. Note: if you are utilizing the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), you will put the percentage amount awarded by the VA for the Post 9/11 GI Bill; NOT your disability rating (if applicable). Please check your Certificate of Eligibility to verify your eligibility percentage.
6. If you have any additional documents that you wish to upload (COE, VR&E Application, Yellow Ribbon Application, etc...) you will add those documents when prompted.
7. Next, you will read and check off each box next to the statement.

When you are ready to submit your application, you will click on the "Submit" button; If you want to wait to submit your document, you can click on the "Save" button and return to the application at a later time.

When you click on the Submit button, your application will go to your academic advisor so they can verify that you are taking courses required for you to earn a degree in your current program.

Note: If your program is not approved by the VA for pay, you will not be able to open and fill out the form. Please visit the VA WEAMS institution search to see which programs are eligible for VA pay at: https://inquiry.vba.va.gov/weamspub/buildSearchInstitutionCriteria.do

Note: You will not be able to complete the Catalyst application until after you have signed up for your courses.

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Services, their spouses, and dependents, may qualify for immediate classification as Ohio resident-for-tuition-purposes. Check with the Office of the Registrar to see if you qualify.

If you have questions about the steps outlined above, contact Veterans Programs & Services.

Veterans Programs &Services' walk-up window is open Monday through Friday, 9am- 4:30pm EST. Our phone hours are Monday through Friday, 9am-4:30pm EST. The VPS telephone number is (513) 556-6811.