TCL is committed to serving veterans, active duty military, their spouses, and dependents stationed in the Lowcountry. TCL is an approved institution for administering the educational benefit programs of the Veterans Administration (VA).

Effective Spring 2023, the TCL Office of Military & Veterans Programs is pleased to announce that our Veterans Certification Request Form is now officially online. With this new link, you can officially access the form on your iPad, iPhone, Android, tablet, and personal computer.

Please click on the Official Veterans Certification Request Form to submit your semester enrollment request. You must complete the form online using your TCL Student Email Account. To remind you, all TCL VA-eligible students must complete this form every semester to receive benefits.

So that you know, not all questions will be related to your VA Educational Benefits Program. We ask that you please pay close attention to the “Academic Program Selection” section to select your current TCL program of study as reflected on your TCL Self-Service and Navigate accounts. VA will only pay for classes required in your program of study. If you are a Health Sciences student, there is a separate admissions process to complete with the Health Sciences Division. Therefore if you are only taking general education courses, you must select your program of study under the “Health Sciences – Pre-Entry Section.”

All VA recipients must be registered to be certified for classes for the semester indicated on the Certification Form. Your class schedule must reflect “registered” and not planned or waitlisted. Otherwise, we cannot submit your enrollment to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Furthermore, we require all VA-eligible students to upload their future class schedules as requested on this new and improved form. Please follow the steps below to access your official TCL Class Schedule from your TCL Self-Service account. 

  • Login to TCL Self-Service 
  • Select the “Student Finance” tab 
  • Select “Account Activity.” 
  • Select Term 
  • Click on “View Statement.” 
  • You can save your schedule to upload for VA certification purposes. 

Ready to Enroll?

Please choose from the options below to learn more about enrolling at TCL. These instructions are customized based on your military affiliation, so please read them thoroughly.

Additional Information:


VA Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT VA EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS DO I QUALIFY TO RECEIVE?

Educational institutions, like TCL, cannot automatically determine your eligibility for VA Benefits, as we do not have access to the Active Duty Service Member or Veteran’s military service file.

We encourage all military-affiliated students to please get in touch with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Education Office at 1-888-442-4551 for information about their eligibility for VA benefits. To learn more about potential VA Educational Assistance Programs, please click on this link: https://www.tcl.edu/military-programs/veterans-education-benefit-programs/.

Students attending our approved credit-based programs must also complete the TCL Admissions Application and submit all the required admissions documentation (i.e., official transcripts) before course registration. Students must be enrolled in one of our TCL programs as approved by the State Approving Agency and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Please note: There are currently only three Continuing Education programs approved by VA, which includes the following:

  • CDL – Commercial Driver’s License
  • EMT – Emergency Medical Technician
  • Welding – GMAW and FCAW, Oxyacetylene Welding, and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)

You must contact our Continuing Education Office at 843-525-8205 for more information on applying for one of those three programs.

CAN I USE MY VA BENEFITS HERE AT TCL?

Utilizing your VA benefits will depend on a series of multiple factors, such as the following:

  • Have you previously applied and utilized your VA educational benefits at another collegiate institution? If so, how many months of entitlement do you have remaining?
  • If your benefits have run out for another VA Educational Assistance Program (G.I. Bill®), do you know whether you qualify for another one?

HOW CAN A VETERAN, NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER, OR RESERVIST APPLY FOR VA BENEFITS?

If eligible for VA benefits, students can apply online at https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/. *Please allow up to four to six weeks for processing.

  • For Chapter 30, 33, 1606 & 1607 Recipients: Please print out your Certificate of Eligibility or Statement of Benefits Information from the VA website within four to six weeks, after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has processed it. Send this document to gibill@tcl.edu.
  • For Chapter 31 – Veterans’ Readiness and Employment Program® (formerly VA Vocational Rehabilitation) Recipients: Eligible students will be assigned to a VA Educational & Career Counselor within four to six weeks after applying. These personnel will send the approved Vocational Rehabilitation Authorization Form (VA 28-1905) via Tungsten to the Business Office.

HOW CAN A MILITARY-AFFILIATED SPOUSE OR DEPENDENTS APPLY FOR VA BENEFITS?

