Northwest Technical College programs are approved by the Minnesota State Approving Agency for veterans and their dependents as eligible for educational benefits.

As a veteran, NTC assists you with enrollment and getting educational assistance allowance (GI Bill®), and other benefits from the Veterans Administration (VA).

As a veteran who is enrolled full or part-time in college, you’re eligible for educational assistance through the GI Bill®. VA education benefits fall into one of these categories (chapters):

  • Chapter 30 – Active duty service person
  • Chapter 31 – Vocational rehabilitation and employment
  • Chapter 35 – Veteran’s dependent (spouse, surviving spouse, or child)
  • Chapter 38 – Post 9/11
  • Chapter 1606 – Active selective reservist or National Guardsperson

Chapter 1607 – REAP – (Reserve Educational Assistance Program)

Certification Procedure

  1. Apply for veteran’s benefits at the Veterans Certifying Official office or at: www.gibill.va.gov .
  2. Once you’ve obtained a VA certificate of eligibility, give a copy to the certifying official when you apply for admission. If you’re changing schools or programs, you must get a required form from the certifying official.
  3. Northwest Technical College will complete your enrollment certification once you’ve registered for classes. Enrollment for full-time students is semester by semester. Summer school is a separate enrollment period. Date of enrollment is based on the school calendar and individual course start and finish dates.
  4. Recipients of VA educational benefits must meet satisfactory academic standards at NTC and finish the number of semester credits they’re certified for: 12 semester credits equals full-time, 9-11 equals 3/4 time, 6-8 equals 1/2 time. A reduction of training time from full-time to part-time or terminating your enrollment will be reported to the VA and you will have a corresponding decrease in payments or may be required to reimburse the VA.
  5. You are responsible for immediately reporting ANY change in your academic load to the college certifying official.
  6. Benefit payments are made monthly, based on satisfactory progress in approved courses. Payments are released on the basis of the enrollment certification furnished by the College to the Veterans Administration.
  7. Advance payment is possible only if you request it when you apply for benefits. The VA must get your application at least thirty (30) days before the beginning of the semester and not more than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the beginning of the semester.
  8. The spouse and children of a veteran who died, or is permanently and totally disabled, as the result of a service-connected disability, may be entitled to educational benefits under VA regulations. Further information may be obtained from the Veterans Administration or from the local Veterans Service.
  9. You may get credit for appropriate military training. The campus transfer specialist and program advisor will determine the number of credits acceptable for transfer. You must provide an official military transcript for evaluation.

For more information and resources visit www.mymilitaryeducation.org .

Learner Responsibilities

  • To be eligible to receive educational benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill®, you need to be in a degree seeking program offered at Northwest Technical College. The VA will not pay for benefits if you are not seeking a degree.
  • The VA will not pay for courses that do not count toward your program of study at Northwest Technical College. Courses will be tracked, and could result in an overpayment if courses are taken that are not required in your major.
  • The VA does not pay for withdrawal of a course(s) unless there are mitigating circumstances. If you withdraw from a course, you have to notify the VA office at Northwest Technical College right away. A withdrawal/drop will get reported whether or not you notify us! You will have an overpayment to the VA and will owe them money.
  • If you are repeating a class for a better grade (not because you failed the course), it will not count in your certification for GI Bill® benefits.
  • If you have prior college experience, please submit official transcripts to the NTC records office for evaluation. If you don’t, you may not receive your GI Bill® benefits. The VA needs to review prior college credits.
  • If you’re intending to transfer credits earned through military education or training, request your official military transcripts be sent directly to Northwest Technical College’s Records Office via the American Council on Education (ACE) Military Programs .
  • If you are changing your major, let your Northwest Technical College VA Rep know. Proper paperwork must be processed to get your education payment benefits.
  • Northwest Technical College will not submit an enrollment certification for you until notified to do so.
  • The Military and Veterans Enactments by the 2006 Minnesota Legislature directs the UMN and MnSCU institutions to treat all U.S. military veterans as Minnesota residents for undergraduate tuition rate purposes, regardless of their state of origin or residency. Northwest Technical College charges one tuition rate regardless of residency.
  • VA takes 10-12 weeks to process an enrollment certification.

Contact Information

Tony Schnellbach, MSW
NW MN Regional Coordinator
BSU Location: Veterans Assistance Center, 102 Decker Hall
Phone: (218) 208-7544
Email: tony.schnellbach@state.mn.us

GI Bill® TRADEMARK: The US Department of Veterans Affairs owns the US trademark registration for the phrase “GI Bill.” Third-party use of the term is restricted to educational and training institutions eligible to receive VA educational benefits, SAAs, and Veteran Service Organizations. Ensure that you include the trademark in your school’s published catalogs, advertisements, or other documentation.