Add the Following Email Addresses to Your Email Address Book

Main Veteran's Email: veterans@sac.edu  

SAC Certifying Official: swayne_dorothy@sac.edu  & vu_amy@sac.edu
Enrollment Manager for receiving confirmation ​​of Certification: DO-NOT-REPLY@notifications.va.gov  

You will receive important inform​​​ation about your certification that may affect your payments. Don't let important messages get placed in your junk mail.

ADVANCE PAYME​NT

Santa Ana College does not participate in the Advance Pay option. ​

APPLYING​ FOR VA BENEFITS

Go to https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/​ to apply for benefits.  You must call the VA regional office (1-888-442-4551) or visit their website (www.gibill.va.gov) to determine which b​​en​​efit you should apply for, whether it be under Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill®), Chapter 30 (Montgomery GI Bill®), 35 (Dependent/Spouse Educational Benefits), 1606 or 1607 (Reservist benefits). You must make a copy of the submitted form with the confirmation # to the Santa Ana College Veterans Resource Center (VRC) along with the other forms requested such copies of your DD214, Unofficial Transcripts, etc. 

CALVET​ DEPENDENT FEE WAIVER

Dependents of veterans ​​with service-connected disabilities may be eligible for a Cal Vet Fee Waiver if attending a Community College, or any UC or CalState System in California. The student must fill out & submit the Veteran Dependent Fee Waiver Application Form through any local Veteran Service Office for eligibility & processing. Once approved, the approval letter must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office for processing. Make sure that you provide them with your SAC student ID along with this letter. Students eligible under Plan A will not be able to use Chapter 35 benefits. Students eligible under Plan B may be eligible for Chapter 35 benefits.​

COST O​​F EDUCATION

The cost varies year by year, however,  please Click on This Link for the current year's Cost of Education and additional Financial Aid Information.

Information on fees and refund policies​

COLLEGE FINANCING PLAN or PERSONAL SHOPPING SHEET

What is a College Financing Plan?  38 U.S.C. § 3679(f)  requires schools to provide covered individuals a College Financing Plan that contains the cost of attendance, types of Federal aid that the student may be qualified to receive, estimated loan options AFTER financial aid awards, and other important information. Costs that the VA will cover are provided by the VA by calling them at 1 (888) 442-4551 or checking your most updated Certificate of Eligibility (COE).  Click here to learn about Santa Ana College's Graduation Rates by Degrees and Certificates.

To access your College Financing ​​Plan, Log in to Self Service​, click on Financial Information, go to Financial Aid, and hover down to the Federal Shopping Sheet.​  Choose the correct Academic Year.  Click here to apply for Financial Aid.  We will also provide you a copy of your Financial Aid Shopping Sheet when you submit a Certification Request Form.  

PROCESSING​ AT SANTA ANA COLLEGE

The processing time for submission of certification, once a complete VA packet is submitted to the Santa Ana College VEB Office, can take up to 4 business weeks during peak periods. Please check the VA Packet checklist available in the VRC to determine what forms you​​​ need to fill out or documents you need to provide. Once eligible for certification, the VAO submits the certification to the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Processing Office in Muskogee, Oklahoma for their part in processing the payment. It can take 2-6 weeks for the Servicing Regional Processing Office to complete. During peak periods, the processing time could be longer, especially if the student just applied for benefits with the VA at the same time.

CERTIFICATION REQUEST FORM

All veterans and eligible dependents and spouses must complete the Certification Request Form by submitting it electronically once the student is registered in required classes for the semester/term according to his/her educational plan. If this form is no​​​t​​​ turned in, then the Veterans Affairs Office will assume you no longer wish to continue receiving VA education benefits at SAC. For new students at SAC, other documents (refer to the checklist available in the VRC) will be requested along with this form (ex: educational plans, transcript evaluations submitted to Admissions & Records, Certificate of Eligibility [COE], Form 22-1990, DD-214, etc.). The VEB Office follows the payment policy of the district once registered in classes. Even though the VA may pay for tuition & fees for Post 9/11 students, be sure to pay for your Tuition and Fees within 72 hours or your classes will be dropped. Applying for a CA College Promise Grant (Formerly the CA College Promise Grant) could waive your unit enrollment fees. If qualified, classes won't be dropped for non-payment.  Students under the Post 9/11 Bill, Fry Scholarship, and Veterans Readiness and Employabiity [Formerly Vocational Rehab] will be protected the next business day after submitting their Certificati​on Request form online.​

Click here for the Certification Request form for SAC students.