There are only two VA Educational Assistance Programs that dependents may qualify for:

  • Ch. 33: Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® Benefits: Service Members have the option to transfer their Post 9/11 benefits to their spouse or dependents before being discharged from active-duty military service via https://www.va.gov/education/transfer-post-9-11-gi-bill-benefits/. For assistance, please call VA at 1-888-442-4551. Once VA approves the transfer, dependents can apply online for the Post 9/11 benefits at https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/. *Please allow up to four to six weeks for processing. VA will send a Certificate of Eligibility in the mail. Send that document to gibill@tcl.edu. This document must be in the student’s name.
  • Chapter 35: Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance®: If the veteran has died or is permanently disabled from service-connected causes, dependent children (ages 18 through 26, unless the student meets exception guidelines) or the spouse may qualify for Chapter 35 benefits. Students can apply online at https://www.va.gov/education/survivor-dependent-benefits/. For assistance, call VA at 1-888-442-4551. *Please allow up to four to six weeks for processing. VA will send the Certificate of Eligibility in the mail. Don’t forget to send that document to gibill@tcl.edu.

WHAT DOES TCL NEED TO REPORT MY ENROLLMENT STATUS TO VA EACH SEMESTER?

  • Our Office of Veterans Affairs does not automatically report student enrollment to VA, even after receiving your Certificate of Eligibility. All VA-eligible students must first register for classes each semester to utilize their VA benefits. It is the student’s decision to have our Office of Veterans Affairs report their enrollment to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
  • If you would like to have your enrollment reported, you must complete the Veterans Certification Form upon registration each semester; please submit this document and your class schedule back to our office via gibill@tcl.edu.

HOW MANY CREDIT HOURS DO I NEED TO TAKE TO BE CONSIDERED FULL-TIME?

  • Typically, students must enroll in at least 12 credit hours to be considered full-time during the 14-week Fall and Spring semesters that begin in January and August. If you desire to take all online courses or half-time load (any enrollment between six to eleven credits), please note that VA will prorate payments according to VA policies and regulations.
  • We advise all our students to consult with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, prior to enrolling in our mini semesters, including our Summer term. Their office performs a calculation based on the start and end dates. Depending on the start date of our mini semesters, VA may consider full-time status during those mini terms with an enrollment of at least six to nine credit hours).
  • Enrollment Disclaimer: Most importantly, we want our students to be responsible for the course registration process. Just because VA pays more based on full-time status does not necessarily mean that you should stretch yourself thin to take more classes than you can handle. Any additional funding you may be entitled to receive is an incentive as part of your VA Educational Assistance Program. We realize that many of our TCL students have other obligations outside of attending college, so please be cautious regarding this matter. Any student who withdraws from classes may owe money to both the college and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Please consult with your instructor, Navigator, or Faculty Advisor, if you are experiencing difficulty with your classes. The college has various resources that may assist you with achieving your educational and career goals.

DO I NEED TO INFORM TCL’S OFFICE OF VETERANS AFFAIRS IF I ADD OR DROP CLASSES?

Yes, please! We always want students to let us know when their schedule changes, as this may result in an underpayment or overpayment circumstance.

DO I NEED TO INFORM TCL’S OFFICE OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, IF I CHANGE MY MAJOR?

Yes, please! A separate VA Change of Major Form that all VA-eligible students must complete based on their current VA educational benefit.

CAN I TAKE ANY CLASSES, EVEN IF IT IS NOT APPLICABLE TO MY PROGRAM?

Students must enroll in courses based on their current program of study. The only exception is course substitutions when your Faculty Advisor or Navigator sees fit as necessary. Otherwise, VA will not pay for those “other” courses.

WILL VA DIRECTLY PAY THE COST OF STUDENTS’ TUITION AND FEES?

There are only two VA programs that will pay the school for tuition and fees: Chapter 31: Veterans’ Readiness and Employment Program® (formerly VA Voc Rehab) and Chapter 33: Post 9/11 G.I. Bill®.

  • RE: Post 9/11 Recipients: We want you to know that our office does not report the costs of books and supplies also to include the TCL College Store (Barnes and Noble) “TCL Course Ready” (formerly First Day Complete) Program. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides eligible students with the separate book allowance deposited into the bank account specified on your VA application.
  • Students eligible for less than 100% of entitlement under Post 9/11 and other VA Educational Assistance Programs will still have to pay out-of-pocket, depending on whether they also apply for financial aid and other assistance programs (i.e., scholarships and Lottery Tuition Assistance).

HOW CAN I OPT OUT OF THE BARNES AND NOBLE FIRST-DAY COMPLETE PROGRAM?

