Veterans

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Support for military veterans and their families

• Hands-on advisers. Every problem has a solution at SWCC. Our advisers can help you with everything from course selection and career planning to child care and transportation. You’ll build personal connections with advisers who know you by name and care about your success.
• Veterans’ Upward Bound. This special program for military veterans provides a comprehensive set of free services, including financial aid, tutoring, mentoring, academic skills development, career planning, and more.
• Student Veterans Association. Our active military student organization keeps a busy schedule of fundraisers, field trips, and recreational outings. It’s a great way to connect with role models, collaborators, and friends.
• Degree programs that build on your service. You’ll find a range of academic programs that help you translate skills you developed in the military into a college degree and professional opportunities in business, technology, health care, law enforcement, and other fields.
• Alternative ways to receive credit for your military experience. You may be able to convert your military training into college credits by creating a prior learning portfolio, using a standardized test score such as DSST or Dantes, or seeking a prior learning assessment from the appropriate academic dean. You’ll automatically receive up to three college credits in Physical Education just for proof of completing basic military training.

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Southwest has been ranked as a 2021-22 Top Ten Military Friendly School, exceeding benchmarks for academic policies, financial assistance, culture, and commitment, among others.

Visit the Military Friendly website for more information about the service and dedication Southwest exhibits to veterans.

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Transform your experience into college credits. Visit the website at Credits2Careers.org.

This institution is approved to offer Gl Bill® educational benefits by the Virginia State Approving Agency. See the College Catalog for more information and grievance procedure.
Our Veterans Certifying Official will help you obtain the paperwork and provide the necessary documentation.

Your level of financial support depends on the number of credits you take:

• 12 or more semester hours — full-time benefits
• 9 to 11 semester hours — three-quarter-time benefits
• 6 to 8 semester hours — half-time benefits

You may need to provide discharge records, family status records, or other VA eligibility forms to get certified for veterans’ educational benefits. In addition, you may be eligible for benefits under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Act of 2008.

Remember, we’re here to serve you. Contact the Student Development Services office at 276-964-7290 to make sure you get all the veterans’ educational benefits you’re eligible for.

Heather Riley
Veterans Certifying Official
Student Services
276-964-7290
Dellinger Hall Room 215
heather.riley@sw.edu

Please see the Return of Unearned Military Tuition Assistance Policy

SEC. 103. Disapproval for purposes of educational assistance programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs of certain courses of education that do not permit individuals to attend or participate in courses pending payment. See Section 103 Excerpt of the Law

Developmental classes must precede required courses (e.g., ENG 01 before ENG 101 or ENG 111; MTH 03 before MTH 115, etc.). Developmental courses may be repeated one time

Veterans Get Full Financial Benefits at Southwest Virginia Community College