The Office of the Registrar is ready to assist active duty service members, veterans, and their eligible dependents and spouses in obtaining their educational benefits and act as a liaison to the regional VA office to process enrollment certification. A student must be admitted to the college and registered for courses in a degree-seeking program in order to be certified for veterans educational benefits.
Contact Information
Certification Information & Point of Contact for assistance on academic, financial, disability counseling, and information regarding completion of Academic Programs
Dr. Jim Larsen
Director of Academic Administration/VA Certifying Official
Phone: 214.818.1352
Fax: 214.370.0497
Email: jlarsen@criswell.edu
Financial Information
Jimmy Criswell
Director of Financial Aid
Phone: 214.818.1375
Fax: 214.370.0497
Email: jcriswell@criswell.edu
Schedule an appointment
Student Accounts
Donna Ward
Administrator of Student Accounts
Phone: 214.818.1315
Fax: 214.370.0497
Email: dward@criswell.edu
Schedule an appointment
For more information on the cost of attendance, visit Tuition and Costs.
For our achievement goals, thresholds of acceptability, and actual outcomes for each of the criteria relating to student achievement visit Student Achievement.
Admission Requirements
In addition to the admission requirements, students receiving military benefits are required to submit the following documents: (1) CCAF and/or Joint Military Transcript; (2) DD-214; (3) all official transcripts; (4) VA Form 28-1905 (chapter 31 only), and (5) Certificate of Eligibility.
Requirements for Graduation and Graduation Timelines
For specific program course requirements and graduation timelines, see “Programs of Undergraduate Studies” or “Programs for Graduation Study” sections in the Academic Catalog which provide requirements for each degree program and timelines for program completion.
Credit for Previous Training
All previous education and training must be provided to the school for review. This includes all credits from postsecondary institutions and military credits. Students receiving VA educational Benefits cannot opt out of providing prior credit for review.
Certification
Students must submit a Request for Certification form each semester or term for which they wish to receive benefits.
Program Length and Course Approval
All degree programs are approved for a specific number of credit hours. Eligible veterans will not be certified to VA or paid by VA for courses past the approved length. VA will only pay for required courses in an approved program. Veterans will be required to pay out-of-pocket for courses not required by their program. VA has special requirements regarding payment for repeated courses. Please contact the VA Certifying Official with questions.
Satisfactory Progress and Standards of Progress
All veteran students receiving benefits under all VA programs must comply with the academic and conduct standards of Criswell College, as well as those of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in order to maintain satisfactory progress in the pursuit of the approved program of choice. Students who fail to maintain satisfactory progress are not permitted to continue in their program and will not be eligible to receive benefits. Veteran students who experience difficulty in a course should contact the professor as early as possible in the semester. If the professor believes that tutorial assistance will benefit the student, then recommendations will be made for suitable assistance times. Criswell College does not have paid tutors, nor is reimbursement offered to veterans who attain outside tutoring services. Receipt of veteran educational benefits typically disqualifies a student from receiving other student aid or benefits; however, the student must meet the qualifications of the other programs.
Veterans Benefit Programs
Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill® Active Duty: Provides benefits for veterans with at least twenty-four months of service after June 30, 1985, with an honorable discharge who elected the $100 deduction in monthly pay for those educational benefits; also certain veterans with Chapter 34 eligibility left beyond December 31, 1989, who remained on active duty after June 30, 1985.
Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation (Public Law 894): Title 38, U.S. Code, provides educational benefits to veterans, who as a result of a service-connected disability require retraining or other vocational rehabilitation, may be entitled to educational assistance.
Chapter 32 Post-Vietnam Era Veterans: Provides educational benefits to veterans who satisfy eligibility (1) if they established a contributory fund during active duty, with the VA and Department of Defense matching the funds 2-1, or (2) by use of a test or pilot program based on Public Law 96-342, Section 901 or 903, which was offered to some veterans who entered the service between November 1980-1981. Any person presently on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States who has served on active duty for at least 181 days may be eligible for educational benefits.
Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill: A new education benefit program for individuals who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001.
Chapter 35 Survivors/Dependents Education Assistance (Public Law 634): Title 38, U.S. Code, provides educational assistance to sons, daughters, and the spouse of a veteran who (1) died of a service-connected disability, (2) is 100% disabled as the result of a service-connected disability, or (3) while on active duty was killed in action (KIA), or had been listed for a total of more than 90 days as missing in action (MIA) or as a prisoner of war (POW).
Chapter 1606 The Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve: Provides educational benefits for members of the Selected Reserve. Applicants must have a six-year obligation and must remain in good standing with a Reserve unit.
Hinson-Hazlewood Act: Criswell College is not a public institution and therefore is not eligible for participation in this Texas program. For more information about the Hazlewood Act please click here.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Resources
National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator
Part One: A Guide to Choosing Your Education Pathway