Certification

• The student receiving benefits is solely responsible for knowing the status of the benefits, e.g., how much of the benefit has been used and how much coverage (time and amount) remains. If a student submits the semester enrollment form, LMU will certify if any coverage is possible. LMU is not responsible for consequences resulting from a requested certification. The student should contact the VA if there are questions about the status of benefits: 1-888-GI-BILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).
• When using benefits, it is the student's responsibility to notify the University's SCO of any/all enrollment change(s), e.g., add, drop, withdraw, cancellations, etc., as soon as they occur in the semester. This may be done in-person and/or by email from your LION email account only to VA.Certification@lmu.edu. Failure to do so may result in delayed payment and/or VA overpayment.

In order to prevent gaps in benefit payments, LMU follows the dual certification process recommended by the VA.

Pre-certification

• In this process, LMU submits only enrolled units without the accompanying tuition and fees which allows for the benefits to continue in advance of the term.

Certification

• LMU certifies the student's enrollment data (term dates, hours and enrollment status, tuition and fees) on the first workday after the close of the registration/drop/add week.
• Remember to submit the VA Benefits Semester Enrollment form as soon as you have registered for classes to allow your benefits to continue. LMU will not certify enrollment to the VA without the prior submission of this form.
• You may apply benefits to past terms, but you have one year from the start of a semester to file for benefits.

When using benefits, it is the student's responsibility to notify the University's SCO of all enrollment change(s), e.g., add, drop, withdraw, cancellations, etc., as soon as they occur in the semester. This may be done in-person and/or by email from your LION email account only to VA.Certification@lmu.edu. Failure to do so may result in delayed payment and/or VA debt.

• Undergraduates pay a flat tuition fee for a full-time status of 12 or more units. If enrolled in 11 or fewer units, the student pays by the unit.
  • A student who changes enrollments - up or down but remains in full-time status will not have a change in tuition and fees reported to the VA.
  • A student who is already full-time may add a class(es) with no change in tuition and fees.
  • A student who moves from part- to full-time status will have the new tuition and fee charges reported to the VA.
  • A student who moves from full-time to part-time status will have the change in tuition and fees reported to the VA. The date on which the drop(s) occur is used by the VA in determining changes in benefit status. The change from full to part-time status may result in an overpayment of tuition by the VA. The student will be responsible for re-paying the VA the difference in charges and should expect a change in the housing reimbursement as well. If there are any questions concerning this VA policy, you must call your VA counselor or the general number (888.442.4551) to discuss specifics. The Certifying Official is not able to tell you the financial consequences of a change in enrollment affecting status.

• Graduate students pay by the unit as there is no flat fee.
  • Any change in enrollment will be reported to the VA and may result in an overpayment of tuition by the VA. The student will be responsible for re-paying the VA the difference in charges and should expect a change in the housing reimbursement as well. If there are any questions concerning this VA policy, you must call your VA counselor or the general number (888.442.4551) to discuss specifics. The Certifying Official is not able to tell you the financial consequences of a change in enrollment affecting status.

Only courses required by the degree program can be certified. Electives cannot be certified if they are not needed to reach the minimum number of credits for your program.

• Courses that you are taking in hopes of adding or changing to a different major and/or degree program cannot be certified. For example, if you wish to change your degree program, you may not take courses intended or required for the new program if you have not been admitted to the program.
• Undeclared majors can only be certified for courses meeting specific college lower-division requirements.
• Undeclared majors cannot be certified after earning 60 credits.
• Audited courses cannot be certified.
• Continuing Education courses or programs cannot be certified.

If your degree program has sufficient elective credits, these electives may be used to earn a minor. If you do not have sufficient free electives to meet the unit requirements of the minor, classes for a minor cannot be certified. When you have used your free electives, no future elective credits can be certified.

Earned Grade of F

• If you attend and complete a course and earn a grade of F (due to the quality of work), you may take the class again in an attempt to receive credit towards graduation or raise your grade for it and you may receive GI Bill payment for the retaking of the class.

• If you fail a class you receive what is called a "punitive grade" for that class. A punitive grade is a grade that doesn’t count as earned credit, but is used in determining a student’s progress toward graduation requirements. This means that the grade you receive counts in your overall degree progress, albeit negatively. Since this grade counts towards your graduation progress you are not required to repay any GI Bill money you received for that class.

Non-Earned Grade of F

• A student who stops attending a course receives a grade of F (due to unexcused absences) may not repeat the course.
• A "non-punitive grade" is a grade that doesn't earn credit towards your degree. An example of this may be withdrawal after the drop period; or other things like auditing a class, academic probation, or suspension. Since non-punitive grades don't count towards your degree you may be required to repay any GI Bill money you received for such classes.
• A professor will record the last date of attendance (homework submitted, class participation, etc.) on the official grade sheet at the end of the term. If this date is earlier than the end of the semester, the failing grade is reported to the VA and is treated as a dropped class. If this causes a change in your enrollment status (full-time to part-time), you may be responsible for repayment of the tuition to the VA.

If you fail a class you may receive what is called a "punitive grade" for that class. This means that the grade you receive earns credit towards your degree, even though it may bring your GPA down. Since this grade counts towards your degree requirements (even negatively) you are entitled to GI Bill benefits for any class you receive such a grade in.

A "non-punitive grade" is a grade that doesn't earn credit towards your degree. An example of this may be withdrawal after the drop period; or other things like auditing a class, academic probation, or suspension. Since non-punitive grades don't count towards your degree you may be required to repay any GI Bill money you received for such classes.

All Veteran Benefit payments are made at the discretion of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). LMU will only confer expected payments and apply funds received from the VA to a recipient’s student account. If the VA determines that a student is not eligible for expected funds, it is the student’s responsibility to repay the overpayment of funds to the VA and LMU.

The VA uses the same progress standards listed in the LMU catalog. If low grades lead to disqualification from the University, the disqualification is reported to the VA.

Courses in which the final grade does not meet minimum required grade may be repeated. Policies differ for a 3rd attempt or more; please contact the certifying official in the Registrar’s Office.

If a student earns the required grade, the student may not repeat the course in the hopes of a better grade.