The 85/15 rule prohibits paying Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits to students enrolling in a program when more than 85 percent of the students enrolled in that program are having any portion of their tuition, fees, or other charges paid for them by the Educational and Training Institution (ETI) or VA.
If the ratio of supported students to non-supported students exceeds 85 percent, only students maintaining continuous enrollment may receive benefits for that program.
The student must be counted as supported for the purposes of the 85/15 rule when:
Students receiving Veteran Readiness and Employment (chapter 31), or Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (chapter 35) benefits must be counted when calculating 85/15 rule compliance, but they can continue to be certified and enrolled when the ETI is found to be in violation of the 85/15 rule.
*The reporting date is either within 30 days of the beginning of the term (if the ETI is term-based) or within 30 days of the end of the quarter (if the ETI is non-term-based). See Reporting Requirements for more information on this topic.
The Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) Pilot Program is authorized under Title 38, and students using benefits under the VET TEC Pilot Program are considered supported students for the purpose of 85/15 calculations.
The student may be counted as non-supported for the purposes of the 85/15 rule when:
NOTE: If the student is receiving multiple types of aid and any of it is supported, the student must be counted as a supported student.
*The reporting date is either within 30 days of the beginning of the term (if ETI is term-based) or within 30 days of the end of the quarter (if the ETI is non-term-based). See Reporting Requirements for more information on this topic.
Because the program is authorized under other than Title 38 or Title 10, VA beneficiaries using the Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program (VRRAP) are counted as non-supported students for 85/15 purposes, unless the student is receiving multiple types of aid and any of it is supported.
Use the Student Status Checklist to aid in determining if a student is supported or non-supported for 85/15 rule purposes.
Additional 85/15 Webpages | ||
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85/15 FAQS | Full-Time Equivalency | Suspension and Review |
Restricted Aid | The 85/15 Rule | Reporting Requirements |
35 Percent Exemption | DoD Exemption | Education Service Waiver |