Admissions, VA Benefits & Finances

John Jay College of Criminal Justice actively guides and assists veteran, military member (active, reserve, and National Guard) and military family member applicants in their admission. For questions and additional support regarding admissions, contact the Military and Veteran Services Manager at rpusateri@jjay.cuny.edu, 212-484-1329 or the Admissions Office at admissions@jjay.cuny.edu.

Veterans seeking undergraduate admission apply to John Jay using the standard City University of New York (CUNY) online application click here.

Veterans and military apply for free by receiving a veteran application fee waiver.  To do so, while completing the online application APPLICANTS MUST select the option to identify themselves as a veteran or military. This selection AUTOMATICALLY WAIVES the application processing fee.  Also, UPLOAD your DD214,  LES, orders or other proof of military service on the Supporting Documents page (not far after the recommendations page) during the process to verify the applicant’s entitled to the application fee waiver.

After applying, request that your official high school transcript and all official college transcripts be sent electronically to Admissions Documents John Jay admissionsdocuments@jjay.cuny.edu.   You also could have them sent to the CUNY Admissions address listed in the online application.

For our John Jay Undergraduate Veterans Admissions brochure, click here.

VETERAN PROMISE ADMISSION offers Guaranteed Undergraduate Admission for eligible veterans and military.

• Guarantees admission to qualified veterans and military who earned an accredited high school degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5
• Available for US veterans, active military, reserves, and National Guard.
• Special consideration for transfer applicants.
• For further information, contact Richard Pusateri, Military and Veteran Services Manager, rpusateri@jjay.cuny.edu; 212-484-1329.

Veterans seeking graduate admission apply directly to John Jay College by clicking here. 

To be waived from the graduate application fee, after submitting their applications, veteran and military members must provide copies of their DD-214 or military documentation in-person at John Jay Admissions or by email to graduateadmissions@jjay.cuny.edu. 

For more information on Graduate Admissions, see here.

Costs of Attending John Jay College of Criminal Justice: Information and a tool are available to assist students and prospective students in determining the costs of attending John Jay College

• John Jay College tuition and fees (all veteran, military, and those military/veteran family members who use VA educational benefits are eligible for New York In-State Tuition Rates)
  • Undergraduate Tuition & Fees
  • Graduate Tuition & Fees
• Total Costs (including Book costs) of attending John Jay College and Student Budget Information: Find out more and understand your College Cost, Financial Aid Package, and Student Budget.
• CUNY Net Price Calculator can be used to calculate an estimated financial aid award package with an estimated cost of tuition and fees. See https://npc.cuny.edu/npc/public/fin_aid/financial_aid_estimator/FinAidEstimator.jsp 

Refund Policy for Students Withdrawing from John Jay Classes (fall and spring terms):

• 100% refund is given for withdrawals through the Day Prior to the first day of the academic term
• 75% refund is given for withdrawals on the 1^st-7^th Calendar Days of Classes
• 50% refund is given for withdrawals on the 8^th-14^th Calendar Days of Classes
• 25% refund is given for withdrawals on the 15^th-21^st Calendar Day of Classes
• No (0%) refund is given for withdrawals on the 22^nd Calendar Day of Classes or later, Including when classes are 60% complete
•  

A full calendar of these and other financial policies for all programs and sessions is found at: http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/important-dates

Financial Aid Liaison for Military and Veteran Students: Contact Ms. Chrissy Pacheco (cpacheco@jjay.cuny.edu; 212-237-8153), Associate Director Financial Aid/Certifying Official for veteran and military student financial aid information and assistance

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): All John Jay veteran and military students are strongly encouraged to file the FAFSA application to determine their eligibility for financial aid beyond military-related benefits. [Website]

Newly accepted veteran and military undergraduate and graduate students will be granted a seat deposit or commitment deposit waiver upon submission of their DD214 or other verification of military service to John Jay Admissions.

Undergraduate students should apply for a Seat Deposit Waiver by sending their military documentation to John Jay Admissions at admissions@jjay.cuny.edu.

