Frederick Community College (FCC) Veteran and Military Services (VMS) serves as a one-stop resource to serve, support, and honor veterans, service members, and their families as they transition to and navigate through Frederick Community College in pursuit of their goals.
VA Education Benefits
FCC is approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) for the training of eligible veterans, their dependents, and active duty personnel. FCC may certify enrollments with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for approved programs of study. All students using a VA Education benefit except for those using Veteran Readiness & Employment (Chapter 31) and Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) are responsible for paying tuition and fees by the published academic payment due dates. If you are unsure which type of VA education benefit you qualify for, you may contact the VA Education Call Center by phone at 1.888.442.4551 or visit the VA website at www.gibill.va.gov. You will need to provide your social security number (or that of your sponsor, if applying for benefits under a parent or spouse) when you make the call.
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.
To use VA Education benefits at FCC, students are required to submit the electronic VMS intake form located at https://www.frederick.edu/student-resources/veteran-military-services.aspx. They will then receive, via email, a checklist of “next steps” to complete along with the link to schedule an intake appointment with a VMS staff member. At this appointment, students will have an opportunity to discuss academic programs and the FCC enrollment process; available veteran and military benefits; payment options; and College and community resources, including financial aid advising, services available to students with disabilities, career counseling, and mental health counseling. Students who have questions or need assistance should call VMS at 301.624.2836.
VA Education Rules
VA Education programs will only cover courses required by the student’s current approved program of study. Please refer to the college catalog for courses required under each program. If the student enrolls in non-approved courses, he/she is responsible for paying the tuition and fees. Note:
- The VA does not pay for audited courses.
- The VA does pay for a repeated course if the student received an unsuccessful grade on the previous attempt and the course is required for graduation.
- The VA does pay for courses designated as remedial, online, practicum, clinical, and internship/externship.
If a student ceases attendance in a course, does not officially withdraw and receives a failing grade, the student may be required to repay some or all of the education benefits that he/she received for that course.
The VA requires students who receive VA Education benefits to meet the standards of satisfactory progress as defined by the College. Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress may lose their approval to receive VA Education benefits.
A student who must withdraw due to mitigating circumstances should contact the FCC VA Certifying Official immediately by calling 301.624.2836. The student will be responsible for any charges the VA does not cover.
Students receiving education benefits through Montgomery GI Bill®-Active Duty (Chapter 30), Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606), or GI Bill Reserve Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 1607) must verify their enrollment each month via Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) to receive their benefit payment. Students using Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) who receive monthly kicker/housing allowance payments are required to verify their enrollment at the end of each month to continue receiving payments. Chapter 33 students can opt in to verify their enrollment via text message. Chapter 33 students who cannot verify their enrollment via text should call the VA Education Call Center at 1.888.442.4551.
Guest Students Using VA Education Benefits
Students who are attending FCC as their host institution to obtain credit for a degree program at their primary institution should submit the electronic VMS intake form located at https://www.frederick.edu/student-resources/veteran-military-services.aspx as outlined above. They will then receive via email a checklist of “next steps” to complete along with the link to schedule an intake appointment with a VMS staff member.
Education Benefit Chapters
- Chapter 30 – Montgomery GI Bill® (Active Duty)
- Chapter 31 – Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)
- Chapter 33 – Post 9/11 GI Bill®
- Chapter 35 – Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program (DEA)
- Chapter 1606 – Montgomery GI Bill® (Selected Reserve)
Military Tuition Assistance
FCC maintains a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Defense that allows active duty personnel from every service branch to use military Tuition Assistance at FCC. The process for obtaining Tuition Assistance (T.A.) varies depending on the service branch. VMS will provide the service member with documentation (e.g., degree plan and/or invoice) if needed to obtain T.A. authorization from the service branch. Service members must submit their T.A. authorization to FCC’s Student Finance Office at StudentAccounts@frederick.edu prior to published academic payment due dates. Because T.A. pays tuition only, service members using T.A. are responsible for paying their fees by published academic payment due dates.
Evaluation of Military Credit
All veterans using VA Education benefits must request to have their official military transcripts submitted to the Assistant Registrar at transferevaluation@frederick.edu for evaluation of transferable credit. FCC will accept up to 45 military and other transfer credits toward an FCC degree program. Links to military transcript request procedures can be found at frederick.edu/vms.