Tuition Fee Waiver

Apply through your local County Veteran Service Office (CVSO). Once you get to the website put your zip code, and check the box on the right that is labeled "education". After you click "search" it will give you a list of the nearest VA offices that can process your Cal Vet application. 

Once approved, you will receive and Authorization Letter from the CVSO for the county in which your application has been submitted. Once the authorization letter is received, the student will need to upload and submit it to us via our CalVet Fee Tuition Waiver Submission form.

Reminder: You must reapply every academic year you wish to receive this benefit. Benefits are awarded on an academic year basis, and students are required to reapply each year for ongoing benefits. It is recommended that you apply for benefits and submit your authorization letter in a timely manner prior to attending school to have your fees waived before the initial fee payment deadline.

Not all fees are waived under this program. Fees which are eligible for exemption at UCSB campus include: tuition and student services fee.

Once you submit the authorization letter, and once your fees are assessed prior to each quarter, the waiver will automatically apply to your BARC billing account waiving the tuition charge (does not cover the campus-based fees). For amounts please see our Cost of Attendance page.

The waiver will be applied for summer, but it will only cover the "per unit fee" (which for Summer 2026 undergrads is $291 per unit).

Fees which are NOT eligible for exemption include: student health insurance and campus based fees.

More information about student health insurance and waiving/unwaiving insurance can be found on the UCSHIP Insurance page.

All questions concerning residency must be directed to the Resident Deputy in the Office of The Registrar.

A Statement of Legal Residency must be completed (that link is no longer working, so instead it can just say "A Statement of Legal Residency must be completed" without any link.

Yes. Both the Cal Grant and the CA Veterans College Fee Waiver are considered fee-paying resources and cover the exact same tuition/fees. Therefore, students are only eligible to receive one during a period of enrollment. The Cal Grant will take precedence and automatically credit to the BARC. The waiver can be applied to a summer program, as the Cal Grant is not automatically awarded during the summer session.

Additional financial aid may also be affected by the waiver, up to the amount of the waiver, including the university scholarship and loans.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill®, Chapter 33 payments for tuition and fees are also affected by the waiver (or by Cal Grant). The tuition and fees that the VA will pay directly to the school will be reduced by the amount of the waiver or Cal Grant.

Approval for benefits under this program is granted on a year to year basis and are valid for one full academic year. An academic year goes from Fall quarter through the following Summer quarter. For example, an authorization letter for the 2025-2026 academic year will automatically cover Fall 2025 through Summer 2026.

Applicants must re-establish eligibility for each subsequent academic year in order to maintain entitlement and it is the responsibility of the student to provide evidence of eligibility for benefits each academic year.