The Nanook Battalion of the Army ROTC educates, trains and prepares students to serve as officers in the Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard. Students can take advantage of scholarship opportunities as incoming or current UAF students, or the Green to Gold and Simultaneous Membership Program.
This VA program offers education benefits for eligible dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition, who are anticipated to be released from a military hospital with 100% disability, or who died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition.
The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program provides up to $4,000 for degree programs, licenses or credentials that lead to employment in portable career fields. For more information, contact our office.
The University of Alaska offers resident tuition to military-affiliated students who fit one of the following criteria:
- Active duty service member, their spouse or dependent child
- Veteran eligible for VA education benefits, their spouse or dependent child
- National Guard or Reservist, their spouse or dependent child
Military dependents also qualify for in-state rates while using their sponsor's GI Bill® benefit.
To receive resident tuition, submit a residency application form, or work with your School Certifying Official in the Department of Military and Veteran Services.
This option allows service members to transfer all or some unused benefits to spouses or dependent children. The request to transfer GI Bill® benefits must be completed while serving as an active member of the Armed Forces. The Department of Defense will determine whether you are eligible to transfer benefits to your family.
Children or surviving spouses of service members who died on or after September 11, 2001, may qualify for their very own Chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill® with the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship.
As the survivor of a veteran or service member, you may be entitled to a full waiver of undergraduate tuition and fees from the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Children of service members who died in the line of duty may also be eligible for the , as well as several national scholarships.
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
Student's Guide to VA Educational Benefits
Apply for VA Educational Benefits
To apply for or activate your educational benefits, you must first complete the application for the VA Educational Benefit you are requesting. This application process can take up to 4-6 weeks to be processed.
If you are a service member interested in transferring benefits to a dependent, please go to and choose “Transfer My Education Benefits.”
Apply for Admission to UAF
You must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at UAF the VA requires students to be actively pursuing a degree in order to utilize their benefits.
Send Transcripts
UAF accepts credits from Joint Services Transcript (JST), which includes Officer and Warrant Officer training, joint military training conducted by other services, and DANTES funded test scores. We also accept credits from Air University/Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). All applicants with JST or CCAF transcripts are required to submit their transcripts to receive VA benefits.
If you have attended other institutions, request that your official electronic transcripts be sent to uaf-admissions@alaska.edu. Mailed transcripts can be sent to:
Office of Admissions
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P.O. Box 757480
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7480
Request your official military transcripts be sent to UAF:
Claim Your UAID and Password
Your UA ID and Password is the key to many services available to UAF students. It also gives you access to your student portal for registration, housing, financial aid and more. This portal is UAOnline.
If you need assistance contact NTS Support Center at 907-450-8300 or helpdesk@alaska.edu
You can also get your PolarExpress Card (your Student ID card) through the online form linked here. You must submit a picture of yourself and a government ID when submitting the form. Your PolarExpress Card is usually ready for pick up by the next business day.
Register for Classes
Before registering for classes, you must set up a meeting with your assigned advisor to register for all the classes you want or need to take. You can view your degree plan on DegreeWorks.
Veteran Benefit Users have priority registration for classes, so register early and get your benefits processed early. Remember, only the courses that are applicable to your degree program can be certified for VA benefits.
For VA payments, an undergraduate student requires 12 credit hours in the full fall or spring 16-week semester to achieve a 100% Rate of Pursuit (Full Time) payment, and graduate students require 9 credit hours. For summer semesters, an undergraduate student requires 8 credit hours in the full 12-week semester, or 4 credit hours in either 6-week parts of term to achieve a 100% Rate of Pursuit. Graduate students require 4 credit hours in a full summer semester or 3 credit hours in either 6-week parts of term.
Submit a Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
DMVS will need a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) or a Statement of Benefits from the VA eBenefits website no later than the first day of the semester to guarantee certification by the add/drop date. You cannot be certified without submitting this document.
You can bring a copy of your COE into the office, or email it to uaf-va@alaska.edu
Submit a Certification Request Form (CRF)
Every semester you are REQUIRED to submit a CRF if you want the VA to pay for your classes. The CRF must be submitted no later than the first day of the semester. The earlier you submit your CRF, the sooner you get certified. You can fill out the CRF form online or in the DMVS office.
Only classes that are REQUIRED for your degree plan and on DegreeWorks will be certified by the VA. An advisor's memo or email statement may be REQUIRED if the elective or other class is being used to progress your degree. The elective or other class must satisfy an unmet degree requirement, or be required to achieve the degree's total credit hour requirement total to qualify for certification to the VA.
Make a Payment Plan
All Chapter 30, MGIB-AD; Chapter 1606, MGIB-SR; or Chapter 35, DEA benefits users will need to pay their tuition and fees by add/drop each term, or set up a payment plan with the Office of the Bursar in order to avoid late fees.
Recipients of these benefits will receive payment in arrears from the VA and need to budget accordingly. Contact the Office of the Bursar at 907-474-7384 or uaf-bursar@alaska.edu for questions on setting up a payment plan.
Check Your Email
Monitor your University of Alaska email.
Register for Classes
Only the classes that are required for your degree program can be certified for VA benefits. You should work with an academic advisor and refer to to confirm that classes are required for your program.
Register for classes as early as possible. If you are using VA education benefits, you are able to register before other students to ensure there is time to process your benefits.
Submit a Certification Request Form (CRF)
Every semester you are REQUIRED to submit a CRF if you want the VA to pay for your classes. The CRF can be turned in as soon as you register for classes and must be turned in by the first day of class to guarantee processing by the add/drop date. You can fill out the CRF form online or in the DMVS office. The earlier you submit your CRF, the sooner you get certified.
The School Certifying Official processes requests within 7-10 business days after they are turned into DMVS, in the order they were received. The DMVS will send an email to your alaska.edu email if a class cannot be certified for any reason. The VA will send you a confirmation email when they receive our certification.
Verify Your Enrollment Monthly
Post-9/11 GI Bill students (Chapter 33) Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30) and Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606) students, Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship students, and VET TEC students are required to verify their monthly attendance with the VA.
Check Your Email
Monitor your University of Alaska email.
Get the most out of your VA education benefits. We are here to help you with veterans' educational benefits advising, tracking your academic progress, paperwork and more.