The VA calculates the amount of monetary entitlement based on the amount of credits taken during a standard semester, defined by the VA as 15-18 weeks in length.
Standard semester calculation (15-18 weeks):
3 credits per semester is less than half-time
6 credits per semester is half-time
7 credits per semester is more than half-time
12 credits per semester is full-time
Undergraduate semesters at Thomas Edison State University run 12 weeks: shorter than a standard semester. Therefore, the following formula can be used to determine the entitlement eligibility for courses taken at TESU:
18 x the number of credits taken, divided by the length of the semester, measured in weeks.
Example: You have registered for three, 3-credit courses, for a total of 9 credits online, which run for 12 weeks.
18 X 9 (credits) = 162. Divide 162 by 12 (weeks), equals 13.5 (credit hours).
Using the above example, the VA would consider 9 undergraduate credit hours at TESU to be equivalent to 13.5 credits, or full-time attendance for that semester.
Note that the above only applies to undergraduate courses, as graduate credit differs greatly.
Example VA graduate semester calculation (sorted by length):
12 Week Semester
- 3 credits per semester is half-time
- 6 credits per semester is full-time
8 Week Semester
- 3 credits per semester is full-time