1. Apply for admission to Penn State Abington.
  2. Apply for Financial Aid regardless of your eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or Department of Defense (DoD) benefits.  Complete FAFSA for financial aid consideration.
  3. Upon receipt of Offer of Admission to Penn State Abington, pay acceptance fees.
  4. Apply for GI Bill® Educational Benefits.
  5. Dependents (ONLY) complete the VONAPP online to utilize VA benefits.
  6. Receive Certificate of Eligibility (COE) or Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE) from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  7. If you are a new student and have not yet completed the Military-Connected Student Questionnaire you must do so. Instructions are found here.
  8. Once registered for your term (semester) courses, you will complete the VA Enrollment Certification Request in LionPATH using the instructions here. You will need to upload your Certificate of Eligibility the first time you are using benefits (or if your benefits change.) In addition, you will need to upload your Degree Audit only if you are in your declared major each semester when completing the VA Enrollment Certification Request. Click here for instructions. PLEASE NOTE: If you are in a pre-major (i.e. ABBUS_PMAJ) you do not need to upload a Degree Audit or What-If report.
  9. Ensure your contact information is up-to-date before beginning the request. To confirm or update your contact information, please visit: accounts.big5vn.com
  10. Be advised Penn State is required to deduct tuition-specific financial aid (not including FAFSA) from the total tuition cost reported to the VA. Title IV aid awarded from completion of the FAFSA (Pell Grant, SEOG, Direct Loans) is not deducted from your VA Education Benefits. We encourage all students to complete the FAFSA to be considered for federal and institutional aid sources.

Welcome to Penn State Abington! As a student veteran, please consider joining Penn State Abington’s Student Veterans Association.

We can provide more information about GI Bill® Educational Benefits and the Student Veterans Association.

 Veteran Affairs School Certifying Officials

 Kathryn Raisch-Huck
 Enrollment Outreach Coordinator/Lead VA Certifying Official
 121 Sutherland
 [email protected]
 215-881-7338

 Timothy Smalarz
 College Registrar/VA Certifying Official
 Sutherland 118A
 [email protected]
 215-881-7386

"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 website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.