September 2025 Chapter 35 VA Rates: Updated Rates for Dependents & Survivors’ Education

September 2025 Chapter 35 VA Rates: The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program, or Chapter 35 benefits, in short, offers monetary help to qualified dependents of veterans that have been disabled by service, or to the surviving spouses and children of veterans who have died in the service. This kind of assistance is used for college degree, certificate programs, apprenticeships, and even for on-the-job training. The following are the payment rates that are in effect from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025, which are the direct ones that apply to September 2025.

How Payments Are Determined?

Monthly, the amount of Chapter 35 you get depends on only two things: the kind of study you took and your status in the program (i.e., full-time, part-time, or less). If you study part-time or decide to study in a non-traditional way, for example, an apprenticeship, the VA will change the rates. Sometimes you might get a single payment at the beginning of a term instead of monthly stipends, and this is when the tuition and fees are lower than the set monthly rate.

September 2025 Chapter 35 VA Rates for Colleges and Universities

So if you are going to a college or a university and you want to get a degree, it means that the amount of your monthly allowance is determined by your study program. If you’re attending a university or college, here’s what you can expect for full calendar month rates (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025):

• Full-time: $1,536.00
• ¾-time: $1,214.00
• ½-time: $890.00
• Less than ½-time but more than ¼-time: up to $890.00 (or tuition and fees, whichever is less)
• ¼-time or less: up to $384.00 (or tuition and fees, whichever is less)

If your tuition and fees fall below these amounts, you’ll receive a lump sum at the start of the term instead.

Rates for Vocational and Non-College Programs

The rates of vocational schools or programs of non-college degrees have not been differentiated from universities. A student studying full-time is given an amount of $1,536.00, whereas part-time students get proportionally less. If the sum of tuition and fees is lower than the monthly entitlement, the VA pays the actual tuition and fees instead of the maximum monthly rate.

On-the-Job Training and Apprenticeships

If you’re on-the-job training (OJT) or in an apprenticeship, the payment system you will have is such that a partial payment will be given to you later on when you advance in your work program. The first six months you get $975.00 per month. The amount goes down to $733.00 per month for months seven through twelve, then to $481.00 per month for months thirteen through eighteen. After nineteen months, the rate will be $245.00 per month. To be able to get the complete benefit, you have to work at least 120 hours per month.

Correspondence Training (For Spouses Only)

Husbands or wives of VA patients can use DEA rewards for mail-order courses that are programs that are delivered by mail or over the Internet. With this method, the VA picks up 55% of the set cost for each completed lesson. One thing to note, however, is that this opportunity is not available to the children of veterans but only to the surviving or eligible spouse.

VA Chapter 35 Payment September 2025: When to expect the Payment?

September 2025 Chapter 35 VA Rates: Licensing, Certification, and National Tests

Chapter 35 benefits not only cover tuition fees, but also other expenses. If you are going to take a licensing or certification exam, the VA will give you a reimbursement of up to $2,000 per test. They will also release one month of entitlement for every $1,536 that they cover. The same procedure for the release of entitlement applies if you are taking preparatory courses or national tests, such as SAT, ACT, GRE. Moreover, the VA will continue to issue payments for national tests without taking into account a maximum number of tests, unlike in the case of licensing fees.

Chapter 35 DEA benefits are not only a cash relief, they are a window into a future with less financial worries for dependents and survivors. By far, the use of these benefits will be a major cost-saving in case you were to pursue higher education, a trade, or even be an apprentice. Studying educational offerings based on the actual rates for September 2025 is a wise way to create the educational roadmap that you need, budget properly and get the right insight about the type of training/schooling that will fit your career aspirations the best.

Getting Help and Next Steps

If you are not sure about how much you are going to receive, and if you would like guidance on the process of the application, you can call the VA during office hours at the number 1-888-442-4551 (TTY: 711). Moreover, there is an option to submit questions online by using the Ask VA service on the official VA website. You should take time to familiarize yourself with these benefits before the start of your educational journey so that you can fully reap the benefits when the time comes.