Veterans Financial Services

Greenville Technical College is approved by the State Approving Agency for training service persons, veterans, dependents and reservists under Title 38, U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. Eligibility and equivalent educational benefits are determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Visit our web page at https://www.gvltec.edu/veterans-affairs-benefits/.

VA Pending Payment Compliance

In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679(c), Greenville Technical College (GTC) adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch.33) or Veteran Readiness and Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from VA.

GTC will not

  • Prevent the student’s enrollment.
  • Assess a late penalty fee to the student.
  • Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding.
  • Deny the student access to any resource (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

However, to qualify for this provision, the student may be required to

  • Produce the VA Certification of Eligibility (COE) by the first day of class.
  • Provide a written request to be certified.
  • Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies.

Application for Benefits

To apply for benefits, veterans must first be accepted into a program of study by the Enrollment Services Office. A veteran should then report to the welcome desk at the Dreisbach/Anderson Student Success Center with a copy of his or her DD214 or a DD2384 NOBE (Notice of Basic Eligibility) form if an active reservist.

Veterans also must furnish official transcripts from all colleges attended. These should be forwarded to the Enrollment Services Office. An evaluation of all college transcripts must be completed by the Transcript Evaluation Office by the end of the first semester in a new program of study. Benefits cannot be extended beyond the first semester until this is accomplished. It is the responsibility of the veteran to make sure the evaluation has been completed.

To change programs, the same admissions and evaluation process must be followed and Change of Program form filled out in the Veterans Financial Services office.

For information, call the Veterans Financial Services Office at (864) 250-8447.

Grading Procedures for Veterans

In 1976, Congress amended the “GI Bill®” in such a way as to encourage veterans to move toward the attainment of educational career goals. (“GI Bill®” is a registered trademark of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official US government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/.) The law now provides that no payment will be made to an eligible veteran for auditing a course or for taking a course in which the grade assigned is not used in computing graduation requirements. Included in this rule are courses from which veterans withdraw.

To comply with this federal law, the following rules apply to veterans or other individuals who receive veterans’ benefits:

  • The “I” grade is a non-punitive grade as defined by the Veterans Administration. This grade is not a permanent grade and carries only a message of temporary condition that will be changed to a letter grade of A, B, C, D or F.
  • Veterans who receive an “I” as a grade must make up the work at least one week prior to final exams of the following semester. Work not made up will result in the grade of “F.”
  • In the event that a veteran receives an “I” at the end of a semester, further work in the course must be accomplished by the veteran at his own expense without government reimbursement.
  • In all cases, an “F” grade is defined as a punitive grade for purposes of computing eligibility for and receipt of veterans’ benefits.
  • Veterans cannot be paid for an “AU,” “NC” or a “CF” grade.
  • Veterans cannot be paid for any course not listed in the curriculum. If there are any electives listed as part of the curriculum, veterans must not exceed the total number of elective hours designated by the program. Veterans must take only electives that are listed as approved electives or electives that have been approved in writing by the department head.
  • Veterans cannot be paid for upgrading or prerequisite courses not counting toward graduation without written verification of test results indicating a need for such courses. Remedial/deficiency training is limited to the equivalent of two semesters.
  • D grades are not transferable and the VA will not reimburse for repeating courses to remove or supplant Ds.
  • Students may repeat for VA benefits a course in which a grade of W, I, NC or F and the course is required for the training objective.
  • Academic progress will be determined by the transcript evaluation at the end of each semester. Failure to maintain a 2.0 GPA during any semester will result in the student being placed on Veterans Affairs (VA) Warning for the following semester.
  • Failure to achieve a GPA of 2.0 during the VA Warning semester will result in the student being placed on VA Probation and may have educational benefits suspended at the end of the probationary period until the student has been counseled in the Greenville Technical College Veterans Financial Services Office. The results of this counseling session will determine if benefits are reinstated for the student’s present program or if he/she will have to change programs.
  • Failure to achieve a GPA of 2.0 during the VA Probation semester will result in the student being placed on VA Suspension. VA Educational Benefits will be suspended until the student has successfully completed six credit hours with a GPA of 2.0 or better the next term of enrollment.

How To Access Grade Report

With the implementation of GTC4Me, students are now able to view their final grades and other student information online. Grade mailers are no longer mailed out at the end of the term.

To see and print grades:

  • Log into GTC4Me.
  • Click on the WebAdvisor tab on the far right side of the screen.
  • Look on the left-hand side under “Academics” Menu.
  • Click on “Transcript.”
  • You should see a drop-down box with “Unofficial Transcript.”
  • Click on the Submit button.
  • You should get a screen with the course section and title, Grade, Credits, CEUs, Repeat and Term and at the bottom of the screen you should find your GPA calculations.

