A dependent child, spouse, or unmarried surviving spouse of a service-connected disabled or deceased Veteran may be entitled to a tuition fee waiver at CSU Channel Islands (CI).
College Fee Waiver
There are four plans under which dependents of veterans may be eligible. Typically dependents qualify under Plan A or B.
Plan A
The unmarried child of a Veteran who is totally service-connected disabled or whose death was officially rated as service-connected is eligible. The child must be over 14 years old and under 27 years old to be eligible. If the child is a Veteran, then the age limit is extended to age 30;
The spouse of a wartime Veteran who is totally service-connected disabled is eligible. There are no age limit restrictions;
The unmarried surviving spouse of a wartime Veteran whose death has been rated as service-connected is eligible. There are no age limit restrictions;
Any dependent of any Veteran who has been declared missing in action, captured in the line of duty by hostile forces, or forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign government or power is eligible.
The Veteran must have served at least one day of active duty during a period of war as declared by the U.S. Congress, or during any time in which the Veteran was awarded a campaign or expeditionary medal. Concurrent receipt of benefits under Plan A and VA Chapter 35 benefits is prohibited. To receive benefits under Plan A, a dependent must sign an "Election To Receive College Waiver Benefits" statement acknowledging this fact. There are no income restrictions under this plan. To be eligible, the event which caused basic entitlement to benefits (i.e., the date the Veteran died of service-connected causes or the date the military or United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) rated the Veteran as totally disabled as a result of service-connected disabilities) must have occurred prior to the child's 21st birthday.
NOTE: Those who qualify for Plan A cannot use VA Chapter 35 (DEA) benefits). You will need to elect to use one only at CI. VA Chapter 35 benefit does not cover tuition and fees, but its monthly payout is approximately $1,488, and each semester is about 4 months long. The Cal Vet Fee Waiver only covers tuition, and tuition at CI in the Fall 2024 will be $3,574 for full time status per semester.
Plan B
The child of a Veteran who has a service-connected disability, or had a service-connected disability at the time of death, or died of service-related causes is eligible. The child's annual income, which includes the child's adjusted gross income, plus the value of support provided by a parent, may not exceed the annual income limit. The current academic year entitlement is based upon the previous calendar year's annual income. Under Plan B, wartime service is not required and there are no specific age requirements. Children are the only dependents eligible under this plan. There is no prohibition against receiving concurrent VA Chapter 35 benefits.
NOTE: Effective January 1, 2024 Plan B applicant income, which includes the student's adjusted gross income for the prior year plus the value of any support received from a parent, will no longer be measured against the federal poverty threshold limit when making a fee waiver eligibility determination. Instead, beginning with Academic Year 2024-25, the student's income will not be allowed to exceed ($21,561.00) the STATE poverty level as published in the resident requirement filing chart found on the Franchise Tax Board website. This change was brought about when AB 1745, Soria. Public post-secondary education: veterans: waiver of mandatory systemwide tuition and fees, was signed into law by Governor Newsom. This represents a substantial change to the program as the State poverty threshold limit is significantly higher than the federal poverty threshold limit. For example, in 2023 the State threshold was $21,561.00, while the federal threshold is about $15,225.
Plan C
Any dependent of any member of the California National Guard, who in the line of duty while on active service to the state, was killed, died of a disability resulting from an event that occurred while in active service to the state, or is permanently disabled as a result of an event that occurred while in the service to the state is eligible. Surviving spouses who have not remarried are also eligible.
"Active service to the state," for the purpose of this benefit, means a member of the California National Guard activated pursuant to Section 146 of the Military and Veterans Code. A copy of those orders pursuant to Section 146, not Section 143, must be furnished to establish eligibility.
Plan D
Medal of Honor recipients and children of Medal of Honor recipients under the age of 27 may qualify. Benefits under Plan D are limited to undergraduate studies only, and applicants are subject to both income and age restrictions. There is no prohibition against receiving concurrent VA Chapter 35 benefits.
(Reference: https://www.calvet.ca.gov/VetServices/Pages/College-Fee-Waiver.aspx)
Important Notes:
- The California Veteran Fee Waiver (CVFW) aka the College Fee Waiver only covers the stateside mandated tuition fee. There are additional, mandatory university fees at CI that a student is responsible for each semester.
- The benefit waives the tuition fee for state-supported programs only.
- It cannot be used for coursework taken through Extended University or Study Abroad.
- This includes Extended University's Winter Sessions.
- This benefit does not cover the expense of books, parking, or room and board.
- To be eligible, the student must meet California residency requirements, as determined by the CSU and CI.
- The waiver must be applied for, with your Veteran County Office, each Academic Year.
- An Academic Year starts in Fall, to include Spring and ends in the Summer.
- A new waiver should be applied for again after mid-April with your county's Veteran's Service Office.
- If you are awarded a tuition specific grant (Cal Grant A or B) or a (State University Grant) your Cal Vet tuition fee waiver will not be applied to your account.
How to Apply:
Students must apply through their county California Veteran's Service Office. Those seeking to submit a new application or renew their tuition fee waiver for the upcoming academic year, starting in the Fall, can do so after mid-April with their local Veteran's Service Office. For more information go to https://www.calvet.ca.gov/VetServices/Pages/College-Fee-Waiver.aspx.
Please Note: CSUCI's Veteran's Advisor/VA School Certifying Official does not process the tuition fee waiver application and associated paperwork. The fee waiver application and associated paperwork is submitted and processed by your local county California Veteran's Service Office. The tuition fee waiver is a state waiver; therefore, the county is responsible to process the application. Though we are a state school, we are not capable or have any connection with Cal Vet; therefore, we cannot process tuition fee applications.
Students who have been determined eligible will receive a California Veteran Fee Waiver (CVFW) award letter emailed to them from their county California Veteran's Service Office. The award letter will be an attachment within the email and will contain a 16-digit code that will need to be validated by the School Certifying Official (SCO). Please forward the email you receive the county California Veteran's Service Office to the SCO, Robert C. Felix at robert.felix@csuci.edu.
Once the SCO receives the email with 16-digit code, the code will be validated through the Cal Vet College Waiver system. If the student has a valid code/waiver, residency will be inquired and as long as the student is qualified, Student Business Services will then credit the student's account for tuition only. The other associated university fees are the responsibility of the student. Please keep in mind it may take up to 2-3 business days to process and credit a students account. Any questions or concerns regarding the credit of a students account should be directed to Student Business Services.
If a student submits a valid but late CVFW or submits a waiver for a past semester, a Late Submission of Cal Vet Tuition Fee Waiver, which can be found in the Registrar's Form Library, will need to be filled out and signed. Once the form is submitted, it will automatically be routed to the SCO, Robert C. Felix. The student will need to email the SCO explaining what semester the student is wanting to apply the CVFW.
Contact the Veteran’s Advisor/VA School Certifying Official, Robert C. Felix at robert.felix@csuci.edu for additional questions.