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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will I receive college credit for my military transcripts?
A: Prairie State College offers credit for military occupations and training courses if they are recommended for credit by the American Council on Education (ACE) and if Prairie State College has similar courses. Students should request an official copy of their military transcript to be sent to Prairie State College. Official transcripts must come directly from the military or arrive stamped and sealed. Order transcripts below:

Order transcripts below:
Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) - Air Force
- Joint Services Transcript (JST) - Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy

Q: What type of benefits can be used at Prairie State College?
A: Federal Benefits
- Chapter 30 – Prior Active Duty G.I. Bill
- Chapter 31 – Veterans Readiness &Employment
- Chapter 33 – Post 9/11 G.I. Bill/Transfer of Entitlement/The Fry Scholarship
- Chapter 35 – Survivor & Dependents
- Chapter 1606 – Reserve/National Guard G.I. Bill
- Army IgnitEd – Active Army Tuition Assistance
-AFTA – Active Air Force Tuition Assistance
- MyCAA – Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts

State Benefits
- Illinois Veterans Grant
- National Guard Grant
- MIA/POW

Q: Do I need to reapply for my military educational benefits every semester?
After your initial registration for educational benefits has been completed, you will only need to resubmit an PSC Student Veterans Center Intake Form each semester. However, Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 G.I. Bill) and Ch. 35 (Survivor & Dependent) will also need to submit, each semester, an updated Certificate of Eligibility (COE) or a screenshot of the va.gov webpage that shows remaining entitlements.

Q: Why is the PSC Student Veterans Center Intake Form so important?
A:
The form identifies you as a student intending to utilize veteran benefits and allows coordination with the Business Office on your student account.

Q: Does Prairie State College have a Veterans student group?
A: Yes, there is an active Veteran student group on campus. For more information about the group, check out this page.

Q: Will I get confirmation that Prairie State College has submitted my certification to the VA for the current term?
A: Yes. The VA will send an automated notification to your Prairie State College email. This email is confirmation of what Prairie State submitted to the VA. If it doesn’t accurately reflect your current enrollment status, please contact the Coordinator, Office of Military Student Affairs or call 708- 709-3567 immediately.

Q: When do I start to receive my VA educational benefits?
A: The VA will process your benefits as quickly as possible, but this can take several weeks from the first time you apply. Once you are in the VA system, though – and if you submit your PSC Office of Military Student Affairs Intake Form before the start of each semester – your benefits should be provided to you continuously (with any monthly stipends paid at the end of each month during a semester).

Q: I qualify for Chapter 33 benefits. When can I expect to receive my textbook stipend and housing allowance?
A: The textbook stipend is paid as soon as your claim is processed so you should not wait for the stipend to arrive before ordering your textbooks. The Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), meanwhile, and other monthly stipends are paid at the end of each month during a semester. Keep in mind that partial months are paid at a prorated rate. For example, if a fall semester begins on August 20, your BAH payment will only be for the ten (10) days between August 20 and August 30 (provided your BAH certification was submitted in advance of August 20).

Q: When will I get the refund of my Financial Aid?
A: Students are strongly encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine what they are eligible for. Students utilizing both Financial Aid and VA benefits to pay for school will be refunded any money that is above and beyond the total amount due on their student account. A student will receive this refund once both Financial Aid and VA benefits have been added to their student account.

Q: What is the process of veterans applying for admission to Prairie State College?
A: The admission process is the same for veterans as it is for every other student and it is best to review the admission requirements before applying.

Q: I was using my military benefits at a previous school. How do I transfer them to Prairie State College?
A: Those using VA benefits, complete VA Form 22-1995 (Request for Change of Program or Place of Training) or VA Form 22-5495 (Dependent Request for Change of Program or Place for Training) on Vets.gov.
Those using the National Guard Grant, go to ISAC.org to change your application data.

Q. Can I repeat a course with it covered by the VA?
A: Courses that a student successfully passes are typically not eligible to be covered by the VA again. Under certain circumstances a repeated course may be certified to the VA and is done on a case- by-case basis.

Q: How many credit hours do I need to take to be classified as a fulltime student?
A: The credit hour requirements are below. Know how they affect your stipends
Fall and Spring
- Full-time – twelve or more credit hours
- Three-quarter time – nine to eleven credit hours
- Half-time – six to eight credit hours
- Less than half-time – one to five credit hours
Summer
- Full-time – six or more credit hours
- Three-quarter time – five credit hours
- Half-time – three or four credit hours
- Less than half-time – one or two credit hours

Q: Does not being classified as a fulltime student affect other VA educational benefits?
A: If you are a recipient of Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 G.I. Bill) educational benefits, you must register for course credits that constitute at least 51% of fulltime status (this is a minimum of 6.12 credit hours) to receive the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). PSC Office of Military Student Affairs can assist on interpreting credit-hour totals that are based on multiple or overlapping sessions to ensure they meet Chapter 33 BAH requirements. Also, to avoid a drastic reduction in BAH, at least one credit hour each semester must physically take place on campus.