​COMPLIANCE W​​ITH 38 U.S.C § 3679(e)

Covered Individuals under Chapter 31 and 33 must request to be certified by submitting the Certification Request form and Certificate of (Eligibility when in possession) in order to be protected under 38 U.S.C. § 3679(e).  

1)  SAC 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 to the SAC a certificate of eligibility (COE) for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33 and ending on the earlier of the following dates: 

1. ​The date on which the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) provides payment for a course of education to an institution
   

2. The date that is 90 days after the date on which the educational institution certifies for tuition and fees following receipt of the COE from the student.
   

2) SAC will not impose any penalty or assess any late fee, denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or impose other requirements that a covered individual borrow additional funds because of the individual's inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from the DVA under Chapter 31 or 33.  

NOTE: A Covered Individual is any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31, Veteran Readiness & Employment [Formerly Vocational Rehabilitation], or Chapter 33, Post 9/11 GI Bill® benefits.

PRIORITY​​ REGISTRATION

Effective Spring of 2013, SAC gives priority registration to active & former members of the Armed Forces of the United States. Former members must be discharged within the last 15 years the day before classes begin.

To apply for Priority Registration, the eligible Veteran, active member, or reservist needs to submit the Priority Registration Form online and email the necessary documents needed for eligibility to veterans@sac.edu, preferably before the assigned Priority Registration date. Eligible Veterans who are currently using their GI Bill® benefits are eligible for Priority Registration and will automatically be assigned Priority Registration for the following term. Otherwise, eligible veterans will need to re-apply and re-attach the necessary documents to receive Priority Registration for each future term he/she wishes to utilize Priority Registration if he/she doesn't ​use benefits. For current active members and reservists, current documentation, no older than 6 months will be accepted. If you are a new student and will be using your Veterans Education benefits at Santa Ana College, please fill out the Priority Registration Request Form and submit it to our office as soon as possible.

​LOSING PRIORITY REGISTRATION: Effective Fall 2013, Students could lose Priority Registration eligibility due to new state legislation if they: (1) are on academic probation for 2 consecutive terms, and/or (2) have accrued 100+ units of degree applicable courses at SAC/SCC, and/or (3) has an academic status of both Academic Probation and Progress Probation simultaneously. New students effective Fall 2014 could lose Priority Registration if they do not do the following 3 state mandates: a) Attend Orientation, b) Fulfill a counseling appointment for an abbreviated or comprehensive educational plan. Please see Admissions and Records about appealing.

DEGREE ​​OBJECTIVE

To be in compliance with VA regulations, all veterans and eligible dependents/spouses must be working towards one educational objective while attending Santa Ana College: An approved Certificate program, an AA degree, or a Transfer Program towards a Bachelor's degree to a University or College. This is declared on the Online Certification Request Form and must match the Educational Plan created & approved by the VRC academic counselor. An undecided major is accepted only if a student's objective is to enroll in a Transfer Program to a specific college (Ex: A student is completing General Education requirements to transfer to CalState Fullerton). However, electives won't be certified until a major is declared. Only one educational goal at a time is permitted for VA certification purposes. For example, if your goal is to obtain an A.A. degree in Liberal Arts, you cannot take courses outside what is required to obtain that goal. You're welcome to take courses outside the plan, but those courses will not be certified for payment. This declared goal must match Admissions & Records. If it doesn't match, the student will be requested to sign the Student Change of Information Request Form (an Admissions & Records form) to match what's on record.

APPROVED PROGRAMS

The VA has deemed approved all degree programs at SAC. You can check the WEAMS list on the GI Bill® Website on which specific programs are approved by clicking on "Choosing a School," and then clicking on "Search for approved Education & Job​​ Training Programs." You can then search for Santa Ana College. Click on "Programs" on the WEAMS Institution Search.  Please check with one of our VRC counselors regarding certificate programs since not all of our certificate programs are payable.

EDUCAT​IONAL PLAN

To be in compliance with VA regulations, students using the Veterans Educational Benefits must have a current and complete Student Educational plan on file. A complete educational plan is approved and signed by a VRC academic counselor and the student to help you attain your educational goal as reflected on the SAC catalog. Please schedule a counseling appointment in the VRC to discuss your educational goals with a VRC academic counselor. Have your transcripts from all previously attended colleges ready to share even if if they're unofficial at your appointment for proper credit. Official Transcripts can be emailed and sent directly from your previous institutions to SAC's Admissions at Adm_Records@sac.edu. Email us at veterans@sac.edu  or call us at (714) 564 - 6050 to make an appointment with our VRC Counselor for your Educational Plan appointment.

