Veteran Services
Welcome veterans, reservists, active duty, and spouses and dependents!
- Don't forget to fill out the Veteran Intake Form after registering for classes
We are proud to have you at HCC and greatly appreciate your service to our nation. We know that balancing college life with your military, career, family, and personal responsibilities can be very challenging. HCC would like to facilitate your success by providing support, resources, and information to meet your unique needs.
Mission Statement
The function of the Office of Veteran Services at Holyoke Community College is to assist our veterans, service members, and their dependents in pursuing their educational, professional, or vocational objectives. We are dedicated to serving those who served us by assisting them in receiving their education benefits, facilitating their transition into our college, and providing support for their ongoing academic success.
Applying to HCC - your first step!
You can begin the online filing process to register for classes by visiting Admissions. Veteran Services can work concurrently with Admissions during the application and registration process.
veterans
New students at HCC who have not used any VA educational assistance programs should begin the process by applying for education benefits online at Vets.gov.
Continuing students can be certified for benefits each semester as soon as they have registered and have notified the Certifying Official and complete the intake form.
Transfer students who have received VA educational assistance benefits at other institutions of higher education only need to update your education benefits online.
Disabled veterans are eligible for considerable financial help when they apply for Veteran Readiness & Employment Service. You must have a VA certified disability rating of at least 10 percent. You will receive authorization directly from the VA.
reservists
Reservists who have not used any of their Montgomery GI Bill® - Selected Reserve Educational Assistance (Chapter 1606) benefits will need the original DD Form 2384-1: Notice of Basic Eligibility from their Reserve Unit.
national guard soldiers & airmen
For all active, part-time, or full-time, members of the National Guard, the Massachusetts Army and Air Force National Guard Tuition & Fee Reimbursement Program will provide you with up to 130 credits for most of the degrees or certificates here at HCC. For additional information from the Massachusetts National Guard, follow this link. To request a state tuition and fee waiver, follow this link.
dependents
Dependents who have not received Dependents' Educational Assistance Benefits Chapter 35 will need to apply online or provide a previously issued Certificate of Eligibility.
Veteran Services Intake Form: This form is required to be completed every semester by all military-affiliated students.
Health Insurance Waiver: The health insurance fee may be waived if the student has comparable coverage through personal, parental, spousal, or VA health insurance. Click here for the waiver.
MassPIRG: The Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MassPIRG) is an independent statewide student organization that works on issues such as environmental and consumer protection, hunger, and homelessness. Students can elect to pay or waive the fee; to wave the fee, submit a MassPIRG Waiver Form.
Massachusetts Cateogrical Tuition Waiver: This waiver is for qualified veterans and waives the tuition portion of your student account. (This form is not necessary if you are using Chapter 33/Post 9/11 at the 100% benefit level.)
upcoming events
Any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under chapter 31 or 33 that has provided a certificate of eligibility will not have any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement 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 of a payment from the VA.
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.
Out-of-state students: To ensure that our recently discharged veterans and their eligible family members will not have to bear the cost of out-of-state charges while using their Post 9/11 GI Bill® and Montgomery GI Bill® education benefits, HCC is now fully compliant with Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice & Accountability Act of 2014. We have also elected to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program to make additional funds available without an additional charge to your GI Bill® entitlement.