Q: What happens if I drop or add a course?
A: Before making any adjustments to your course schedule consult with the Coordinator, Office of Military Student Affairs. This ensures that you understand possible ramifications of this change and allows Prairie State College to make any necessary adjustments to your VA certification, or other benefits that may be impacted. Dropping a course could result in a debt with both the college and the VA. This is especially important for students who are dropping below full-time status.

If a withdrawal occurs during or after the drop/add period, Prairie State College will have set the Tuition and Fees aside to return to the VA. However, the student will be in debt with Prairie State College for the amount returned to the VA.

If you drop a class or withdraw from all classes after the deadline date, the VA will require repayment of any money you received for attendance in that class unless you have mitigating circumstances. If you feel you have a valid reason for dropping the class or withdrawing from class, you can write to the VA and ask that you be allowed to maintain your prevailing ratel of pay, up to the last date of attendance in the course(s).

Q: What types of “mitigating circumstances” are acceptable to the VA for dropping a class or withdrawing from PSC?
A: Mitigating circumstances include (1) personal illness or injury, (2) the death, illness or serious injury of a family member, (3) relocation due to employment, (4) work-schedule conflict, or (5) hardships. If you claim a mitigating circumstance for dropping a class or withdrawing form PSC, the VA will require in-depth statements and supporting documents before approving payment. If you have other reasons for dropping or withdrawing, you may also provide those in writing to the VA.

Q: Do I have to maintain a certain GPA to keep my military educational benefits?
A: All students utilizing military educational benefits must maintain certain standards of progress with a GPA above 2.0. Students who are placed on academic probation are provided with military educational benefits for up to two consecutive semesters. However, if the student’s cumulative grade point average does not meet PSC published standards of progress after the second consecutive semester of academic probation, military educational benefits will be terminated. Students who are reinstated to PSC after dismissal for unsatisfactory progress and plan to use military educational benefits must meet with Coordinator, Office of Military Student Affairs after their reinstatement.

Q: Can I transfer benefits to my dependents?
A: If you were a member of the Armed Forces on August 1, 2009, and eligible for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, the Department of Defense may offer you the opportunity to transfer benefits to your spouse or dependent children. Commissioned offices of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are eligible for the transferability option effective August 1, 2011.

While in the Armed Forces, servicemembers can transfer their Post-9/11 educational benefits to any dependent listed in DEERS. One the transfer has been initiated, the service member incurs a 4-year service commitment that runs concurrently with their current commitment/contract. Because of this requirement servicemembers who have left the service cannot transfer their educational benefits to their dependents. After leaving the Armed Forces, servicemembers can modify the number of months transferred, provide a future effective date for use of Transfer of Education, or revoke entitlement transferred by submitting a written request to VA. For more information on transferring Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, please refer to this ToE Benefits Info.

Q: What if I am called to active duty?
A: Prairie State College recognizes and appreciates the important contributions made by active duty, Reserve, and National Guard members. In order to accommodate these students and their dependents, the Office of Military Student Affairs provides a checklist of steps to take. Here are some guidelines if you are considering/taking classes:

1. For any training/drill or deployment: Students will attempt to make arrangements with instructors to maintain and/or make up classwork as needed and to assign grades as appropriate (including incompletes, to be made up later). Registration for those courses, in which instructors accommodate the absence will remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees will be assessed in full for those courses. Service members should provide instructors with maximum advance notice of absences, providing copies of training/drill, and/or deployment directives from the Reserves or National Guard.
2. Instructors must accommodate absences of up to two weeks in duration (or equivalent in Summer) in accordance with paragraph one.
3. When unable to make satisfactory arrangements with all instructors: Courses will be dropped and the tuition and mandatory fees for those courses will be rescinded.
4. When unable to make arrangements with any instructors for unexpected orders requiring longer than two-week absence: The student’s entire registration for that semester will be withdrawn or cancelled and d100% of the tuition and mandatory fees will be rescinded.

Q: Where is Office of Military Student Affairs located on campus?
A: The Student Veteran Center is located on the first floor of the Main building in room 1240, northeast side of the Atrium.