The VA will only pay for courses required to obtain your one educational objective as indicated on the catalog. To avoid delays in payment or possible overpayment, it is your responsibility to adhere to your Student Educational Plan and keep up to date YEARLY with your VRC Academic Counselor to make sure you are up to date and following the requirements.

CHANGING​​​ YOUR EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE FOR CONTINUING SAC STUDENTS

If you elect to change your educational goal/program in the middle of the term, you must notify the VRC immediately. You will be required to provide a new educational plan (Contact your VRC academic counselor). Return it to the SAC VRC. This needs to be done to make sure your current courses apply to the new goal declared according to the new education plan. If your goal does not take effect ​until the next term, wait to submit your education plan along with the Online Certification Request Form for the new term when you're fully registered in your new set of classes. A Student Change of Information Form is also needed to be filled out to make sure the goal change is also reported in Admissions and Records.  The student must understand that the School Certifying Officials must terminate the old program and submit the all courses applicable to the new program for that term effective the beginning of the term.  Any courses not applicable to the new program will not be submitted for payment.  And VA debt incurred will be the student's responsibility.

REMEDIAL ​COURSES

Remedial courses include non-degree or pre-collegiate basic skills classes in Math, English, Reading, Learning, and Study Skills. Depending on the student's educational goals or placement testing, remedial coursework MAY be required and indicated on an educational plan by a VRC Academic Counselor as a pre-requisite for a required course. Required remedial coursework needed to move​ up to a higher level required coursework may be certified for VA payment. However, online or Hybrid remedial courses are not approved for certification by the VA. They must be taken on campus.  Remedial courses must be documented as needed by a VRC counselor for certification purposes due to State Assembly Bill 705.

MIL​​ITARY CREDIT FOR DD-214 HOLDERS

When a veteran petitions for graduation from Rancho Santiago Community College District and needs these units for graduation purposes, the graduation office will verify a request for credit from the form DD-214. The VRC would send a copy of your D​​D214 to Admissions & Records, if you provided them one. Admissions would apply the following credits: Three (3) units for health education and one (1) unit for exercise science can be granted on the basis of military service under the Lifelong Understanding and Self-Development area under Plan A (Associate Degree Plan) & three (3) units towards Plan B (Transfer to a CSU Plan). M​ilitary credit is not accepted under Plan C (Transfer to a UC Plan). The SAC VRC will not certify courses that apply under these areas for students who hold DD-214's. Please avoid taking courses under those areas if you have a DD-214. They won't be certified for payment since the areas will already have been fulfilled by your DD-214.

OFFICIA​L ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS (EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS)

Official Academic Transcripts from ALL prior colleges and universities must be evaluated at the Admissions and Records office during the first semester of attend​​ance and applied towards the student's declared educational goal. If the transcripts are not on file, the Veterans Affairs Office (VRC) may not be able to certify your courses for payment. Furthermore, transcripts are needed in order for Counselors to make an educational plan for you. Once the evaluation is completed, in the event you have satisfactorily completed prior courses and have elected to repeat them prior to transcript evaluation, you may be at risk of overpayment by the VRC. The VRC may stop or reduce your education benefits and you may be required to return any overpayments to the VA determined by the VEB Office in the VRC. Overpayments may be retroactive to the beginning of any specific term. Official Academic Transcripts are required to be submitted during the first term the student attends the college. We will not certify future terms without them. Electronic transcripts can be emailed to Admissions and Records at Adm_Records@sac.edu.

JOINT SERVICE TRANSCRIPTS (MILITARY - ARMY, MARINES, NAVY, * COAST GUARD)

A Joint Services Transcript or JST is an academically accepted document provided by the Department of Defense (DOD) that has been approved by the American Council on Education (ACE) to validate service members' military occupational experiences, military course completions, descriptions of military occupations, and college level test scores.​

O​btaining these are free of charge by clicking on this link​.  SAC will receive JSTs within 24 to 48 hours.  ​

PAYMEN​TS FROM THE VA

All payments under all Chapters are sent directly to the student through direct deposit or a check by mail, whatever is set up with the VA. This includes monthly ​​​stipends for Chapters 30, 1606, 1607, and 35. MHA and book stipends for Chapter 33 are also sent directly to the student. Payments are made during the 1st week of each month for training pursued the previous month unless the student is back paid. If there are delays in payment, retroactive payments are made up to the beginning of the eligible term. If you did not provide direct deposit information to the VA, it is important that your address in your Online Certification request form is accurate since that address is what we will report to the VA to send your payment to.

