Licensing and Certification Tests
Disclaimer
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.
VA Reimbursement
The VA can reimburse the cost of approved licensing and certification tests. Students are reimbursed the cost of the test, not to exceed the approved cost of the test or $2,000.
Benefits can be paid for tests
- that are not passed,
- retaken if not passed,
- required to be recertified,
- or to renew a license.
Students must be eligible for benefits to receive test reimbursement. They must have remaining entitlement and their delimiting date must not have passed.
VA students can apply for test fee reimbursement by completing and submitting an Application for Reimbursement of Licensing or Certification Test Fees.
Attach a copy of the test results to the application. If test results are not available, attach a copy of the license or certification and a payment receipt. Test fee reimbursement can be paid for each test for which reimbursement is claimed and the required documents are submitted.
Entitlement is prorated based on the amount reimbursed. If a student’s full-time benefit is $1,000 per month and the student is reimbursed $500 for a test, then the student’s remaining entitlement will be reduced by one-half month.
Search for Tests to find all approved licensing and certification tests.
Complete and submit an Application for Reimbursement of Licensing or Certification Test Fees, with an attached copy of the test results to the application.
More on the Entitlement Charge
Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, individuals are charged one month of entitlement for each $1,832.96 reimbursed (for Academic Year 2016-2017) rounded to the nearest non-zero whole month. This amount is subject to an annual cost of living allowance.
Example: A Chapter 33 Veteran who receives reimbursement for a certification test (taken in Academic Year 2016-2017) in the amount of $1500 will be charged one month of entitlement.
- Individuals are charged one month of entitlement for each payment rounded to the nearest whole month.
- The amount equivalent to one month of entitlement will be adjusted based upon an annual Cost of Living Allowance (all payments from $1 to $2000 are charged one month of entitlement).
Under the other benefit programs, entitlement is charged by dividing the amount paid by the full- time monthly institutional rate payable during the fiscal year in which the test was taken. The amount charged is not rounded to the nearest month.
Example: A Chapter 30 Veteran who receives reimbursement for a certification test in the amount of $1500 will be charged 0 months and 26 days of entitlement in Fiscal Year 2015, as $1,500 ÷ $1717 = .87 months
Approved National Tests
Chapters 30, 33, 35, 1606, 1607
VA students can be reimbursed all required (mandatory) fees charged for national admission tests and national tests for college credit. Currently the only approved tests are:
- SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test)
- LSAT (Law School Admission Test)
- GRE (Graduate Record Exam)
- GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)
- AP (Advanced Placement Exam)
- CLEP (College-Level Examination Program)
- ACT (American College Testing Program)
- DAT (Dental Admissions Test)
- MAT (Miller Analogies Test)
- MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test)
- OAT (Optometry Admissions Testing)
- PCAT (Pharmacy College Admissions Test)
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
- DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests)
- ECE (Excelsior College Examinations)
- TECEP (Thomas Edison College Examination Program)
- PLA Prior Learning Assessment Testing through Learning Count
Complete information and directions for applying for reimbursement is available at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
Consult this list to find all approved national tests and charges.