Training time & rate of pursuit
Which courses can I certify?
Only courses that apply to the student's approved program and degree plan. Here is how I handle electives, repeats, and the final term.
You can certify only courses that count toward the student's declared, VA-approved program, as shown on their current degree plan. Courses taken for interest, audited courses, and courses outside the plan are not certifiable, even if the student is paying for them.
Situations I check carefully
- Electives: certifiable when the degree plan allows them, not just because the student wants them.
- Repeats: a failed course the program requires can generally be retaken and certified. Check repeat rules with your ELR when in doubt.
- Final term: the rounding-out rule can let a student in their last term reach full-time with non-required courses, but those courses must still sit inside the approved program.
- Independent study: certifiable when it is on the degree plan. Keep the syllabus and supervisor assignment on file.
- Major changes: get the new degree plan before certifying anything else.
Prior credit matters too. Transfer and military credit must be evaluated, applicable credit granted, and the program shortened accordingly. You cannot certify a course the student has already completed elsewhere.