Veteran and Military Services

Director: Karl Watters
Office: Browning, Room 115
Phone: (435) 879-4688
FAX: (435) 879-4005
Email: veterans@utahtech.edu
Website: http://veterans.utahtech.edu/
Hours: Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Veteran and Military Student Services

Utah Tech University (Utah Tech) offers Veteran and military students and their family members assistance in using their Veteran Administration (VA) or military educational benefits.  Our staff is honored to help students through the process of admissions, eligibility application, registration and maximizing their benefits to pursue educational, professional or vocational objectives.   Utah Tech adheres to the 8 Keys to Veterans' Success as outlined in Executive Order 13607, "Principles of Excellence."  Veterans and uniformed Service members should contact the Director of Veterans and Military Services for the following:

  • To obtain a fee waiver code when applying for the first time at Utah Tech University (evidence of Honorable, General under Honorable circumstances or current service will be required)
  • Information on priority registration (Veterans and uniformed Service members are authorized priority registration)
  • Information regarding military, Veterans and family member residency exemption
  • Assistance in applying to the VA for education benefits
  • In-processing procedures to use your VA, Department of Defense (DoD) or State of Utah education benefits

Certifying students who are eligible for Veterans' Educational Benefits involves Utah Tech, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense tuition assistance programs, and the Veteran. The approval and funding process may take as long as 4-6 weeks; therefore, we encourage you to complete all the applications to the VA, DoD, or State as soon as possible. Please visit the Veteran and Military Service Center for in-processing and become fully admitted to Utah Tech as soon as possible. 

To receive VA education benefits, applicants must apply online.  Contact the Veteran and Military Services Center if you need assistance

In order to receive Veterans or Military Educational Benefits, you will need to provide the Utah Tech Veterans and Military Services office with the most recent Member 4 Copy of your DD-214, or a Leave & Earnings Statement (LES) if you are still on active duty. You will also need to complete the Utah Tech Veteran Statement of Understanding and Procedure Form and order an official military Joint Service Transcript, if applicable.

The VA administers several educational programs along with DoD Federal Tuition Assistance and State of Utah programs that Utah Tech accepts upon admittance. For a detailed description of each VA program, please visit the VA website.

Veterans Administration Programs Include:

  • Chapter 30: Montgomery GI Bill® (MGIB-AD)
  • Chapter 31: VA Vocational Readiness and Employment (VR&E)
  • Chapter 33: Post 9/11 GI Bill®
  • Chapter 35:  Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) and the Fry Scholarship 
  • Chapter 1606:  Montgomery GI Bill® - Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR)

Students must be matriculated (enrolled in a degree or a certificate program) to qualify for VA Educational benefits unless they are pending admission, in which case they can be certified for two semesters only.  Students receiving Veterans' Educational Benefits under Chapter 30 and Chapter 1606 are required to verify enrollment each month through WAVE (Web Automated Verification of Enrollment) or by phone at 1-877-823-2378. Students receiving Post 9/11 benefits can opt into VA's monthly text or email to verify their enrollment.

Students receiving Veterans' Educational Benefits must meet specific requirements to become and remain eligible.  Consult with the Veteran and Military Services staff for more information. 

Department of Defense Programs Include:

State of Utah Programs Include:

Academic Resources

Tutoring is available at no cost to all Utah Tech students in a variety of subjects including Mathematics and Science.  The Academic Performance Center is located in the Holland Centennial Commons (fourth floor).  Student Veterans receiving VA education benefits can be reimbursed for up to $100 per month for tutoring services.  Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment recipients must coordinate tutoring services with their VA Counselor.  Please meet with the Director of Veteran and Military Services for degree advising and possible tutoring/testing resources.

The University also offers a Writing Center (located on the fourth floor of the Holland Centennial Commons) that provides a variety of writing services, including face-to-face and online tutoring sessions. 

Students may require the services of the Disability Resource Center to evaluate disability documentation, determine eligibility, and implement reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities enrolled at the University.

