• The Montgomery GI Bill® - Active Duty Educational Assistance Program, also known as MGIB-AD or Chapter 30, provides education benefits to Veterans and Service members who have at least two years of active duty.
• Visit the VA Website for more information about the bill.
• Do you have questions about using this potential option at FDTC? Click below to see the steps in the submission process.

Learn More

• Veteran Readiness and Employment, also known as Chapter 31, provides education benefits to Veterans who have a 20 percent – 100 percent service-connected disability.
• Visit the VA Website for more information about the bill. 
• Do you have questions about using this potential option at FDTC? Click below to see the steps in the submission process.

Learn More

• The Post-9/11 GI Bill®, also known as Chapter 33, is an education benefit program for individuals who served on active duty after September 10, 2001.
• Visit the VA Website for more information about the bill. 
• Do you have questions about using this potential option at FDTC? Click below to see the steps in the submission process.

Learn More

• The Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program, also known as DEA or Chapter 35, offers education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition or dependents of Veterans who died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition.
• Visit the VA Website for more information about the bill.
• Do you have questions about using this potential option at FDTC? Click below to see the steps in the submission process.

Learn More

• The Montgomery GI Bill® - Selected Reserve Educational Assistance Program, also known as MGIB-SR or Chapter 1606, provides educational benefits to eligible members of the Selected Reserve, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Army National Guard, and Air National Guard.
• Visit the VA Website for more information about the bill. 
• Do you have questions about using this potential option at FDTC? Click below to see the steps in the submission process.

Learn More

• Advance payment of fees and other charges by eligible persons under Title 38 U. S. Code who fail to enter, withdraw, or who are discontinued prior to completion of the course, will be refunded in an amount which does not vary more than 10% from the exact pro-rata portion of such fees and other charges that the length of the completed portion of the course bears to its total length.
  
  
• The exact pro-rata will be determined by the ratio of the number of days of instruction completed by the veteran to the total number of instructional days in the period for which advance payments have been made.
  
  
• You may owe money to FDTC or the Regional Veteran Affairs Office, depending on when you add/drop/withdraw from a class. The student will be responsible for reimbursing the VA if an overpayment situation occurs. Please call 1.888.442.4551 and for further clarification.
  
  
• If you require assistance with a debt letter please contact the VA Debt Managment Center

1. U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Military Tuition Assistance (TA) funds are earned on a prorated basis during an enrollment period up to the 60% point for the course. The TA regulation states that a student must attend through at least the 60% point of the course to earn 100% of their TA funds for the period for which the funds were provided.  All unearned TA funds will be returned by the College to the Military Service branch based on when a student stops attending prior to the 60% point for the course.
   
   
2. Please utilize the policy below to see a list detailing the percentage of return from the start of the semester up to the 60% of course completion for each type of semesters lengths - Tuition Assistance Return of Funds Policy
   
   
3. Students will need to check with their Branch of Service to verify specific Terms and Conditions pertaining to their Tuition Assistance funds.

• FDTC awards credit for select formal military coursework and training. Under agreement with the Service Members Opportunity Colleges (SOC), the college may grant credit for military education and experience that has been evaluated and recommended as suitable for postsecondary education credit by the American Council on Education. FDTC awards credit only for military education and experience that relate directly to courses taught by the college.
  
  
• Academic department heads assist with the review of establishing course credit equivalencies by referring to the ACE Guide. The college awards credit only for coursework in the student’s current or proposed major.
  
  
• It is the responsibility of the veteran to provide official transcripts from all military and colleges attended. These mandatory official transcripts should be sent to the Registrar's Office for evaluation as early as possible. An evaluation of all college and military transcripts must be completed by the end of the second semester in a new program of study.
  
  
• Failure to provide college and military transcripts may cause delays in benefit processing and, possibly, a duplication of benefits. The student will be responsible for reimbursing the VA if a duplication of benefits occurs
  
  
• Students must request official military transcripts from the appropriate military service. Use the following links to request your military transcripts:
  • Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard 
  • Air Force

• This attendance policy is required for institutions offering courses for veterans or other eligible persons enrolled in non-college degree (NCD) programs approved under Title 38, United States Code, 3676.
  
  
• This policy is established to set minimum standards of attendance for student(s) enrolled in non-college degree programs receiving veteran education benefits.  Wherever the word "veteran" is used, it is intended to include all persons receiving veteran education benefits.
  