Veterans Change of Status

All recipients of veterans’ benefits must immediately notify the Veterans Financial Services Office of any changes that may affect their pay status. Such changes include change of program, change of hours, change of dependency and change of address. All necessary forms and instructions can be obtained in the Veterans Financial Services Office. All recipients must notify the Greenville Technical College Veterans Financial Services Office each semester when they enroll for class if they wish their benefits to be continued for subsequent terms. Certifications will not be automatically processed.

Veterans Attendance Policy

Class attendance is necessary in order to receive maximum benefits from the educational process and to be academically successful.  It is the student’s responsibility to attend class and to be punctual.  A student WILL BE administratively withdrawn due to attendance for the following reasons:

  • Never in Class (NIC):  During the add/drop period, students will be withdrawn if they do not attend class.  If a student registers for a course but fails to attend during the add/drop period (including failing to meet the criteria to be counted as present in an online course), the college will administratively withdraw the student from the course and assign a grade of WA (Administrative System Withdrawal).  No credits or grade points will be awarded and the WA will not affect the GPA.  The student will be responsible for course payment in accordance with the college refund policy. The college will notify the student of the administrative withdrawal via the student’s official college email address.  For students receiving financial aid, this withdrawal will not count as a course attempt and will not affect future financial aid awards.
  • 14-Day Rule:  At any time during the semester and regardless of a student’s use of financial aid benefits, the college will withdraw a student who is not in attendance for 14 consecutive calendar days, including weekends, holidays, college breaks and canceled class sessions, and college breaks lasting four days or less. Breaks of five or more days will be excluded from the 14-day attendance count.  
  • Prior to the course last day to withdraw date, the college policy is to assign a grade of W (Withdrawn).  No credits or grade points will be awarded and the W will not affect the GPA.  For students receiving financial aid, the course will count as an attempt and may affect future aid.  
  • After the course last day to withdraw date, the college will assign a grade of WF (Withdrawn Failing) for the course, which will negatively affect the GPA calculation.  The student will be responsible for course payment and will not be eligible for a refund. The college will notify the student of the administrative withdrawal via the student’s official college email address.  For students receiving financial aid, the course will be recorded as an attempt and may affect future financial aid awards.   
  • Students who have been administratively withdrawn from a course may request reinstatement.  Reinstatements must be approved by the course instructor.

Department of Defense Memorandum of Understanding

Greenville Technical College is pleased to hold a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Defense (DOD), which allows our institution the opportunity to further our commitment to excellence in educating military students. 

By following the guidance of the DOD MOU, we are able to ensure that all military members have access to what they need to make informed decisions about where to attend school and about how their Tuition Assistance (TA) benefits will interact with their chosen educational programs. 

Tuition Assistance

Students who are interested in using Tuition Assistance (TA) need to proceed to the appropriate website below to begin: 

Army – ArmyIgnitED

Navy - Navy College Program

Marine Corps - How Do I Apply for Tuition Assistance? - Marine Corps Community (usmc-mccs.org)

Air Force - Education Options - U.S. Air Force

Coast Guard - Tuition Assistance (uscg.mil)

If you do not see your academic program at GTC listed in the Tuition Assistance portal for your service, please email Anthony Davis (anthony.davis@gvltec.edu) to request that it be added. 

Marketing, Recruiting & Advertising

Greenville Technical College maintains policies that reflect program integrity requirements consistent with regulations issued by the Department of Education (34 C.F.R 668.71-668.75 and 668.14) related to restrictions on misrepresentation, recruitment, and payment of incentive compensation. This applies to Greenville Technical College itself and its agents, including third-party lead generators, marketing firms, or companies that own or operate the educational institution. As part of efforts to eliminate unfair, deceptive, and abusive marketing aimed at Service members, Greenville Technical College will: 

  1. Ban inducements, including any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, transportation, lodging, meals, or other item having a monetary value of more than a de minimis [defined as "an insignificant amount"] to any individual or entity, or its agents including third-party lead generators or marketing firms other than salaries paid to employees or fees paid to contractors in conformity with all applicable laws to secure enrollments of Service members or obtain access to Tuition Assistance (T.A.) funds. Educational institution-sponsored scholarships or grants and tuition reductions available to military students are permissible;
  2. Refrain from providing any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on securing enrollments or federal financial aid (including T.A. funds) to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting, admission activities, or making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance;
  3. Refrain from high-pressure recruitment tactics such as making multiple unsolicited contacts (3 or more), including phone, email, or in-person communications, and engaging in same-day recruitment and registration to secure Service member enrollments. 