All Chapter 31 students must opt out of this program, as the Veterans’ Readiness and Employment Program will pay for your books and supplies with the TCL College Store. All other VA-eligible students electing to opt-out of the program must read and complete the electronic Title IV Financial Aid Recipient Textbook Program Opt-Out form before the first day of classes. The opt-out selection can be found by following these prompts:

  • Log in to Self Service.
  • Click on your name at the top right-hand corner.
  • Select Required Agreements.
  • Click on the “Title IV Financial Aid Recipient Textbook Program Opt-Out” form.

If you opt-out of the program, you opt out for the entire semester, not course by course

WHEN WILL THE SCHOOL BEGIN RECEIVING PAYMENTS FOR MY CURRENT ENROLLMENT?

  • Our Office of Veterans Affairs initially reports enrollment information without the tuition and fees so that our Post 9/11 students can start receiving their book stipend (specifically to pay for the TCL Course Ready (formerly First Day Complete) Program out-of-pocket) and other supplies costs.
  • During the first week of classes, we thoroughly review student enrollment and report tuition and fees so that VA can start sending tuition payments to our Cashier’s Office within the next couple of weeks.

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY PAYMENTS FROM VA?

If you have already submitted the required VA paperwork and our Office of Veterans Affairs has already reported the semester enrollment, please get in touch with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Education Office at 1-888-442-4551. It does take a while for VA to process your claim before receiving your payment, so we ask that you please be patient.


Other Military-Related Frequently Asked Questions

How can I use Military Tuition Assistance?

  • Please contact your Education Officer on-base. Once you have been approved for Tuition Assistance, you will need a print out of your degree plan.
  • Once the Education Office receives the degree plan, please submit the Tuition Assistance Voucher to the Business Office or via email at ta@tcl.edu.

Do I qualify to receive MyCAA as a military spouse?

Active Duty Military Spouses Only*: Apply for the MyCAA (Military Spouse Career Advancement Account) Scholarship on https://mycaa.militaryonesource.mil/mycaa/. Spouses of service members on active duty in pay grades E-1 to E-5, W-1 to W-2 and O-1 to O-2 can potentially begin and complete their college coursework while their military sponsor is on Title 10 military orders, including spouses married to members of the National Guard and reserve component in these same pay grades. Please contact the Education Office on base or a MyCAA Career Coach at 1-800-342-9647 for more information on how to apply.

  • Education & Training Plan: You will need to contact our Military & Veteran Affairs Office to obtain your personalized Education & Training Plan (ETP) for your MyCAA Career Coach to evaluate and approve your eligibility. MyCAA recipients must complete and submit all admissions requirements before asking our office to complete this document.
  • Submit MyCAA Voucher: Please submit your MyCAA Scholarship Voucher to the Cashier’s Office at ta@tcl.edu or inside Building 3 (Beaufort Campus) each semester.
    • Please note that this program will only pay up to $4,000 towards tuition.

How can I apply to receive Free Tuition as a dependent of a veteran?

Children of deceased or 100% disabled Veterans, who were killed or disabled during military service, can attend any SC State supported institutions up until their 26th birthday and pay no tuition. Applications are available via: https://scdva.sc.gov/education or inside Building 2: Coleman Hall.

  • If approved, you will get a letter mailed from the South Carolina Department of Veteran Affairs. Please send a copy of that letter to gibill@tcl.edu.
  • Financial Aid will post the award on your account, once you register for classes.

How can I apply to receive the SC National Guard CAP Program

The SCNG College Assistance Program will pay 100% of college tuition and fees at state supported institutions up to $4,500 per year, with a lifetime cap of $18,000 per service-member. Service Members must be in good academic with the institution to receive CAP funding.

  • To determine eligibility, contact your National Guard Education Office Liaison or Commanding Officer. Apply online via: https://www.scguard.ng.mil/Resources/Education-Office/.
  • If approved for CAP funds, our Office of Financial Aid will need to verify your eligibility based on your current financial aid status. You can contact them at financialaid@tcl.edu or (843) 470-5961.

Need Help?

Christina Schatzle
Director of Military and Veteran Programs
Phone: 843-525-8358
mavrc@tcl.edu

VA School Certifying Official:

gibill@tcl.edu

On Base:

Travis Newman
Veterans Enrollment Counselor
mavrc@tcl.edu

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island
Mondays — 0900–1300
Phone: 843-228-2659

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort
Tuesdays & Thursdays — 0900–1300
Phone: 843-228-7494