Utah Tech University and the Department of Veteran Affairs (George E. Whalen VA Medical Center) have collaborated to provide the Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership (VITAL) program.  The Veteran Success Center in the Browning Learning Resource Center room 116 provides transitional peer mentorship, access to TeleHealth mental health services and education for university staff/faculty about military culture under the guidance of the VITAL Program.

Military Credit

To determine if military credit may be awarded, veterans will need to provide the Member 4 copy of their DD 214 discharge papers to the Director of Veterans and Military Services. The student must request official military transcripts for Utah Tech University. Use the following links to order official transcripts:

ACE recommendations from the Guide to the Evaluation of Education Experiences in the Armed Services and the review by the academic department determine the acceptance of military course credit.  Credit acceptance is determined upon evaluation and correlation to existing degree plans. Upon request, students have the option to submit JST credit for general electives if the degree pathway calls for them. Scores for military credit are not included in any GPA calculation.   

Priority Enrollment

Veterans and Service members attending Utah Tech may request priority enrollment through the Veterans' Success Center.  Evidence of Honorable, General under Honorable Circumstances, or current service is required when requesting priority enrollment. ​

Veteran and Military Schedule Accommodations

A student who is in “uniformed service” status may request a schedule accommodation for short-term required military activities (drill, training, State emergency call-up or military schooling) that must take place during the semester and are 14 calendar days or less in duration should follow the procedure below in order to receive accommodation.  If the absence is more than 14 calendar days (deployment, activation for mobilization or extended training) in a full semester, they should consider doing a complete withdrawal from the semester.  Upon activation for military service, students should contact the Director for Veterans and Military Services as soon as possible for assistance with issues concerning current classes, registration status, and/or educational benefits.  Students should follow the following procedures to receive a schedule accommodation (instructors have the right to not allow any accommodation-- requirement must apply to all students)

  • The student must provide instructors with a printed copy of their “orders” to request a military activity schedule accommodation.
  • In the event written “orders” give a student less than seven (7) calendar days from notification to the onset of the absence, instructors are still encouraged to work with the student concerning the requested schedule accommodation.
  • An instructor may determine that recurring, frequent or lengthy absences will interfere with a student’s ability to succeed in the course and recommend that the student seek an alternative.
  • A student who requires an extension to the original period of absence must contact the Registrar’s office, which will require verification of the required extension and then notify instructors who may recommend that the student seek an alternative.
  • Absences for required military activities do not always have advanced notice.
  • A student with advance notice of a required military activity may be require to complete course work prior to the absence
  • If a student has less than seven (7) calendar days’ notice (as certified by the written “orders”), the instructor should utilize all resources to accommodate the shift in scheduling.
  • Veterans requesting to schedule accommodation for VA Medical appointments shall follow the notification procedures outlined above and should use VA Email or a hard copy appointment notification in place of orders.  Medical appointments are made by the VA and the student generally has no control of the appointment times or dates and when missed may take up to nine months to reschedule.

House Bill 60 (1977) and Senate Bill 45 (2021)

Currently serving Military (Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard) and Veterans (with a general or honorable characterization of service or Veterans with a documented service-related disability) who are Utah Residents, are eligible to audit regular Utah Tech University classes under Utah House Bill 60 (1977) and Senate Bill 45 (2021) regulations.

  • An admission application with a one-time, non-refundable admission fee of $35.00 is required. 
  • If no students are waitlisted for the class, the instructor can sign a HB 60 ADD card beginning the first day of class, on a space available basis. 
  • Submit the signed HB 60 ADD Card and a current Military ID or a DD Form 214 to the Registrar’s Office.
  • Pay the $25 fee plus any course or lab fees. 

No credit or grades are issued for audited classes. Some classes are not available under H.B. 60, including but not limited to all computer and fitness (FAST) classes.

Faculty are prohibited from adding a H.B. 60 student to any class that has students waitlisted for that course until after the last day for the waitlist.