Chapter 33 MHA eligibility: Students must be certified in more than half time for the period your classes are in session. You must also have at lea​​st one class on campus during the period of your eligible enrollment for the regular MHA stipend. All online courses will be based on half the national average MHA. MHA is based on how many units you take and will be paid to the nearest 10th in percentage. Visit our website and click on Payment Rates or call the VA Regional Office for more information: 1-888-442-4551.

***IMPORTANT NOTE: The district policy for non-payment of fees applies to ALL students.   Students must adhere to the 3-day non-payment drop policy to ensure that the classes are not dropped for non-payment. The student can pay out of pocket or apply for a CA College Promise Grant at the VRC or the Financial Aid Office.

TUITION AND FEES SENT TO SAC (Chapter 33): Mandatory IN-STATE tuition and fee reimbursement for Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) recipients are sent directly to Santa Ana College from the VA. The VEB Office will request Tuition and Fees AFTER the ADD/Drop date.  This means, that the ​​​VA may take another month to send these payments to the SAC.  Therefore, it can take the VEB Office ​​another 4-6 weeks to send these payments to the cashier's office for processing. Any tuition and fees received will be credited to the student's account and pay fees owed. Any reimbursements to the student will be based on how fees were paid. If a student pays any of the mandatory fees by cash or check, then a check will be mailed to the student. If it is paid with a credit card, then the funds will be returned to the card that was used for payment. A refund may not be issued if the student did not pay fees out of pocket and the VA Tuition and Fees payment was applied to pay the fees owed. Any difference the student ow​​es because of their Post 9/11 eligibility will be the student’s responsibility (Ex: If the student is only eligible for 60% of Post 9/11, then the VA pays 60% of Tuition and Fees, and ​the student will need to pay the other 40% of the remaining balance).

The VA will not cover the following fees since they are considered optional: The $10.00 Student Life and Leadership fee and Parking fee. However, for the Student Life and Leadership fee, you may request to not pay this fee by calling the Cashier's office at (714) 564-6965. 

VERIFYING​ ATTENDANCE

As an inactive d​uty veteran (Chapter 30), selected reserve veteran or non-veteran (Chapter 1606 or Chapter 1607), you are required to verify your attendance in class/es to the VA Department on the last calendar day of each month. This will generate the payment of your monthly benefit. If you fail to contact the VA Department on the last day of the calendar month, you will have to wait until the following month to verify two month's worth of enrollment.

Monthly enrollment verifications can be done by calling 1 (877) 823-2378 or logging on to the https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave.

Beginning August 1st, Post 9/11 students will be verifying enrollment after receiving their 1st Housing payment.  Details will be provided by the VA.  

Depen​dents (Chapter 35), or Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) ​ [Formerly Vocational Rehab]​​ (Chapter 31) do not have to call in monthly to verify enrollment. Changes in enrollment must be reported to the VRC. See WITHDRAWALS, DROPS, CHANGES, ADDITIONS TO REGISTERED CLASSES below.

WITHDR​​​AWALS, DROPS, CHANGES, ADDITIONS TO REGISTERED CLASSES

All veterans and eligible dependents​​ are REQUIRED to report ANY changes of classes, adds and/or drops to the VRC after the add/drop request has been officially processed by the Admissions and Records Office to avoid overpayment or underpayment. This is done by filling out the Certification Request Form and answering YES to Question 5 as soon as the changes are made.                        

Post 9/11 (Chapter 33 students): If you drop to exactly 50% or less in rate of pursuit (usually, 6 units or less in a regular semester) during a term, you will not be eligible for MHA effective the day you withdraw from the class that made your unit status become 50% or less. Check with the VRC first before you drop any courses to see how it can affect your MHA payments. You will also owe book stipend and tuition & fees for the applicable dropped course to the VA. You can contact the VA about mitigating circumstances and appeal the overpayment. It will be up to the VA to approve or deny your appeal.

