On behalf of Veteran and Military Affairs, welcome to CU Boulder!
As you begin making plans to attend CU Boulder we want to help guide you through the important steps. Some of these items will only pertain to students using VA benefits, but others will be useful for all students. Please send us an email at veterans@colorado.edu if you have questions or need assistance.

For undergraduates, New Student & Family Programs will send out information regarding the New Student Experience that you'll need to complete. This is an online experience that you are required to complete prior to registering for classes. 

If you are using a different benefit: Montgomery-SR Chapter 1606, Montgomery Chapter 30, VR&E Chapter 31, or Dependents Educational Assistance Chapter 35 and would like details on how the payments work, please email veterans@colorado.edu.
Winter Bridge Program

Veteran and Military Affairs will host the next Veteran Bridge Program January 3-12, 2024. The program will begin in a remote format and transition to on campus, in person. The program is designed to assist student veterans in acclimating to the CU Boulder campus, while enhancing math, writing, and research skills in an intensive and supportive academic environment. 

If you are interested in this program, go online to read the full details and fill out the interest form here.
How to use your benefits at CU Boulder
  1. Apply to use your benefits at https://www.vets.gov/education/. 
  2. Send our office a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility. Our office needs a copy of this document, or a screenshot of your eBenefits account showing your eligibility percentage and benefit entitlement. This can be emailed to veterans@colorado.edu.
  3. Immediately after adding Spring classes to your schedule, please submit a Request for Enrollment Certification online at colorado.edu/veterans/forms. You may submit this prior to getting your Certificate of Eligibility back from the VA.
  4. If you are currently classified as out of state, once you arrive in Boulder, complete the application for in-state tuition. The application is available here. Dependents should email our office to discuss their ability to qualify. Completed forms can be emailed to Tuition Classification.
  
  • Book and Housing Stipends 
  • For Post 9/11 GI Bill® students, after we submit your enrollment information, the VA will be able to send book and housing stipends. Book stipends are paid directly to students based on the number of credit hours they are enrolled in for the semester. The VA will send this when they've processed your certification, up to a few weeks before the semester starts. A student 100% eligible for the GI Bill will be paid $41.67 per credit hour, up to $1000 a year.
  • Housing payments are paid in arrears upon completion of each month of classes. These payments are sent directly to you.
 
  • Tuition and Fees Payment
  • The Post 9/11 GI Bill® will pay for in-state tuition and mandatory fees, and this payment will go directly to CU. Certain fees added to your account automatically are considered mandatory so the GI Bill will pay for them.
  • Anything you choose to be charged for, such as parking passes, concert cards, club sports fees, etc. are not covered by the GI Bill and students must pay CU for any of these things when your bill is due. Bookstore charges, Day 1 Digital Access charges and, CU Book Access charges must also be paid by the student because the VA sends book stipends directly to you, they will not send any money to CU for these charges.
  • Health Insurance is mandatory and will be automatically added to your bill in most cases. In the Spring, If you are a main-campus degree seeking student, and have 100% eligibility with the Ch. 33 GI Bill, then the VA will pay for the Gold SHIP plan. If you are NOT 100% eligible for the GI Bill, are taking exclusively online courses, or are not degree-seeking, you will need to pay for the Gold SHIP plan out of pocket (most students in these situations elect to waive it). Ch. 31 VR&E does not cover the Gold SHIP plan.
  • The supplemental campus care plan is never paid by the VA, but is a good alternative for students who want to access to services on campus and are not eligible for the Gold SHIP plan. 

  • If you are using a different benefit
  • Montgomery-SR Chapter 1606, Montgomery Chapter 30, VR&E Chapter 31, or Dependents Educational Assistance Chapter 35 and would like details on how the payments work, please email veterans@colorado.edu.
Transcripts
  • CU Boulder follows the American Council on Education guidelines on awarding credit for military training. If you have not yet done so, submit your Joint Services Transcript to the Admissions office for evaluation. The VA requires these to be evaluated if you are using benefits.

Submit official transcripts to:
Office of Admissions
Attention: Transcript Processing
552 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309
VMA Resources
  • Student Veterans Association
  • CU Boulder has an active Student Veterans Association. Our office will send out details regarding their events, but they do communicate largely through Facebook. You can find their page by searching "CU Boulder SVA".

  • Tutors
  • Math Tutor:
  • Julia Ratcliff is our Professional Math Tutor. She can be reached at julia.ratcliff@colorado.edu.
  • Physics Tutor:
  • Ana Kursinski is our Professional Physics Tutor. She can be reached at ana.kursinski@colorado.edu.
  • More information about tutoring can be found on the Current Students Tab of our website. Appointments can be scheduled in BuffPortal Advising.

  • Advising
  • Kristina Spaeth is our Veteran Academic Advisor. In addition to your assigned advisor, Kristina can help you with your schedule and academic questions. She can be reached at kristina.spaeth@colorado.edu.

  • Career Assistance
  • Colton Johannesen is our Career Transition Program Manager.
  • Colton can help you with:
  • Finding great job and internship opportunities 
  • Networking
  • Resumes and cover letters
  • Interview preparation
  • To schedule an appointment with Colton, please book an available time through Buff Portal Advising or email Colton.Johannesen@colorado.edu.
And finally...
Please keep in mind that timely payment of your tuition and fees will only happen if you have submitted your Certificate of Eligibility to us before school starts. To help you avoid late fees charges from CU, our office will put a payment on your account for what we expect the VA to pay us, and then we'll work with the VA to receive the payment. If you have concerns about providing your Certificate of Eligibility to us prior to the start of classes, please contact our office.

Please contact our office if you have questions on any part of this process. You can also explore our website at:  https://www.colorado.edu/veterans/. 

Let us know if you have decided not to attend CU Boulder by emailing: veterans@colorado.edu and we'll remove you from our list.
Veteran and Military Affairs                
Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE), W322        
Boulder, CO 80309                                  
 
Mon-Fri: 8:00am-5:00pm  
Phone: (303) 492-7322