Additionally, eligible Service members are directed to speak with their Educational Services Officer (E.S.O.) or counselor within their Military Service before enrolling at Greenville Technical College. This ensures that Service members understand their eligibility for Tuition Assistance and their potential financial responsibility toward the school. Suppose an eligible Service member decides to use T.A. In that case, educational institutions will enroll them only after the individual's Service approves the T.A. Service members will be solely responsible for all tuition costs without this prior approval. This requirement does not prohibit Greenville Technical College from pre-registering a Service member in a course to secure a slot in the course. If a school enrolls the Service member before the appropriate Service approves Military TA, the Service member could be responsible for the tuition. All Military TA must be requested and approved before the course's start date. The Military TA is supported on a course-by-course basis and only for the specific course(s) and class dates that a Service member requests. Suppose a military student "self-identifies" their eligibility and the Service has not approved the funding. In that case, the Service member will be solely responsible for all tuition costs, not the Service. 

Financial Aid & Loans

Financial Aid is made available from grants, scholarships, loans, South Carolina lottery tuition assistance and part-time employment from federal, state, institutional, and private sources. Awards from these programs may be combined in an "award package" to meet the cost of education. Financial need, available funds, student classification, academic performance, and sometimes the timeliness of the application determine the types and amounts of aid awarded.

Before offering, recommending, arranging, signing up, dispersing, or enrolling Service members for private student loans, Service members may work with an officer in the Office of Financial Aid at Greenville Technical College; this financial aid officer will be able to offer individual loan counseling, including, but not limited to:

  1. Providing a clear and complete explanation of available financial aid, including Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
  2. Describing the differences between private and federal student loans includes terms, conditions, repayment, and forgiveness options.
  3. Disclosing the institution's student loan Cohort Default Rate (C.D.R.), the percentage of its students who borrow, and how its C.D.R. compares to the national average. If the educational institution's C.D.R. is greater than the national average C.D.R., it must disclose that information and provide the student with loan repayment data. The student may review this information at College Navigator - Greenville Technical College (ed.gov), a government site where schools report student financial data. 
  4. Explaining that students can refuse all or borrow less than the maximum student loan amount allowed.

https://www.gvltec.edu/admissions_aid/financial_aid/index.html

Military Service, Duty, Training, or Disaster Relief

Greenville Technical College realizes students who are members of a branch of the U.S. military may be called for active duty, specialized training, or disaster relief efforts with little notice. While the following policy does not pertain to initial active duty training (i.e., basic training), this policy is adopted to minimize disruptions or inconveniences for students fulfilling their unanticipated U.S. military responsibilities during an academic semester/term.

Student Options

A student who is called for active duty, specialized training, or disaster relief efforts with little notice may leave Greenville Technical College in good standing by choosing one of the following options:

  • Withdraw from all courses.  Refunds are made according to the college's refund policy.
    Note: Students receiving financial aid will be subject to the refund policies provided by the agency or agencies sponsoring the aid. If financial aid funds have been disbursed to the student, the student must meet with a financial aid advisor.
  • Receive a military incomplete ("MI") in the course(s) in which they are enrolled.
  • Maintain their class schedule with prior notification and a copy of military orders before deployment. A Military Orders ("MO") attendance designation will be used for this student during their absence.

Either option may occur during the semester through the end of final examinations. If the student decides to withdraw and the withdrawal is processed after the add/drop period, a grade of "W" will be assigned. The request to withdraw needs to be made within one week of official notification by the military service. It may be made by either the student or another approved responsible party who has the student's military information.

Request for a Withdrawal

All military withdrawal requests will be processed in Student Records. A student who wishes to withdraw from courses due to being called for active duty, specialized training, or disaster relief efforts must provide a copy of their orders to the Student Records Office and an Add/Drop/Withdrawal form.

When a student receiving federal financial aid withdraws from all classes after the add/drop date, the college has to return a portion of the student's aid to the Department of Education (D.O.E.), even if the money has already been disbursed to the student. Therefore, if a student receiving financial aid withdraws from the college, the student must pay that money back to the college. Due to federal regulations, there are no exceptions made for military deployment in the calculations determined by the Department of Education. Federal regulations dictate GTC's financial aid policy.

Request for an Incomplete

A student called for active duty, specialized training, or disaster relief efforts with little notice may request an incomplete from the instructor(s) of the course(s) in which the student is enrolled. A student who requests an incomplete for military purposes must complete all missed work based on the following guidelines:

  • Between 2 and 30 missed days - The student will have 45 business days from the detachment date to complete all missed work. If the work is not completed by the end of this timeframe, the grade will revert to an "F."
  • More than 30 Days – The student will have until the end of the following complete semester after the detachment date to complete all missed work. If the work is not completed by the end of this timeframe, the grade will revert to an "F."

All exceptions to this policy will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the registrar.

Tuition Return of Funds Policy

All DoD U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Tuition Assistance (T.A.) Funds are earned in a prorated manner daily up to the 60% point for the course. DoD Tuition Assistance Regulation states that a student must attend through the 60% point of the course to earn 100% of their T.A. funds for the period for which the funds were approved. All unearned T.A. funds will be returned based on the last date of attendance before the 60% point for the course.


Note: Students will need to check with their Branch of Service to see specific Terms and Conditions about Tuition Assistance.