Graduate students should apply for a Commitment Deposit Waiver by sending their military documentation to John Jay Graduate Admissions at graduateadmissions@jjay.cuny.edu.  

For more information for newly accepted students, Freshman students, click here. Transfer students, click here. Graduate students, click here.

1. Veterans

Students who are eligible for educational assistance under federal GI bills® will be charged the in-state rate at the CUNY senior colleges and the in-city rate at the CUNY community colleges. This includes individuals who served in active military, naval or air service and members of the National Guard and reservists who meet the requirements for benefits under federal GI bills. A veteran who meets the above eligibility criteria is entitled to the in-state or in-city rate even if he or she is not actually receiving benefits under a federal GI bill.

In order to prove veteran status, a student must provide U.S. Department of Defense Form DD214 or a Certificate of Eligibility from the U.S. Department of Defense or the Veterans Administration.

2. Family members of certain uniformed service members

In certain cases, spouses and dependents of veterans or other uniformed service members are also entitled to educational assistance under federal GI bills. Spouses and dependents who are eligible for educational assistance under federal GI bills are also entitled to the in-state or in-city rate. Generally, these are the spouses or dependents of service members who died or were disabled by their service, or to whom the veteran has transferred his/her veteran’s educational benefits. Note that a student who was the spouse or dependent child of a service member at the time the educational assistance was transferred would be entitled to the resident rate, even if he/she is not currently a spouse or dependent child (for example in the case of a divorce).

In order to prove status as a child or spouse of veteran, the child or spouse must provide a Certificate of Eligibility from the U.S. Department of Defense or the Veterans Administration.

3. Service members and family members stationed in New York

Members of the armed forces of the United States on a full-time active duty station in the State of New York, and their spouses and dependent children, who enroll at a CUNY college, shall be charged the in-state tuition rate. Such students shall continue to be charged the in-state rate at CUNY even if they are subsequently discharged from military service.

• Living in NYC on a Post 9/11 GI Bill Budget (pdf)
• Navigating NYC Housing (pdf)
• Planning for Academic Success (pdf)
• John Jay Veterans' Benefits Handbook (pdf)

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View information on the veteran educational benefit programs administered by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Programs often used by John Jay veterans to finance their studies include: Post-9/11 GI Bill®, Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment, Montgomery GI Bill®, and Survivors and Dependent Assistance. Descriptions of the most commonly used VA educational benefit programs are found below.

Apply online for these VA educational benefit programs (EXCEPT Veteran Readiness and Employment, Chapter 31).

Programs often used by John Jay veterans to finance their studies include:

Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33):

Offers higher education and training benefits to Veterans, Servicemembers, and their families who served after Sept. 10, 2001. The Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) provides 36 months of education benefits.

ADDITIONAL Components of the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33): 

Transfer of Entitlement: Allows for eligible servicemembers to transfer all or some unused benefits to their spouse or dependent children; Fry Scholarship: Available for children and spouses of servicemembers who died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001; Rogers STEM Scholarship: Gives extra benefits to students training in the high demand fields of Science, Computer Science Technology, and Math, VETTECH: Provides tuition and housing assistance for 9/11 GI-Bill recipients to receive specialized training in high-tech (IT) skills.

Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606):

Monthly payments for Reservists with a six year obligation in the Selected Reserve including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard Reserve, Army National Guard or Air National Guard. May include additional KICKER amount payments. View website for more information.

Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 35):

Benefits provide up to 36 months of education benefits and may be used for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeship, and on-the-job training. Offered to: Dependents of Veterans who are 100% disabled due to a service-related condition, and/or dependents of Veterans who died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition. View additional eligibility requirements.

Vocational Readiness & Employment (Chapter 31):

Provides vocational and rehabilitative services to Veterans with disabilities (or dependents of a Veteran who died or is permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-related disability). Chapter 31 assists with job training, employment accommodations, education benefits, and job seeking skills. Apply for VR&E benefits. 

View its website for information on New York State Veterans Tuition Awards (VTA) and other benefit programs for military and certain family member students.

View its website for information on New York State Recruitment Incentive and Retention Program (RIRP) benefits for New York National Guard and Naval Militia students.

