Overview
Sampson Community College is thankful for the service that our Veterans and Service Members have provided to protect our country! We look forward to assisting you and your family members with your educational goals.
SCC offers curriculum programs approved by the NC State Approving Agency for the Veterans Education Benefits under Chapter 30 (Montgomery Bill), Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill®), Chapter 35 (Survivors and Dependents of Veteran), Chapter 1606 (Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve), and Chapter 1607 (Reserve Educational Assistance Program) of the Veterans Benefit Law. Chapter 31 (Veteran Readiness and Employment) eligibility is determined by the Department of Veteran Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service. Information on approved curriculum programs is available from the SCC VA Certifying Official located in Student Services. Veterans enrolling in approved curriculum programs should follow the appropriate procedures to establish and maintain eligibility for benefits.
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 benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Veterans Benefits Process
Most SCC curriculum programs are approved for the training of veterans and their dependents. SCC students pursuing veteran education benefits should complete the following steps:
Visit the Veteran Education and Training website to see if you’re eligible for VA education benefits. If approved, the Dept of Veteran Affairs will send you a decision letter or certificate of eligibility in the mail. You’ll need to provide a copy of the letter to the SCC VA Certifying Official.
All SCC Admissions Application admission requirements must be completed before courses can be certified.
Complete the SCC Veteran Information Packet (PDF). You may drop it off in Student Services or email it to hbrewington@sampsoncc.edu.
Submit the following documents to the Veteran Services Office located in Student Services along with the completed information packet:
1. VA Certificate of Eligibility (which you should receive from the Department of Veteran Affairs after your online application has been submitted)
2. Complete the VA Form 22-1995 (Request for Change of Program or Place of Training) or VA Form 22-5495 (Dependents’ Request for Change of Program or Place of Training) only if you have used your VA benefits at another college.
3. DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (if applicable).
4. Approval authorization from your Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Counselor if you are a disabled veteran who will be attending under Chapter 31.
Prior to being certified for educational benefits, you must submit all official transcripts from your high school/GED equivalency, any college/university you’ve attended and Joint Services transcripts to the SCC Admissions Office. All official transcripts must be submitted regardless of whether your education began prior to your veteran services or whether you received VA benefits at the time of your attendance at the other colleges. After college transcripts have been submitted, prior coursework will be evaluated by SCC to determine if credit can be transferred towards your current program of study.
Students that are eligible for VA educational benefits are encouraged to apply for federal student aid each academic year. Eligibility will be determined after the SCC Financial Aid Office receives the processed application from the Department of Education.
SCC does not participate in the federal student loan program. For further information on loan default rates, please visit the Cohort Default Rate web page, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid.
Visit the Foundation Scholarship Application webpage to apply for scholarships. The application deadline is April 15th of each year, so it’s important to apply early.
After acceptance into a curriculum program, you will need to register for classes. Contact your academic advisor during registration periods to determine which classes are available for you to enroll.
You are responsible for paying your tuition and fees by the payment deadline unless you are Chapter 31, Chapter 33 or have other funds such as financial aid. You may pay in-person in the Finance Office located in North Building or pay online via your SCC Colleague Self-Service account.
1. Chapter 30, Chapter 35, Chapter 1606 and Chapter 1607 students are required to pay out-of-pocket for all charges at the time of registration unless you have financial aid to cover it. The Department of Veteran Affairs will make payments of education benefits directly to these students for the period they are in attendance in an eligible program as long as they have remaining entitlement.
2. Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 students are authorized to charge tuition and fees to the school according to their rate of entitlement and the SCC Finance Office will charge the VA directly for these expenses. Payment will be made from the Department of Veteran Affairs to SCC to cover the tuition and fee charges. If the rate of entitlement is below 100%, the VA student will be required to pay out of pocket for the difference unless they are eligible for financial aid.
1. Non-Chapter 33: You are required to use the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment system (WAVE) at gibill.va.gov/wave or call the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) number 1-877-823-2378 to certify your attendance and to process your monthly payment.
2. For Chapter 33: You are required to verify your enrollment each month via text message or by calling the Education Call Center (ECC) at 888-442-4551. The ECC will send you an opt-in text when enrollment begins. If you fail to verify for two consecutive months, the Department of VA will withhold any additional monthly housing payment until verified by the student.
Important Information for Veterans
The SCC VA Certifying Official is only allowed to certify the student for courses that are required in the student’s program of study. The following will not be counted/certified toward enrollment for VA purposes:
- Remedial courses that are online, hybrid or self-paced
- Courses that you have already passed and earned credit
- Courses that you have received transfer credit for as determined by a program evaluation
- Students are encouraged to visit the VA Education Benefits website to learn more about their benefits.
Veterans Services Policies
- Students receiving veterans’ educational benefits are required to maintain satisfactory academic progress. To remain in good academic standing at Sampson Community College, all students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
- Recipients of veteran educational benefits whose cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0 will be placed on academic warning. During the semester of warning, the student is given the opportunity to achieve a satisfactory GPA for the next term.
- After one semester, if the student has not successfully reached the required 2.0 GPA, they will be placed on Academic Suspension and the VA Certifying Official will report this suspension to the Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Class attendance is essential. You must attend class to received educational benefits. Failure to attend may result in an overpayment unless there are mitigating circumstances.
- Schools are required to report, without delay, the enrollment, interruption and termination of attendance for all students receiving veteran benefits. If you drop classes voluntarily or are dropped by an instructor (e.g. for excessive absences, plagiarism, etc.) or withdraws from school and the VA has already processed a payment for tuition and fees, an overpayment will occur. Any overpayments incurred will be collected from the student by Sampson Community College and returned to the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Military Tuition Assistance For Service Members
For services members who want to use Tuition Assistance (TA), follow these steps:
- Obtain approval from your Education Service Officer (ESO) or military service counselor. Each military branch has its own TA application form and procedures.
- Submit written documentation or an email confirmation of the approval to the SCC Finance Office at kshatley@sampsoncc.edu before the enrollment deadline of the respective term.
- SCC will process your enrollment.
In the event of a denied approval from the ESO or counselor, you may follow the appeals process outlined by your military service branch.
Please reference the Department of Defense Voluntary Education Partnership Policy below for the re-admission and excused absences policy.
Financial Matters
SCC does not participate in the federal student loan program. For further information on loan default rates, please visit the Cohort Default Rate (CDR) web page, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid. Sampson Community College’s CDR is 0.
View the Cost of Attendance for Sampson Community College.
Visit the SCC Bookstore to view cost of books.
Visit the Net Price Calculator to get estimated cost.
Complete the FAFSA Form to apply for Federal Student Aid.