Dear Students,
Whether you’re a new or returning student, Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS) and the Registrar’s Office are excited to welcome you to the fall semester at UMBC. Both of our offices are dedicated to providing support to veteran students at UMBC. We recognize that this is an unprecedented time in higher education and the world at large. As such, we want to outline some basic information about the services offered by both of our offices.
Programming for Veteran Students through OCSS
Throughout the fall semester, OCSS will be hosting a variety of events for our veteran students. One of these is “Coffee and Conversations”; this is a series of conversations around topics related to the veteran community at UMBC. C&C is a great opportunity for veteran students to connect with one another while learning about different resources that can support them through their educational journey. Some of our upcoming events for the semester include Hail & Farewell, our send-off for graduating veteran students, and collaborative events with various organizations focused on veterans. OCSS not only works on behalf of veterans, but also adult learners (undergraduate students 25 years or older), commuters, and transfer students. If you are a part of any of these populations, we would love for you to take part in our events. You can find more information at ocss.umbc.edu.
If you’re looking for another connection to the veteran community, consider becoming a part of the RetrieVets student veteran association. RetrieVets regularly meets and holds events throughout the semester. If you would like more information, please email retrievets@umbc.edu and follow them on myUMBC.
To learn more about veteran students, you can visit veterans.umbc.edu. This site includes general resources about benefits, enrollment, and financial support.
General Information about UMBC’s Certification Process
For veterans making use of the GI Bill, the Registrar’s Office is dedicated to ensuring that you are aware of our process and when you can expect to receive your funds. We’ve included some general information to answer some of our more frequently asked questions.
Where can I find the appropriate form to submit my certification?
You can find the submission form here. This Docusign form is the only method to submit your certification; paper forms are no longer accepted.
What role does UMBC/VA play in the GI Bill process?
UMBC certifies enrollment and mandatory tuition and fees and provides this certification to the VA. Based on this certification and your eligibility, the VA disburses your benefits. Please note that the VA pays only for classes that are required for a student’s degree program. Students must submit a certification form for each semester in which they are hoping to use VA benefits. Because the VA issues benefits based on what courses are being taken an updated form must be submitted if a student adds or drops courses so that the Registrar’s Office can provide updates to the VA.
What is the timeline after I submit my certification forms to the Registrar?
Students are strongly encouraged to submit certification requests as soon as registration has occurred for the term being requested. For example, if a student registers for spring classes during advanced registration in November, a form should be submitted at that time rather than waiting until the registration deadline in early February. This allows us to submit initial certifications for book and housing allowances as soon as possible. A new certification from should be submitted when a schedule adjustment (i.e. adding or dropping a course) occurs.
Initial certifications (credit hours) are submitted for book and housing allowance within 7-14 business days of receipt. Final certification, including all mandatory tuition and fees, is submitted after the add/drop period when schedules for the term are finalized. This helps mitigate overpayments/debts being created with regards to tuition/enrollment changes being made. The VA generally takes 3-4 weeks to process claims. While there are no deadlines for submitting VA Certification requests, students should keep in mind that the start of Fall and Spring semesters are peak certifying times and therefore should expect delays in addition to normal processing times if requests are submitted late.
How can I receive updates regarding my benefits?
Students receive an email from The Registrar’s Office to confirm our receipt of a certification request and again when initial certification is submitted to the VA. The VA also sends an automated notification every time they receive an initial, final, or updated certification. In addition, students can contact the VA for inquiries regarding first time application/activation of VA benefits, percentage of eligibility, months of entitlement, specific questions regarding their benefits, and transfer of entitlement.
Students can contact The Registrar’s Office for inquiries about how to use VA benefits with UMBC, VA certification requests, and payment inquiries.
Contact Us
For questions or information about veterans’ programming general assistance, please contact veterans@umbc.edu.
For general information about the benefits process at UMBC, please visit veterans.umbc.edu.
For assistance regarding the certification process at UMBC, click here to submit a help request.
In addition to questions about benefits, students in need of assistance with registration, transfer credit services, graduation, degree audits, and student records can find the appropriate contact information here. This page contains information about the Virtual Front Counter, where you can receive assistance in real-time.
We are invested in your success. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.
