Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Active Duty, Reserve and Guard

Are you Active Duty, a Reservist or National Guard member with questions about benefits at PCC?  We have staff that can help you explore your funding options.  PCC welcomes Active Duty, Reserve and Guard students, and we’re here to help you reach your academic goals.

Funding options

Did you know that there are several programs to help service members to pay for college? Depending on your service, you may have multiple options – knowing which to use can be complicated. Your first step should be to check with an Education Service Officer in your unit about your options. The PCC Veterans Education Benefits Offices (VEBO) can answer additional questions.

Types of funding:

• Federal Tuition Assistance
  To use Federal Tuition Assistance at PCC, first work with your unit to access the correct programs and get your courses approved.  Once your courses are approved, email the tuition voucher to our Veterans Education Benefits Office Coordinator, Jeff DeMott.
• Oregon National Guard State Tuition Assistance
  If you don’t qualify for Federal Tuition Assistance and you are in the Oregon National Guard, you may qualify for Oregon National Guard State Tuition Assistance.  For this program, follow the steps outlined on the OSAC website.  If you qualify, PCC will be notified once OSAC has determined you are eligible.
• Financial Aid
  To see if you qualify for Financial Aid, please start the process with PCC’s Financial Aid Office.  PCC has professionals at each campus who can assist you.
• VA Education Benefits
  For assistance applying for VA Education Benefits, you can talk directly to the VA by calling 888-442-4551.  PCC’s VEBO Offices are also here to help, and your unit may be able to help also.

Have more questions? The PCC Veterans Education Benefits Offices (VEBO) can help answer questions about your options.

What happens if I get called to active duty?

If you have to miss class because you are called to Active Duty, we encourage you to contact your instructors as soon as possible. PCC will attempt to make accommodations to allow you to complete courses. In the event you receive a withdraw or fail grade, you have the option to appeal according to the PCC appeal process and to be readmitted to your program in accordance with 34 CFR 668.18.  For assistance with these steps, please contact the Veterans Education Benefits Office or a Veterans Resource Center.

PCC’s Commitment to Service members

PCC complies with Department of Defense Memorandum of Understanding.  We have signed on in compliance with a Department of Defense (DoD) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to show we follow DoD guidelines.  What that means:

• PCC maintains accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and complies with Federal and State regulations
• PCC has established the Veterans Education Benefits Offices, which can provide students with information and refer students to services like:
  • Information about our programs and access to professionals to help with course planning
  • Information about cost and funding options, including access to Financial Aid professionals who can assist students in learning about federal or private options.  PCC discloses its Cohort Default Rate..
• PCC has a readmission policy that allows Service members to readmit to the college in the same status they left if the reason for leaving was because they were called to active duty in accordance with 34 CFR 668.18
• PCC does not practice aggressive recruiting of any students, including Service members or veterans.
• PCC does not incentivize any employee based on enrolling students in school or receiving federal aid.

PCC is honored to welcome Service members and veterans and provides these services in addition to a Veterans Resource Center at each campus. If you have questions about what is available at PCC, please contact our Veterans Education Benefits Offices.