Principles of Excellence

President Obama signed Executive Order 13607: Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses and Other Family Members on April 27, 2012.  These principles were developed to strengthen oversight, enforcement, and accountability of education programs, and to ensure our service members, Veterans, and their families have the information they need to make informed decisions concerning their well-earned educational benefits.

• GI Bill Comparison Tool
• Ten Tips for College Veterans
• Six Tips for Veterans to Succeed in College
• Six Ways to Maximize Your Educational Benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs sent a letter to university presidents on May 31, 2012 asking them to publically commit to providing this information to veterans and their families.  Officials from both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Education will be working to develop a standardized format for schools to use to provide this information. Based on the information currently available, Western Seminary will agree to provide this information to any interested veterans.

• Implementation Guidance from the Department of Education  (GEN -12-10)- July 13. 2012

We have developed this page to provide an overview of information currently  available  to veterans and their  family members who are interested in attending Western Seminary. We want this information to be "user-friendly" so please be patient with us as these pages are "works in progress". Please send any suggestions directly to Luke Todd, Director of Financial Aid.

Western Seminary works with veterans and active duty armed forces personnel in the receiving of VA and other educational benefits.  A student’s ability to qualify for and receive these benefits is determined by the government and not Western Seminary, though a VA Certifying Official on Western staff is available to counsel students that may qualify to receive these benefits.  That official will assist eligible students by certifying and tracking students’ enrollment and progress in their degree program. Students receiving these types of benefits will need to partner with their certifying official each semester to ensure full understanding and clear communication about enrollment.

If you are eligible to receive VA or U.S. Military Tuition Assistance (TA) benefits, please follow these steps:

(1) Speak with the VA certifying official at the appropriate campus:

(2) Please research and apply for these benefits online at:

• www.gibill.va.gov
• vabenefits.vba.va.gov
• www.military.com/education