RESERVISTS: If you get called to Active Duty while taking classes and must withdraw from classes, please bring your Orders to Ad​missions and Records to apply for Military Withdrawal so your withdrawal does not affect you punitively.  ​

VA REPAY​MENT POLICY FOR W'S AND NO PASS GRADE, LAST DAY OF ATTENDANCE (LDA) REPORTED

Starting Spring I​​ntersession 2023, W's or NP grades will be reported as Non-Punitive grades.  This means that these courses will be reported as if the courses never happened.  This could result in debts owing the VA for any stipend, book stipend, or monthly housing allowance received in which the student is not eligible for the courses related to the W or NP grade. This is a VA and State Chancellor co​mpliance that SAC must abide by reporting.  An F grade is an earned grade so this will NOT be reported as Non-Punitive.  Only W's and No Pass Grades will be reported as Non-Punitives.

However, if the entire term is completed with ALL F grades and/or non-punitive grades, then the school must report the Last Day of Attendance for each course. An email explaining this will be sent out to the student.  Any VA debts incurred will be the student's responsibility.  ​

Students need to adhere to the instructors attendance policy which affects the Last Day of Attendance.

Before dropping a course, talk to one of our VRC counselors about other options and how this could affect you.

If you have special circumstances that were out of your control that contributed to the reduction of your units, you may be able to waive the debt (See Mitigating Circumstances below).​

MITIGATING ​CIRCUMSTANCES

You may be able to submit a mitigating circumstance explanation if it was out of your control with proper documentation to waive the debt. This is done by filling out Form 21-4138. Search for this form on the GI Bill® website. The statement you submit must be a situation you were unaware of when you registered for school. This must be an unexpected occurrence and MUST BE DOCUMENTED (e.g. a​ letter from your employer regarding shift change or increased hours, a note from a doctor or medical bill, etc.). If the VA accepts your explanation, they may waive your debt. If you fail to submit an explanation or if the VA does not accept your explanation, any money you received after the day of the drop for the class or classes will be considered an overpayment. Such overpayment is subject to immediate collection or deduction from your remaining benefits. Be sure that when you report to the VRC that you have dropped a course or will be earning a No Pass, that mitigating circumstances were involved so that the Certifying Official can prompt the VA of your situation and follow up with you.  You should also submit the Form 21-4138.  This could help you not incur a debt or lower your debt due to the drop of course/s or No Pass grade.  

DISTANCE COURSES: ONLINE/WEB COURSES

Distance courses affect students using Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 benefits). A Chapter 33 student must take at least one campus course during the term to receive the full MHA value where you are physically taking most of your courses. SAC web courses are considered distance courses since the majority of work done is off-campus. If a Chapter 33 student takes all distance courses in one term, then the MHA rate would be based on 1/2 of the National Average and then based on the percentage eligibility.  All ONLINE courses will be considered distance since they are designed to be distance courses to begin with.  If a student utilizes on-campus accommodations through DSPS for any certified courses, the student should reach out to the VRC to see how those courses can be reported as on-campus instead of distance.​

​Please click HERE to determine the types of instructional methods.​ Be advised that any courses that don't require you to come on campus will be reported as DISTANCE to the VA.

ENROLLMEN​​​T STATUS: Regular Full Semester Courses

In a regular semester term, Full time is considered 12+ units, 3/4 time is 9-11.9 units, 1/2 time is 6-8.9 units, 5 units and below are less than 1/2 time. For Chapter 33 students, 6 units or less is consid​​ered half time or less which is ineligible for MHA. Payments are based on the enrollment status during a period of enrollment.

ENROLLM​​ENT STATUS: NON-STANDARD COURSES INCLUDING SUMMER & INTERSESSION COURSES

NON-STANDARD CLASSES: Classes that begin and end within the regular semester calendar such as an 8-week course are certified only for the period of time that each course is active, or the summer or winter courses. The beginning and ending dates used for these types of classes will be determined as outlined in the class schedule. For short-term​ courses including summer, you can calculate your own equivalent enrollment status by using this formula:

Units or Credits X 18 / Weeks of course/s = Credit Hour Equivalent / 12 = Rate of Pursuit Percentage

The enrollment status is based on the period your courses are in session. Ex: If you are taking 7 units total in a semester, where 4 of those units begin on 02/08/10 and end on 06/07/10, and the other 3 units begin on 03/03/10 and end on 05/15/10, then you will only be considered more than half time, but not 3/4 time, between the period your 3 unit class is in session.

