Cal Vet Fee Waiver

Under the California Education Code Section 66025.3 (a), dependents of veterans whose death or disability has been determined to be service-connected and have met California residency status shall not be charged any mandatory system-wide tuition and fees at any State of California Community College, California State University, or University of California campus. This program does not cover the expense of books, parking or room and board. Applications and information are available at the Veterans Services Office, located in the Cesar Chavez Student Services Center, First Floor or at the San Diego County Veterans Services Office.
The CalVet webpage has updates on application, eligibility, and program restrictions.

Cal Vet Fee Waiver Eligibility Plans

• The unmarried child of a Veteran who is totally disabled due to service-connected disabilities or whose death was officially rated as service-connected is eligible. The child must be over 14 years old and under 27 years old to be eligible. If the child is a Veteran, then the age limit is extended to age 30;
• The spouse of a wartime Veteran who has been rated as service-connected totally disabled is eligible. There are no age limit restrictions;
• The unmarried surviving spouse of a wartime Veteran whose death has been rated as service-connected is eligible. There are no age limit restrictions;
• Any dependent of any Veteran who has been declared missing in action, captured in the line of duty by hostile forces, or forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign government or power is eligible.
• The Veteran must have served at least one day of active duty during a period of war as declared by the U.S. Congress, or during any time in which the Veteran was awarded a campaign or expeditionary medal. Concurrent receipt of benefits under Plan A and VA Chapter 35 benefits is prohibited. To receive benefits under Plan A, a dependent must sign an "Election To Receive College Waiver Benefits" statement acknowledging this fact. There are no income restrictions under this plan. To be eligible, the event which caused basic entitlement to benefits (i.e., the date the Veteran died of service-connected causes or the date the military or United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) rated the Veteran as totally disabled as a result of service-connected disabilities) must have occurred prior to the child's 21st birthday.

The child of a Veteran who has a service-connected disability, or had a service-connected disability at the time of death, or died of service-related causes is eligible. The child's annual income, which includes the child's adjusted gross income, plus the value of support provided by a parent, may not exceed the annual income limit. The current academic year entitlement is based upon the previous calendar year's annual income. Under Plan B, wartime service is not required and there are no specific age requirements. Children are the only dependents eligible under this plan. There is no prohibition against receiving concurrent VA Chapter 35 benefits. Back to top

Any dependent of any member of the California National Guard, who in the line of duty while on active service to the state, was killed, died of a disability resulting from an event that occurred while in active service to the state, or is permanently disabled as a result of an event that occurred while in the service to the state is eligible. Surviving spouses who have not remarried are also eligible. "Active service to the state," for the purpose of this benefit, means a member of the California National Guard activated pursuant to Section 146 of the Military and Veterans Code. A copy of those orders pursuant to Section 146, not Section 143, must be furnished to establish eligibility. Back to top

Medal of Honor recipients and children of Medal of Honor recipients under the age of 27 may qualify. Benefits under Plan D are limited to undergraduate studies only, and applicants are subject to both income and age restrictions. There is no prohibition against receiving concurrent VA Chapter 35 benefits Back to top

Instructions for Students

1. Download a Cal Vet Fee Waiver Program application (form DVS 40). Be sure to read the application instructions thoroughly and complete the application fully and accurately. The California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA) will not process your request if the application is incomplete or missing any information.
2. Submit completed DVS 40 Form along with all supporting documents to a local County Veterans Services Office (follow this link for local County Veterans Offices and addresses).
3. We strongly encourage that you also complete the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) application, as you may be eligible for a waiver of other fees, such as health, student center, parking, etc.
4. Once you receive your eligibility letter from CDVA, please click here to request Southwestern College process your CalVet Fee Waiver.

Your award is good for one academic year (which runs summer, fall and spring of each year). To ensure ongoing benefits, students are required to reapply each year.