  
• Veterans enrolled in non-degree programs will be interrupted for unsatisfactory attendance when accumulated absences, tardies, and class cuts exceed ten (10) percent of class contact hours - if the institution's existing policy is more restrictive, that policy will be used. The interruption will be reported to the Veterans Administration within 30 days of the last date of attendance (use VA Form 22-1999b).
  
  
• A veteran may be re-enrolled for benefits at the beginning of the term following interruption because of unsatisfactory attendance only when the cause of unsatisfactory attendance has been removed.
  
  
• Students interrupted a second time for unsatisfactory attendance will not be allowed to re-enroll for benefits in the absence of mitigating circumstances.
  
  
• Mitigating circumstances are those which directly hinder the pursuit of a course and which are judged to be beyond the student's control.  The following are some general categories of mitigating circumstances.  This list is not all-inclusive.
  1. Serious illness of the veteran.
  2. Serious illness or death in the veteran's immediate family.
  3. Emergency financial obligations or change of place of employment or work schedule which preclude pursuit of the course.
  4. Active duty military service, including active duty for training.

For institutions that have a published "Leave of Absence" Policy: Student(s) receiving VA education benefits will have their benefits discontinued while on an "official leave of absence."

• In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679(e), Florence-Darlington Technical College adopts the following provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Veteran Readiness and Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from the VA. FDTC will not:
  1. Prevent the student’s enrollment;
  2. Assess a late penalty fee to the student;
  3. Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding;
  4. Deny their access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.
     
     
• To qualify for this provision, such students may be required to:
  1. Produce a Chapter 33 Certificate of Eligibility (COE);
  2. For Chapter 31, provide the authorized Purchase Order issued to the school by the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.
  3. Provide a written request to certified;

Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies.

FDTC offers DANTES Subject Standardize Tests (DSST) through the College's Testing Center.

Learn More

Florence-Darlington Technical College does not specifically recruit active military or veteran members. They are provided the same admissions and recruitment information as all prospective students. Incentives of any kind are not provided for recruiting students per South Carolina policies and regulations.  

The Regional Veterans Affairs Office, not FDTC, determines eligibility for VA education benefits. The VA authorizes education benefits to students based on the information that students provide them. To compare all of the different benefits that are available, please use the VA Comparison Tool or call 888.442.4551.

All adds, drops, and withdrawals MUST be reported to the VA Office at FDTC IMMEDIATELY after the change is made in order to receive benefits correctly.

Please refer to the General Refund Policy for more information.

If you fail a class, the grade you receive counts, negatively, towards graduation in your curriculum. Therefore, you are not required to repay any VA benefits you received for that class. You may retake the class to receive a passing grade that will count towards graduation and during that time you can receive VA benefits.

Normally it takes 4-6 weeks, but it can take up to 8 weeks for the Regional Veterans Affairs Office to process your application.

Visit the following link: https://ask.va.gov to request a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility.

Certification for VA benefits is not automatic. You must bring a copy of your schedule EVERY semester you wish to be certified to the Veterans Services Office at FDTC.

It depends on the semester length of the class you are taking. For example, if you are in 6 credit hours for the 15WK semester classes you are 1/2 time. However, if you are in 6 credit hours for the 8WK semester classes, you would be full time. Please use the chart below to see if your credit hours make you full time.

If you take a combination of terms, also known as a split schedule, please call the VA Hotline at 888.442.4551 and speak with an education representative; they will assist you in determining your status. 

The Veterans Services Office at FDTC does not report tuition and fees to the Regional Veterans Affairs Office until after the add/drop period has passed. An amendment will be made to your certification at a later time, reporting tuition and fees. Students will receive an email confirmation and a new award letter from the Regional Veterans Affairs Office with payment information included.

Your rate of pursuit must be greater than 50%. VA calculates the rate of pursuit by dividing the number of credit hours being pursued by the number of credit hours considered to be full-time by FDTC.

For example, for a 15WK class at FDTC you must have 12 or more credit hours to be considered full time. If you were taking 6 credits during the 15WK semester, you would calculate your rate of pursuit thusly: 6/12 = 50%.

Since this student's rate of pursuit is not greater than 50% they would not receive the housing allowance. However, if they were taking 7 credits (7/12 = 58%), they could receive the housing allowance, since their rate of pursuit is greater than 50%.

Once the training time is determined, the monthly housing allowance is rounded and paid at the nearest 10% level.

Please keep in mind, active duty personnel receiving chapter 33 benefits or spouses of active duty personal receiving Transfer of Entitlements (ToE) benefits are not eligible for the housing allowance.