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Military Educational Benefits & Scholarships

The MCC Military and Veterans Services office offers advisory services about educational benefits specific to Veterans Affairs (VA)-eligible and Department of Defense-eligible students planning to enroll or currently enrolled at MCC.

Many veteran students are eligible for more than one benefit. Before applying for any veteran education benefit, we recommend that students meet with our Veterans Certifying Officials by calling 531-MCC-4619 or email us.

GI Bill® trademark and “GI Bill®” are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Some branches of service offer tuition assistance and tuition reimbursement students can receive in conjunction with their VA benefits. Please see your military education office for more information. The Department of Veteran Affairs determines final eligibility for all of the various VA education programs.

Department of Defense (DoD) Tuition Assistance - is a benefit paid to eligible service members. Congress has given each service the ability to pay up to 100% of the tuition expenses of its members. Each branch of service has its own eligibility criteria, payouts, restrictions and application process. Review the links below for additional details:

The following resources are compiled as a helpful reference. MCC does not officially endorse any of the organizations listed below. Information is accurate at time of publishing and we regret any errors or omissions.

MCC Military Scholarships

  • MCC Military Textbook Scholarship - Scholarship for veterans and active-duty rank E-1 through E-4 with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher to assist with purchasing textbooks. Typically awarded each Fall quarter.
  • MCC Veterans of the Midlands Foundation Scholarship - Scholarship for veterans pursuing a certificate or associate degree in any program at MCC. Financial need may be considered but is not required. Typically awarded each Fall quarter.
  • Military & Veteran Spouse Support Scholarship - $1,000 scholarship for spouses of current military members or veterans. Must be a full- or part-time student with a 2.5 GPA and at least nine credit hours at time of application. Typically awarded each quarter.
  • Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 279 Scholarship - Scholarship for Vietnam veterans, veterans and/or dependents of veterans. Must not be receiving any veteran educational benefits unless applicant is at least 30% disabled. Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 with 15 or more credit hours. Must be a Nebraska resident who has not previously won this award. Must be a veteran or dependent, and a copy of your/parental DD214 is required. Typically awarded each Winter and Spring quarter.

Nebraska Military Scholarships & Funding

National Military Scholarships & Funding

New students using military-connected education benefits should apply for benefits 30 to 60 days prior to the start of the quarter they plan to attend. However, application can be made at any time during the quarter. Please retain a copy of your Application Verification Page to submit to MCC Veterans Certification Officers. Students who have attended other institutions must request and send official transcripts of credit earned at the institution(s) the MCC Registrar’s Office for evaluation of prior credit into a current MCC program of study. Certain veterans and their dependents may be eligible for additional benefits which may include work-study and tutorial services.

MCC degrees, certificates and diplomas are submitted for approval by the State Approving Agency and Veterans Administration for use with military funding resources. To receive benefits, the entitled person must be in an approved program of study and be eligible to receive benefits. Students can only receive benefits for courses required in that program. Students are required to attend all classes for which they are registered and maintain satisfactory academic progress. An eligible student will normally receive a monthly check, which may vary in amount as determined by class length and rate of pursuit.

  • All students who receive the Montgomery GI Bill® Chapter 30 or Selected Reserve Chapter 1606 must verify their enrollments monthly to receive payments. This verification can be done either by using the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) application on the GI Bill® website or by using the automated telephone system at 1-877-823-2378 and following the prompts. Please use your Social Security number to access WAVE or the telephone system.
  • Terms starting on or after December 17, 2021, all Post-9/11 GI Bill® students who receive MHA and/or kicker payments need to verify enrollment every month. This is a Veteran Affairs requirement for Post 9/11 GI Bill® students to certify that they have remained enrolled in the same courses the MCC Veterans Certifying Official has previously certified for the quarter.
  • Students have the option to verify enrollment via text message or email. Veterans Affairs (VA) strongly recommends using text or email, but if these options are unavailable, students may call the Education Call Center (ECC) at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) to verify enrollment. Please be advised that calling the ECC may result in long wait times. All impacted students with a U.S. mobile phone number on file should receive an opt-in text message after being enrolled in courses. Students must respond to that text within 14 days. After opting in, simply reply to a VA text message each month to verify enrollment. If you opt out of text message verification or do not respond to the opt-in text, you will be automatically enrolled in email verification with the email address on file with VA. If you do not receive a text message, need to verify your enrollment over the phone, opt into text verification, or enroll in email verification, you may call the Education Call Center (ECC) at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).
  • If you fail to submit enrollment verification for two consecutive months, your Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA)/kicker payments will be held until you verify your enrollment. For example, if your term starts on January 1 of the calendar year and you fail to verify your enrollment for January and February, your March payments will be placed on hold.
  • Visit VA Chapter 33 enrollment verification for additional information.