Off-Campus Student Services and The Registrar’s Office
In coordination with the First-Generation Workgroup, Off-Campus Student Services is incredibly excited to announce the First-Generation Peer Mentoring Program (FGPMP).
FGPMP is designed to support the success of current first-time and full-time first-generation students at UMBC. Students that take part in this program can expect to meet other first-generation students and become a part of a large, supportive community that works to share resources, find lasting friendships and connections, and create an impactful college experience.
Participants of the FGPMP will also have the opportunity to take part in a series of activities and workshops designed to enrich students both personally and professionally.
Some additional benefits of taking part in the FGPMP include:
Developing transferable and marketable skills to enhance professional experience
Cultivation of leadership, self-management, and organizational skills
Improved communication and interpersonal skills
Greater self-efficacy and self-awareness
An increased network of support
Expanding your resume
If you would like to be a part of the FGPMP, please click here to fill out the application. The application deadline is Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 5:00 PM.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. M. Antonio Silas at silas@umbc.edu. Thank you and we look forward to connecting with you!
The VA understands and has prepared for the many impacts COVID-19 can have on students, on-line schooling and institutions of higher learning. While every student situation is different and there are many unknowns with regards to the pandemic, VA is prepared for any increase in workload for applications and fall enrollments due to the financial and economic impacts of COVID-19 to our beneficiaries.
VA is committed to helping Veterans and their families through this national emergency. From the beginning of this crisis, we have been working with Congress to preserve GI Bill benefits for students impacted by COVID-19 during this difficult time. Two public laws were passed in the spring (PL 116-128 and PL 116-140 “Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020”) to provide benefits stability for our students whose enrollments have been impacted by COVID-19.
The new laws allow VA to pay education benefits as if the student were training in-residence regardless of the fact that a program has been converted from resident training to online training. GI Bill students who are training online in lieu of in-residence will continue to receive housing allowance payments at the resident training until December 21, 2020. This includes situations where your school is offering hybrid training (combining online and resident training) or where your school is offering the student the option to choose online training in lieu of resident training. Additionally, VA will afford these same protections to new incoming students. There is no requirement that the student have a previous history of taking resident courses. The only requirement is that the student must be enrolled in a “converted course” – a course which your school offered as resident training prior to COVID-19 but is now offering as online training due to COVID-19.
As a reminder, these laws only protect our students until December 21, 2020. If a student is enrolled solely online on December 22, 2020, VA will have to reduce their housing to the online rate, regardless of COVID-19. Also, if a work-study student is unable to work due to COVID-19, the student will no longer receive work-study benefits.
If you have any questions, please contact Tim Rochford (School Certifying Official) at rochford@umbc.edu.
]]>In order to support the health and safety of the residential community, all residential students are required to be retested for COVID-19 on one of the following dates: September 8, 9, or 10.
How to register for an on-campus test
On-campus walk-through testing will be available by appointment at The Commons/Erickson Field tent for residential students. Please select a testing timeby September 4 at noon. If you plan to leave campus for the Labor Day weekend, please choose the September 10 testing date. Also, we have extended testing hours on September 9 until 6 p.m. to accommodate those who are unable to come earlier due to work or class commitments. Please do not sign up for these later slots if you do not require them. Failure to be tested during the on-campus testing September 8 – 10 will lead to a review for an immediate interim health and safety administrative removal from on-campus housing.
What to bring to the test
Please bring acompleted Consent Form and Test Requisition Formto your scheduled test. Students who do not have access to a printer can pick up forms at their residence hall front desk or at the apartments’ Community Center.
How to access the results of an on-campus test
The University of Maryland Pathology Associates laboratory (UMBC’s testing partner) will email you instructions for how to access your results through the MyPortfolio patient portal two to five days after your test. If you have questions or technical difficulties with this account, or if you do not receive a MyPortfolio email, please contact the MyPortfolio technical support center at 844-281-8667 or email myportfoliosupport@umm.edu. UMBC will automatically and securely document the results of all on-campus tests; you do not need to take further action to submit test results.
Please email covid19@umbc.eduif you have questions. Thank you for your efforts to meet these requirements and support the health and safety of our UMBC community.
Bruce Herman, Director, Health and Counseling