1. A grade of "W" or "NP" was previously received.

2. A grade of "F" was received and the class is listed in the catalog as a requirement for the major (which should also reflect your educational plan).

3. A grade of "F" was received and the class is a Basic General Educational Subject required for graduation.

4. If the grade does not meet minimum requirements for graduation for a specific program.

1. A grade of "A," "B," "C," or "D" was received in a course.

2. It does not fall into the above 4 categories.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS

This means that you must maintain a positive grade point average (GPA) of at least a 2.00 or a "C" average, and after attempting 12 units, you must have a completion rate of at least 50%. If you do not maintain this Satisfactory Progress requirement as defined in the current RSCCD catalog, you will be placed on academic probation for one semester. Students who are placed on academic probation or progress probation will be required to attend a Counseling Intervention Workshop. Admissions & Records will notify the student by email. If you are still not meeting Satisfactory Progress in the second semester, your unsatisfactory progress will be reported to the Veterans Administration as a warning. The VEB Office can still certify your eligible courses for VA benefits. If you are still not meeting Satisfactory Progress for the third semester, you may continue in classes, but you will not be entitled to receive VA educational benefits until you regain Satisfactory Progress. You must schedule an appointment to see your VRC Academic Counselor for a plan of action to regain Satisfactory Progress. A dismissal status is also not eligible for VA education benefits. The student may be recertified if Reinstated. However, the student must make progress to continue eligibility for certification. ​

In-State Tuition to Covered Individuals (P.L. 116-315, Isakson and Roae Veterans​ Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020)​

Effective August 1, 2021, Santa Ana College will not charge out-of-state fees to covered individuals.​ A covered individual is a benefitted student under Post 9/11 and either a (1) a Veteran (2) a spouse or child entitled to transferred education benefits or under the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship.  

Non-covered individuals, please contact Admissions & Records regarding what constitutes an in-state resident in order to not have to pay out-of-state fees.​

CONC​​URRENT ENROLLMENT WITH OTHER INSTITUTIONS

You may take courses offered at other colleges/universities, while enrolled at SAC, in order to satisfy your educational objective at SAC. The course/s must be equivalent to what is required on your Ed Plan at SAC. You must notify the SAC VRC ​​counselor prior to your registration date with other schools to make sure the course/s there can be certified for benefits according to your educational plan by filling out a "Parent/Primary School Certification Request." This form must be signed by a SAC VRC academic counselor. You will then return it to SAC's VRC along with your Certification Request Forms. The SAC Certifying Official will submit the Official Parent Letter to the secondary school. Students who aren't taking any courses at SAC, but still have SAC as the Parent School must still fill out the Certification Request form.

If you discontinue the class at the secondary school, you must notify the secondary school's VA Certifying Official. The secondary school will then adjust the certified units. When grades have been posted for the secondary school term, you will provide the SAC Admissions & Records with an Official Academic Transcript reflecting the grade/s you earned for the term. Failure to provide official transcripts may jeopardize future requests for secondary school certification and could affect your payment/s. Concurrent enrollment at another school may cause delays in monthly benefits. During peak periods, parent school certification requests could take approximately three to four weeks. ***Courses being taken at our sister college, Santiago Canyon College (SCC), do not require a parent letter or transcripts after completion of the course/s. The SAC certifying official will internally send the Parent letter to them. Be advised that there will be delays in the certification of courses at SCC. You will be certified there as a guest student.

Effective August 1, 2018, MHA will be calculated based on where the individual physically attends the majority of their classes.  ​​A student's MHA will no longer be based on the zip code of the facility the student is attending.  It will be based on the zip code where the student physically attends the majority of their classes.