MCC seeks to grant the most credit possible for military training and experience. Military students who submit a military transcript are granted up to 3.5 credits in Physical Education (PHED) for basic training. Additional credit hours may be awarded for military training and experience as recommended by the American Council on Education.

Some factors may limit the number of credits accepted, including departmental accreditation and program-specific requirements. Credits not transferred as a specific class at MCC may be applied to either the major or general education requirements as undefined electives. Veterans and military students pursuing specialized programs that have very few or no electives may find that they receive limited credits from their military experience.

Documents eligible for transcript evaluation can include Community College of the Air Force Transcript (CCAF), Joint Services Transcript (JST), and other official documents indicating military experience. In addition, MCC accepts DSST (DANTES) and CLEP scores.

Use of military credits to transfer from MCC to another institution depends on a number of factors, including whether the institution has a transfer credit agreement with MCC. The institution receiving transfer courses makes the decision regarding award of transfer credit. Military students should evaluate their transfer options carefully in consultation with the receiving institution.

Students using Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits are required to have all military credit and previous college course work evaluated toward their current MCC program. This evaluation will include any courses(s) taken at an approved educational institution, even if the course(s) was not paid for by VA. An official military transcript and academic transcript(s) from all prior schools should be sent to the MCC Registrar’s Office for this evaluation.

In the event a student is unexpectedly called to active military service (deployment, TAD, etc.), the student should contact Military and Veterans Services (MVS) immediately to make arrangements for accommodation. The student should provide MVS a copy of military orders. MVS will work with the student to facilitate solutions that will not result in student debt for returned portions of educational benefit funds and will provide opportunity to re-take or complete coursework. Options for course resolution may include:

  • An “I” grade. According to the MCC catalog, “I” grades are issued due to extenuating circumstances. Students may be given an extension of time to complete course objectives. Assignment of “I” grades is a faculty prerogative and is issued when students, who have completed the majority (at least 60 percent) of the course requirements, are unable to complete the remainder due to unusual or extenuating circumstances. An “I” grade must be made up no later than 11 months after the end of the quarter in which the “I” grade was issued or it becomes an F. Prior to issuing the Incomplete grade, the instructor and the student meet to discuss a timeline for completing the remaining assignments and/or tests in order for the student to earn a quality letter grade. The instructor sends an email to the student, and copies the appropriate academic dean, confirming the due date for the remaining work. (Does not count in computation of grade point average)
  • If the call to service occurs at a point in the term where the student has completed enough work to be issued a grade, a grade for the course may be issued based on completed progress.
  • The student may withdraw from the College, with Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense considering unanticipated call to active service a mitigating circumstance.

Consistent with the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, Section 3679 of title 38, United States Code, Section 103, Metropolitan Community College will not impose any penalties due to the delayed disbursement of a payment by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs on recipients of Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits. Metropolitan Community College will permit any covered individual to attend or participate in the course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides Metropolitan Community College a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under chapter 31 or 33, and ending on the earlier of the following dates: 1) The date on which payment from the VA is made to the institution or 2) 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the Certificate of Eligibility.

Additionally, Metropolitan Community College will not require that a covered individual borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to MCC due to the delayed disbursement of funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs under chapter 31 or 33. A Covered Individual is any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation, or chapter 33, Post 9/11 GI Bill® benefits, and has been verified by the school certifying official as benefit eligible. This requirement is limited to the portion of funds paid by VA.

The Military/Veteran Services staff are always willing to meet with you personally to help you achieve your educational objectives. Working with you, the VA office, and/or DoD, we will do our best to answer your questions and to assist you in meeting your educational goals.

Email Us:

MCCVets@mccneb.edu

Phone Numbers:

MCC Military/Veteran Services - 531-MCC-4619

VA Regional Office for Nebraska - 888-442-4551

Appointments recommended to reduce wait times

Hours of Operation:

Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Military & Veterans Services

South Omaha Campus

2909 Edward Babe Gomez Ave.