Veteran and military students are given PRIORITY (first group) registration appointments for each enrollment period. If you are NOT receiving an early registration appointment for each semester after your initial enrollment at John Jay, contact Ms. Chrissy Pacheco, Veteran Certifying Official, cpacheco@jjay.cuny.edu; 212-237-8153. 

T-Mobile and other generous donors have funded scholarships for veteran and military undergraduate students and graduate students, as well as for military and veteran family members.  Search and apply for scholarships. 

John Jay  College participates in the MyCAA Scholarship program for active-duty military spouses.  MYCAA provides up to $4,000 in financial assistance for the career advancement of active-duty military spouses working towards a license, certification, or Associate’s degree in particular career fields. Qualification also is based within eligible pay grade quadrants (E1 through E-5, W1 through W-2, and O1 through O-2). Steps to get started include registration, establishing MyICP, creating an education plan, and requesting financial assistance.  For program information and to apply, go to: website.

Veteran Certifying Official, Chrissy Pacheco (cpacheco@jjay.cuny.edu), is the college liaison for John Jay students approved for MyCAA assistance.

John Jay students seeking to use the Department of Veteran Affairs Post 9/11 GI Bill, Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31), Montgomery GI Bill or other educational benefit programs; military Tuition Assistance (TA) programs; and New York State military and veteran benefits program must submit a certification form each semester AFTER they register for classes.

The certification form can be submitted online. Students using JJAY email addresses can access the form here. The online form for students using other email addresses is found at this link.

Students preferring to use a MANUAL FORM can fill out the form below and email it to: cpacheco@jjay.cuny.edu or rpusateri@jjay.cuny.edu.

John Jay Certification Form (pdf)

Students requesting VA or other benefit certification for the first time will need to UPLOAD into their online certification form or email with their manual certification form the following documents:

• DD214 or other proof of military service
• VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) letter or equivalent approval form for other benefits

Ms. Chrissy Pacheco, Certifying Official, can assist with educational benefits at cpacheco@jjay.cuny.edu, 212-237-8153 or in her office in Financial Aid (6th floor, BMW Building).

In addition to the information stated above, the Army TA will pay 100 percent of tuition costs up to the Department of Defense (DoD) semester hour cap of $250 per semester hour cap for up to 16 semester hours of TA-funded courses per fiscal year. Current Army policy limits TA to 130 semester hours of undergraduate credit or a baccalaureate degree, whichever comes first, and 39 semester hours of graduate credit or master's degree, whichever comes first. The 39-semester hour limit applies to all credits taken after completion of a baccalaureate degree.  Army TA is available to members of the Army Reserves and the Army National Guard.

Information on Army TA is found at: https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/Benefit-Library/Federal-Benefits/Tuition-Assistance-(TA) 

Apply for Army TA at Army IgnitED: https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/public/welcome

In addition to the information stated above, Navy TA is available to active duty Officers and Enlisted personnel. It is also available to enlisted Naval Reservists ordered to active duty 120 days and to Naval Reservist Officers ordered to active duty for 2 years or more. At the tuition cap limit the Navy will pay for up to 16-semester hours or 24-quarter hours in a fiscal year.

Link: https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/sailors/tuition-assistance-ncpace.htm

In addition to the information stated above, Marine Corps TA is available for all active duty Marines. TA is also available to Reservists on continuous active duty, enlisted Reservists ordered to active duty 120 days, and to Reservist Officers ordered to active duty for two years or more. TA applicants must receive Command Approval to use TA.

Link: https://www.marforres.marines.mil/Staff-Sections/Special-Staff/Marine-Corps-Community-Services/Personal-Professional-Development/Voluntary-Education-Program/tuition-assistance/

In addition to the above, the Coast Guard Tuition Assistance cap is $4500/year. Active duty members and reservists are eligible.

Link: https://www.forcecom.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/FORCECOM-UNITS/ETQC/VOLUNTARY-EDUCATION/Tuition-Assistance/

In addition to the above, some members of the Air Force Reserve also are eligible for Tuition Assistance.

Link: https://www.afpc.af.mil/career-management/military-tuition-assistance-program/