Veterans Affairs
Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits

The University of Toronto is a Veterans Affairs-approved institution to process program reviews and certify registered University of Toronto students to receive Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits.

Per Veterans Affairs Policies:

Students must be in degree programs (studies leading to a degree) to be eligible to use their benefits at the University. The University cannot certify benefits for students in non-degree programs.

The University of Toronto is a non-accredited school, since only schools accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education are considered accredited for VA purposes. As a result, any U of T programs in the following categories are not eligible for VA educational benefits:

  • Programs that include instruction provided via independent study (online).
  • Programs that require completion of practical training (internship, externship, work terms).
  • Joint programs/degrees or dual degree programs in which students complete pre-defined portions of a program at more than one institution.

A list of U of T programs that are currently approved for VA educational benefits can be found on the VA.gov website WEAMS Institution Search. If you are unable to find your program on this listing, please submit a ticket/query to the University Registrar’s Office Service Portal; click on the ‘Get Help’ link.

How Do I Apply?

Log into the Out of Province Request Portal and submit a U of T Veterans Affairs Benefits application. Upload the following documentation to the Out of Province Request Portal: 

All students must submit a U of T Veterans Affairs Benefits application, provide their Certificate of Eligibility document, and complete the U of T Veterans Affairs Confidentiality Release Form for each year that they wish to receive Veterans Affairs Benefits. 

I Applied – Now What?

To receive the first fall installment of Veterans Affairs Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits within the first three weeks of September, students should submit their request and confidential attachments to the University Registrar’s Office by the second week of July, prior to the start of the school year.  

Requests submitted after this deadline will be processed in date order based on when the request is received. 

Processing time: 

  • For newly admitted students, returning students who have changed majors or degree studies, and students whose program has not been previously approved by Veterans Affairs, it may take up to 12 months for processing, based on current Veterans Affairs timelines. 
  • Returning students: Tuition fees are finalized and made available to students in their ACORN accounts in mid-July. From this period, VA Benefits certification will be processed in approximately 3 weeks. 

Notification: Once the VA benefits have been certified by the University Registrar’s Office, students will be notified via email to their UTOR email address.

Students who submit their VA benefits certification request documentation through the Out of Province Request Portal are eligible to apply for a tuition fee deferral.  

Apply for a tuition fee deferral on ACORN three business days after submitting the certification request documentation to the portal. A successful tuition fee deferral will result in waived service charges until mid-October for outstanding fall term tuition fees, and mid-February for outstanding winter term tuition fees. 

Cancellation

Students who have requested to be certified for Veterans Affairs benefits, but wish to request a cancellation for any reason should go to the Veterans Affairs webpage and go to “Submit a Question.”