PETITION FOR GRADUATION AND CATALOG RIGHTS​​

Petitions for graduation should be filed in the Office of Admissions and Records during the semester the student expects to graduate. Students who maintain continuous enrollment in at least one regular semester or session of a catalog year (fall, intersession, spring, or summer) at Santa Ana College or Santiago Canyon College may elect to meet the associate degree or certificate requirements in the SAC Catalog in effect at the time of first enrollment, or may choose the catalog requirements from any one year of subsequent continuous enrollment. A student who has an interruption of attendance must use the catalog at the time of readmission or one of subsequent continuous enrollment. Commencement exercises are held once a year at the end of the spring semester for those students who complete the requirements for graduation during the year ​or the summer session. NOTE: Official Transcripts from all colleges attended must be on file in the Admissions and Records office.​​​​

ROUNDING OUT

Students can utilize the Rounding Out program which allows a student with a limited number of courses remaining in their program to add additional courses from their major in order to be certified at a higher level of enrollment status to maximize their monthly benefit. This increases the enrollme​​nt status for payment. Eligible students will be permitted to "Round Out" once on their final term per program.  The VRC VA Office Certifying Official must determine if a student is eligible for rounding out. The student must request this through a VRC Academic Counselor.  Courses applicable for Round Out cannot be courses that have already been completed.  Courses allowed for Round Out must apply only to their program of study.  The VRC counselor will provide further details.​

VR&E (Ch 31): Because it is an employment program, Round Out courses need to be related to the program being pursued, and must be approved by the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. 

TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR RESERVISTS AND ACTIVE DUTY

Please click on this page for more details.​

VETERAN READINESS & EMPLOYMENT (FORMER VOCATIO​NAL REHABILITATION (CHAPTER 31)

VR&E students must call the Veterans Service Office at 1 (800) 827-1000 for eligibility and how to apply. Although educational plans and the Online Certification Request forms are required at the VRC, Chapter 31 students must meet with his/her assigned VR&E Counselor first and have their electronic authorization submitted through Tungsten. Please email the Certifying Officials at Santa Ana College for more information on how this chapter works. You can also go to the GI Bill® Website for more information on this program. Vouchers for the Tuition and fees and Bookstore supplies are given by the VRC School Certifying Official via email once everything is completely reviewed and certified (See the checklist). VR&E students are eligible for course drop protection.

VA GI BILL​® FEEDBACK SYSTEM

Santa Ana College participates in the Principles of Excellence program under the Veterans Affairs Administration and agrees to follow its guidelines. If yo​​u have a complaint against Santa Ana College that you are unable to rectify through the Santa Ana College Veteran Resource Center, you ​may file a complaint online through the VA GI Bill® Feedback System:

http://www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/Feedback.asp

San​ta Ana College

Administration: https://sac.edu/facultystaff/Pages/AdministrativeDirectory.aspx

Instructional Calendar: https://www.sac.edu/StudentServices/AdmissionsRecords/Pages/Instructional-Calendar.aspx

California Residency Information: https://www.sac.edu/StudentServices/AdmissionsRecords/Pages/Residency-Information.aspx

Faculty & Staff: https://sac.edu/Pages/Staff-Directory.aspx

Maps: https://www.sac.edu/AboutSAC/maps/Pages/default.aspx

Accreditation: https://www.sac.edu/Accreditation/Pages/default.aspx

Student Code of Conduct: https://www.sac.edu/StudentServices/Security/Pages/Student-Code-of-Conduct.aspx

Priority Registration & CA College Promise Grant Appeal: https://www.sac.edu/StudentServices/AdmissionsRecords/Pages/BOG-Appeal.aspx

Grades & Transcripts: https://www.sac.edu/StudentServices/AdmissionsRecords/Pages/Student-Records-.aspx

College Policies and Standards: See College Catalog, for 2018-2019, pages 49-56

Schedule of Classes: https://www.sac.edu/CatalogAndSchedule/Pages/default.aspx

College Catalog: https://www.sac.edu/CatalogAndSchedule/Pages/catalog.aspx

Scholarships: https://www.sac.edu/Foundation/Scholarships/Pages/default.aspx

EOPS: https://www.sac.edu/StudentServices/EOPS/Pages/default.aspx

Financial Aid: https://www.sac.edu/StudentServices/FinancialAid/Pages/default.aspx​

OTHER RELATED HELPFUL LINKS

GI Bill® Website: www.gibill.va.gov

eBenefits: https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage

WAVES online to verify school attendance: https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do

VA Debt Management Center: https://www.va.gov/debtman/

Orange County Veterans Service Office: http://www.veterans.ocgov.com/

Veterans Crisis Line: https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/

GI Bill® Licensing & Certification Tests Information: https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/licensing_certification.asp

Transferability of Education Benefits: https://w​​​ww.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/post911_transfer.asp

Requesting a copy of DD-214: https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records

The Veterans Resource Center:

Building M-120

1530 W 17th St., Santa Ana, CA 92703​

(714) 564-6050

veterans@sac.edu

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.