Am I eligible for Veteran Benefits?

To determine your benefits consult the ESO on your base or contact one of the following:

• Your local Veteran Affairs Office
• VA Education phone number 888-442-4551 or you can go to http://www.gibill.va.gov

How do I apply for education benefits?
How you apply for benefits depends on whether or not you’ve decided on your program.
If You've Decided on a Program

1. Find out if the program is approved for VA benefits. To do this, you can check the GI Bill web site or contact VA at 1-888-GIBILL-1. If the program has been approved for VA benefits, check in with the school Veteran Affairs Office who certifies enrollments for VA benefits. VA will review your application and let you know whether they need anything else. The certifying official isn’t a VA employee, and can’t make decisions about your eligibility for VA benefits.
2. Go to www.gibill.va.gov under ‘Education Benefits’ click on ‘How to apply for benefits’. You can fill out the VA Form 22-1990 online or obtain a hard copy application from the Veteran Affairs Office. Submit your signature form (for online applications) to the Regional Processing Office in Muskogee, Oklahoma. If you submit your VA Form 22-1990 online, bring in a copy to the Veterans Affairs Office at the school you are applying to.

If You Haven’t Decided on a Program

1. If you haven’t decided on a program, or simply want a determination of your eligibility for education benefits, just submit the application to the VA regional office in Muskogee, Oklahoma. If you’re eligible, you’ll receive a Certificate of Eligibility showing how long you’re eligible and how many months of benefits you can receive.

Transitioning from Service Member to Student

How to Apply and Transition Successfully into Fresno State:

1 . Speak with and Outreach Counselor to see if you meet the regular requirements for admissions at (559) 278-2048 or http://gotofresnostate.com

2. Complete an online application via http:///www.csumentor.edu during the application filing period.

3. On the application, mark that you will be paying the $55.00 application fee by check. Do not send payment. Veteran students are waived from having to pay the $55.00 application fee. After submitting your online application, please e-mail rgutierrez@csufresno.edu or call (559) 278-7030 to request a waiver of the application fee.

4. Order official transcripts to account for all credits completed:Request high school and college transcripts from institutions attended.

• CLEP/DANTES score reports: http://www.collegeboard.com
• AP score reports: http://www.ets.org
• Air Force: http://www.au/af/mil/au/ccaf
• Army: http://aarts.army.mil/Order.htm

5. Send high school transcripts (if less than 60 semester units of transferable college credit), college transcripts, and SATI/ACT score reports to the following address:

California State University, Fresno
Admissions & Records Office
5150 N. Maple M/S JA57
Fresno, CA 93740

6. Be sure to adhere to all admission deadlines, especially the final document deadline.

7. Send DD214 (if discharged) or DD295 (if still enlisted) to the Office of Admissions.


8. Contact Fresno State Veteran Services Coordinator, in the Veteran Services Office, regarding benefits information at (559) 278-7030. Discuss the submittal of benefits paperwork, based off of given deadlines, to the appropriate offices.

9. If needed, apply for financial aid using the FAFSA at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov and speak with a Financial Aid Counselor at (559) 278-2182 regarding how G.I. benefits may affect your potential Financial Aid Award.

10. Check email for User Id and Password by logging into http://my.csfresno.edu Use the http://my.csfresno.edu website to check ‘admission status,’ ‘to do list,’ and to view ‘messages.’

11. If admitted, attend Dog Day New Student Orientation. Contact Academic Advising at (559) 278-4885 to sign up for Dog Days.

Depending on your level of education upon entry to Fresno State, placement exams may be required prior to registering for classes.

Certification of Coursework

All veterans, spouses or dependents must have classes they are enrolled in certified every semester.

• All enrolled coursework should pertain to declared major.
• Once registered in all your classes, fill out the Enrollment Card.
• The completed Enrollment Card should be turned in to Veterans' Services.
• Veterans representatives will review coursework and determine continued eligibility.
• Any changes to enrollment (adds or drops) must be reported to Veterans' Services immediately.

It is each student's responsibility (chapters 30, 1606 & 1607) to process their monthly enrollment verification (either by phone at (877) 823-2378 or online at https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave)