Can I Remain Enrolled in My Old Degree Plan, But Take Classes at a Different School?
Q: My school has recently cancelled my degree program, so I have decided to pursue another degree program at a school nearby. All of the new classes are online since it is impractical to take in person classes due to the distance. My question is this: can I remain enrolled at the old school and take a degree program that is entirely unrelated to the degree program at the new school and have the Post 9/11 GI Bill pay for it and also get the full housing allowance? The old school classes will be in-person. Thanks!
A:No you can’t remain enrolled at your old school in a degree plan that is totally unrelated to your new degree plan and here is why. The VA would not pay for classes not on your degree plan and the degree plan they have on file is from your old school.
That is not to say that you can’t take classes at two schools under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, but not the way you have anticipated. This is the proper way – your school that would be issuing your degree is called your parent school. Your other school is your secondary school. You have to have your parent school approve the classes you want to take at your secondary school. Once finished with your secondary school classes, they send over a transcript to your parent school. Your parent school posts the credits to your degree plan and everyone is happy.
So what you need to do now is to send in VA Form 22-1995 Request for Change of School or Program so the VA has the correct degree plan on file. If you take all your classes online, then the most you can get as a full-time student is $674.50 per month in Post 9/11 GI Bill housing allowance.
However, if you take at least one class per semester that applies to your degree plan on campus, you can possibly double that monthly amount. So it may behoove you to drive once or twice a week to your school and take a classroom class to get the increased housing allowance.
Whether you choose all online or a mix of online and on campus, you would still get the $41.67 per credit per semester in book stipend money (up to the $1,000 per year cap).
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