The Military Student Bill of Rights spells out ten specific “rights” that military students should have as they explore, enroll, and work toward degrees at SOC Consortium colleges and universities.
All military student populations have these basic righs to satisfactory college marketing, admissions, and student services practices including the right to:
- Accurate information about a school’s programs, requirements, accreditation, and its potential impact on course transferability.
- Access basic college/university information and fees without disclosure of student personal information.
- Educational planning and career guidance without high-pressure registration and enrollment efforts from institutions.
- A clear and complete explanation of course/program enrollment procedures and all resulting financial obligations.
- Explore, without coercion, all financial aid options before signing up for student loans or other financial assistance.
- Accurate scholarship information, free of misleading 'scholarship' offers based on military tuition assistance.
- Appropriate academic screening and course placement based on student readiness.
- Appropriate, accessible academic and student support services.
- Clearly defined institutional “drop/add” and withdrawal policies and procedures including information about the impact of military duties (e.g., mobilization, activation, temporary duty assignments) on their academic standing and financial responsibilities.
- Clearly defined grievance/appeals processes.
VA Pending Payment Compliance
In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679(e), University of the Southwest (USW) adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from VA. University of the Southwest (USW) will not:
- Prevent the student’s enrollment;
- Assess a late penalty fee to the student;
- Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding;
- Deny the student access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.
However, to qualify for this provision, such students may be required to:
- Produce the VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by the published due tuition due date (i.e., approximately one week prior to the first day of class);
- Provide a written request to be certified, which can be completed with the USW VA Certification Request Form;
- Provide any additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
