2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog
The University of West Florida recognizes that many active duty military personnel face formidable barriers in the pursuit of a college degree. As part of the University’s continuing commitment to educational opportunities for military personnel, UWF offers a program designed to assist active duty military men and women in the quest for bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, or doctoral degrees. Many departments have agreed to offer degrees through a system tailored to the specific needs of active duty military personnel. Previous college credit, work experience, service schools, and other forms of nonacademic experiences will be considered for college credits. For further information, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
The University of West Florida has been designated as an institutional member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), a group of more than 1800 colleges and universities providing voluntary postsecondary education to members of the military throughout the world. As a SOC member, UWF recognizes the unique nature of the military lifestyle and is committed to easing the transfer of relevant course credits and crediting learning from appropriate military training and experiences. SOC has been developed jointly by educational representatives of each of the armed services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and a consortium of 12 leading national higher education associations. It is sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
The University of West Florida is approved by the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) for the education of veterans, active duty personnel, reservists, and eligible dependents under current law. UWF’s Veterans Services Office (VSO) is part of the Office of the Registrar at UWF, not the DVA. The VSO is the point of contact for students receiving benefits from the DVA. The office has a professional staff augmented by veteran peer counselors to assist in providing information about entitlements, filing claims to the DVA, and certifying enrollment. The VSO monitors the academic progress of students receiving DVA educational benefits. Students who receive DVA benefits are subject to different academic regulations and should be aware that auditing courses, enrollment status, withdrawals, repeating courses, changing degree programs, adding majors and minors, grade forgiveness, and other actions may affect eligibility for educational benefits.
The University of West Florida is an approved participating Yellow Ribbon Institution for the 2011-2012 catalog year. The Yellow Ribbon program is designed to help non-Florida residents cover the cost of their education that exceeds the in-state tuition and fees. It is only available to those individuals eligible for the maximum benefit rate (100%) of the Post 9/11 GI Bill (chapter 33). It will be granted to the first 200 qualified students on a first-come basis.
To receive educational benefits from the DVA, the student must be pursuing an approved bachelor’s degree, or be enrolled in a VA certified certificate program at the University. VA will only pay benefits for classes required for graduation or for completion of an certified VA certificate program. Required courses must be reflected in a student’s SASS audit before they can be certified for VA benefits. Substitutions to the SASS audit must be made prior to VA certification. To avoid delays in a certification it is a student’s responsibility to ensure that required classes are being taken. Failure to do so may prohibit certification of classes for future semesters. Students who do not have an on-line SASS audit must submit a signed program description sheet.
Deferred payment status for tuition and registration fees may be granted upon application by the student on the following grounds. The University reserves the right to deny deferral status to students who have established an unfavorable credit rating.
Deferral eligibility is granted to students receiving veterans’ educational assistance benefits from federal or state assistance programs if aid is delayed in transmission to the student through circumstances beyond the student’s control.
Veterans and other eligible degree-seeking students receiving benefits on active duty and under Chapters 30, 32, 33, 35, 1606, and 1607, U.S.C., are eligible for one deferment each academic semester. A 90-day deferment will be issued for the spring and fall semesters and a 30-day deferment will be issued for summer and mini-terms. An additional deferment extension may be issued if there is a delay in the receipt of benefits provided the extension is requested prior to the deferment due date and not after the last day of the semester.
| Semester (Year) | A Term | B Term | C Term | D Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Nov 21 | Sep 20 | Nov 14 | |
| Spring | Apr 9 | Feb 7 | Mar 30 | |
| Summer | Jun 12 | Jun 12 | Jul 26 | Jul 17 |
Tuiton and Fees must be paid by the last day of a semester, VA deferments DO NOT extend beyond the posted semester dates.
A veteran may request a deferment (promissory note) via their VA Enrollment Certification in ARGUS or at the VSO for the amount of tuition and fees. The VSO will submit the approved promissory note to the University Cashier prior to the fee payment deadline. Failure to make payment by the deferment due date will result in $100 late payment fee. Students who do not make payment or request a deferment may be deleted for non-payment. Students who are deleted for non-payment may appeal for reinstatement and will be assessed a $200 reinstatement fee.
Any change in a VA deferment to a National Guard or other military billing status after the fee payment deadline will result in the assessment of the late payment fee of $100.00.
A University withdrawal does not cancel the veteran's responsibility to pay the deferment. A veteran must submit a fee appeal explaining the circumstances behind the request. This is not an automatic approval.
University academic standing is discussed in the academic policies section of the Catalog. However, students receiving veteran’s benefits are held to the additional requirements set forth below.
A VA student will be placed on VA Probation if the student’s semester grade point average (SGPA) or cumulative grade point average (CGPA) falls below 2.0. This is an initial warning.
A student who receives consecutive semester GPA’s below 2.0, but has a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0 will continue on VA academic probation.
A student who receives consecutive semester GPA’s below the 2.0 and has a cumulative GPA below a 2.0, will be placed on VA academic suspension. If the student receives written counseling from his or her academic counselor and provides that written documentation to the VSO the student may remain eligible for educational benefits for an additional semester.
A student’s VA benefits will be terminated if the student’s cumulative GPA remains less than a 2.0 for more than two consecutive semesters. The VSO will notify the DVA of unsatisfactory progress and educational benefits will be terminated.
Advance payment of DVA benefits may be available to new students and those students who were not enrolled in the previous semester. Application should be made through the UWF Veterans Services Office no later than 45 days before the first day of classes of the anticipated enrollment semester.
Re-certification of benefits is not automatic and must be requested each semester. It is the responsibility of each student to keep the UWF Veterans Services Office informed of the following. To prevent overpayment and subsequent indebtedness to the Federal Government, it is important to notify the Veterans Services Office immediately of changes that may affect the student’s eligibility for benefits.
After registering, eligible students should request a VA certification through Argus under the MY info tab. Student who don’t have an Argus account should print the VA enrollment certification request found on the UWF VA website. For questions, students may visit or email the UWF Veterans Services Office (veterans@uwf.edu) for information and help. The earlier a student registers and provides the registration information to the VSO, the earlier certification paperwork can be forwarded to the DVA.
Any additions, drops, withdrawals, or other interruptions must be immediately reported to the UWF Veterans Services Office by the student.
Routine class attendance is required for those receiving DVA benefits. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor(s) of absence from class(es) prior to, or as soon as possible after, the absence. Students must check with their respective instructor(s) regarding the attendance policy for each class. Students who are unable to attend class(es) for an extended period of time should notify the instructor(s) and the UWF Veterans Services Office. If a student receiving DVA benefits is found in violation of the policy, the DVA will be notified and benefits may be reduced accordingly.
The DVA must be notified when a student changes a major. These changes may be approved if there is minimal loss of credit hours.
If a student’s address changes, both the DVA and UWF must be notified.
Courses not meeting University requirements for graduation cannot be certified to the DVA for benefits payment. Although not all inclusive, the following list reflects types of courses that will not be certified to the DVA:
Not all certificate programs are certified for VA benefits. Check with the Veterans Services Office for further information.
Off-term courses are those beginning and/or ending on dates other than the regular semester dates. These are referred to as B, C, D, or E term courses. Students should be aware that the DVA review is made on a term-by-term basis and not by semester. Taking B, C, D, or E term courses may affect the student’s training rate for pay purposes and eligibility for break pay. Since this varies by benefit chapter, students should contact the VSO to determine their training time and qualifications for full benefits.