College Fee Waiver Program (Cal Vet)

California offers a College Fee Waiver Program (CalVet) to children and dependents of service-connected disabled or service-related deceased veterans. This program is administered by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA).

This fee waiver applies only at California State Universities, University of California campuses and California Community Colleges and covers State funded regular session tuition. Benefits are awarded on an "academic year" basis, and students are required to reapply each year for continued benefits.

Eligibility Requirements

  1. Have a parent who is a disabled veteran (0% or more disabled); or
  2. Have a spouse who is service-connected (S/C) deceased or rated 100% S/C disabled.
  3. Meet tuition waiver income eligibility (student's income, not parents'). Note: there is no income limit for a spouse or children of S/C deceased or 100% S/C veterans.
  4. Attend a California Community College, California State University, or a University of California school.
  5. Provide proof of the student's relationship to the veteran such as a copy of a birth or marriage certificate.
  6. Must meet schools' definition of CA resident.

If you have questions regarding eligibility requirements and or need assistance in applying for these valuable benefits, please contact your local County Veterans Service Office or call CDVA at 916-653-2573.

Application Procedures

  1. Download the College Fee Waiver Program application [pdf] [pdf].
  2. Submit the form to your local County Veterans Service Office to apply. If you are eligible, an Authorization Letter will be provided to you by your County VSO Rep.
  3. You will need to upload your Authorization Letter/approval code to our Calvet Tuition Fee Waiver Submission Form found here in order for the waiver to be applied to your student financial account.

Important note: the CalVet fee waiver is awarded for one academic year. Students must reapply each year for continued benefits. To avoid a disruption in the benefit, is is strongly suggested that students reapply every April so the benefit is in place when registering for Fall classes.

The Cal Vet College Fee Waiver:  

  • Is a State of California benefit – not a Federal VA benefit.
  • Waives mandatory regular session system-wide tuition and system-wide fees (Application Fee & Graduate Professional Fee) if eligibility criteria are met. Student is responsible for the mandatory campus fees each term the Cal Vet Fee Waiver is used.
  • Can be applied to state-supported classes only for Fall and Spring. 
  • Cannot be used for Extended Learning/Special Session courses, including all courses offered for Winter Intersession.
  • Must apply/reapply each Academic Year for ongoing Cal Vet College Fee Waiver benefits.


Some academic programs at SJSU are considered self-supported, commonly referred to as extension courses, special sessions, or extended education. These programs are not covered under the Cal Vet College Fee Waiver because they are neither funded by the state nor system-wide programs. The Cal Vet College Fee Waiver does not cover the expense of books, parking, room and board, or campus fees.

Visit the Bursar's Office website for more information about fees.

What semester/terms ARE covered by the CalVet Fee Waiver?

The CalVet Fee Waiver will waive the Mandatory State University Tuition fee for a matriculated student for the Fall and Spring semesters only, and courses must be REGULAR SESSION Enrollment which are State funded.  

The following enrollment periods DO NOT qualify for the CalVet Fee Waiver:

  • Winter Session (January)
  • Summer 
  • Special Sessions (Please note: Special Session MLIS students have the option to switch to regular session to be eligible for the fee waiver. After being switched to regular session, they can only take classes in fall and spring semesters for the waiver. Summer classes in the School of Information are only offered in special session.)
  • Open University students/non-matriculated students