{"id":1630,"date":"2022-11-15T13:35:47","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T18:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/veterans\/?page_id=1630"},"modified":"2026-01-20T14:50:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T19:50:32","slug":"step-1-apply-for-benefits","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/veterans\/step-1-apply-for-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Step 1: Apply for Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>If you have already applied for and received your VA education benefits, continue with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/veterans\/step-2-apply-to-the-citadel\/\"><strong>Step 2: Apply to The Citadel<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Active Duty service members are encouraged to speak with their Educational Service Officer (ESO) on their base or post, before admissions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-apply-for-va-education-benefits\">How to Apply for VA Education Benefits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To begin using your VA Educational Benefits at The Citadel, follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Determine Your Benefits:<\/strong><br>To apply, you&#8217;ll need to know which VA education benefits you are eligible for. If you\u2019re unsure, contact the VA or review the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/veterans\/va-educational-benefits-information\/\">Benefits Information<\/a> page to learn more.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Apply for VA Education Benefits through the VA:<\/strong> <br>You can apply online at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/education\/how-to-apply\/\">www.va.gov<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Processing Time:<\/strong><br>The VA typically takes 30-45 business days (approximately 5-9 weeks) to process applications. Processing times can sometimes be longer, so apply as early as possible. You may submit VA education benefit applications even if you haven\u2019t been officially admitted to The Citadel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Certificate of Eligibility (COE):<\/strong><br>Once your application is processed, the VA will email and\/or mail you a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) informing you of your entitlement. They do not mail or email a copy of your COE to the school. Please provide a copy of your COE to the <a href=\"mailto:va_benefits@citadel.edu\">Veteran Student Success Center<\/a> as soon as possible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/veterans\/step-2-apply-to-the-citadel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Step 2: Apply to the Citadel<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have already applied for and received your VA education benefits, continue with Step 2: Apply to The Citadel. Active Duty service members are encouraged to speak with their Educational Service Officer (ESO) on their base or post, before admissions.&nbsp; How to Apply for VA Education Benefits To begin using your VA Educational Benefits [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1630","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.8 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Step 1: Apply for Benefits - Veteran Students<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Step 1: Apply for Benefits: To start using your VA Educational Benefits at The Citadel, please follow the provided steps.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/veterans\/step-1-apply-for-benefits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Step 1: Apply for Benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Step 1: Apply for Benefits: To start using your VA Educational Benefits at The Citadel, please follow the provided steps.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/veterans\/step-1-apply-for-benefits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Veteran Students\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-20T19:50:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.citadel.edu\\\/veterans\\\/step-1-apply-for-benefits\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.citadel.edu\\\/veterans\\\/step-1-apply-for-benefits\\\/\",\"name\":\"Step 1: Apply for Benefits - 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