Scheduling & Priority Registration

Veterans Course Registration Preference

Military students are invited to begin course registration two days prior to the regular registration period, as defined by the Office of the Registrar. If a student is unable to register during this early window, they may do so during their regular timeframe based on earned credits, through the add/drop period of the next semester.

Eligibility

Military students (excluding dependents) include those who:
Have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, including Reserve or National Guard;
Were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable; or
Are currently on active duty.

Process

Students using VA benefits through the Office of Veteran Services are automatically designated for priority registration. Those who are eligible but not currently receiving VA benefits may receive the same designation by submitting proof of military status (such as a DD214 or military ID) to the Military & Veteran Resource Office. Notifications are typically sent about two and a half weeks before registration begins.

Rights and Protections

On December 31, 2018, the President signed into law the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018. It contains a provision (Section 103) which takes effect on August 1, 2019.

Beginning August 1, 2019, for any student using Ch. 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill or Ch. 31 Voc- Rehab benefits, even if the VA has not yet paid tuition and fees, no institution (public, private, for profit, not for profit), may have a policy in effect which:

prevents enrolling,
assesses a late penalty fee,
requires securing alternative or additional funding, or
denies access to any school resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) that are available to other students that have paid.

However, an institution can require that such students be required to:

produce the VA’s Certificate of Eligibility by the first day of class,
provide written request to be certified, and
provide additional information needed to properly certify

A late or delayed VA payment will not negatively impact students or their ability to register. However, factors unrelated to VA funding (which include but are not limited to, balances which exceed anticipated VA pay, Dean of Students holds, department holds, etc.) may still result in holds which prevent enrolling, as they would for all students. Additionally, the same criteria applies regarding negative actions from delayed or late VA pay as they relate to assessing late fees, requiring alternate or additional funding, or being denied to school resources.

Act 46 of 2014 requires public institutions of higher education in Pennsylvania to provide Military Students, as defined in the Act, with preference in course scheduling. Non-compliance may be reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Education by submitting the Higher Education Student Complaint form found at passhe.edu/student-complaints.html.

Student-veterans who are called to active duty status (deployment, mobilization, enlistment) and must withdraw from the university should contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@commonwealthu.edu as soon as possible to request a military withdrawal. The student must provide activation orders. The Registrar’s Office will provide the student with guidance on the steps required to withdraw. Students may be charged for room and board only for the time they lived in campus housing or utilized a meal plan if deployed within a term. Grades will not be awarded for a partial term, including a W for Withdrawal, if deployment occurs before a term is concluded. The Registrar’s Office will also provide guidance upon withdrawal on the process to return to the University after activation.

Students will contact admissions@commonwealthu.edu when they are ready to readmit. Students will be readmitted to the same program as before deployment or a similar program if that program is no longer offered. The student will have the same enrollment status, (unless another status is chosen by the student), the same number of credits and the same academic standing.