Principles of Excellence

On April 27, 2012, President Obama signed Executive Order 13607; Establishing the Principles of Excellence for educational institutions service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members. The University of Houston-Downtown fully complies with the seven principles, dedicated to helping our veterans and non-veteran students excel towards their higher learning objectives! UHD is an educational institution that is participating in the Principles of Excellence program, in-which, agrees to the following guidelines:

Providing students with a personalized form that covers the total cost of an education degree program.

The Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 is a requirement that educational institutions provide specific disclosures to students using VA federal educational benefits. The Veteran student can gain access to their individual data information by visiting the THECB Net Price Calculator and selecting the University of Houston-Downtown. For additional financial information, the NCES College Navigator is a supplementary site for use.

The Financial Aid Shopping Sheet, mandated by the U.S. Department of Education, is a consumer tool that was created to simplify information. This data, for prospective and current Veteran students, briefs the costs, including financial aid, so that they can make informed decisions about which university they are interested to attend. Be Advised: only those Veteran students who have applied for financial aid, using FAFSA, can utilize this tool. This information is located on their My UHD Login.

All Veteran students that are using the GI Bill® Chapter 33 (Post 9/11), or Chapter 31 (Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment), must submit a Request Enrollment Certification form to process their federal educational benefits. The UHD Veterans Services office will review available requests/benefits, cross examine schedules with degree plans, submit tuition and fees, and resolve any credits or debts that can occur with students’ accounts. All pertinent information for the Veteran community to apply for financial aid can be found on the UHD Scholarships & Financial Aid page.

Provide educational plans for all military and Veteran education beneficiaries.

All Veteran students can review/access their degree plan through My UHD Login. The current catalogs for all degree plans are located at a list of all degree plans can be found on the UHD Degree Plans Catalog.

End fraudulent and aggressive recruiting techniques and misrepresentations.

The University of Houston-Downtown prohibits all inducements (including any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, transportation, lodging, meals, or other items having monetary value of more than a de minimis amount) to anyone or anything (besides earned salaries to UHD employees or monetary funds for compensated to contractors in allegiance with all applied laws) with the focus of solidifying current enrollment of service members or procuring accessibility for tuition assistance currency. This is an effort to eradicate bold marketing techniques directed towards service members.

The University of Houston-Downtown does not and will not take part in strong-armed recruitment-marketing methods. The University of Houston-Downtown will not provide or support any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on securing enrollment of federal financial aid (including TA funds) to anyone or anything that is involved in any student recruiting, admission activities, or making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance.

Accommodate Servicemembers and Reservists absent due to service requirements.

Re-admission is guaranteed, with the understanding of necessary proof of compliance with minimal technical standards, the Codes of Academic and Behavioral Conduct is upheld, for those Veteran students whose military reserve obligations may incur a lengthy period of absence from attending class(es) within their academic program when they are called to extended active-duty service. More about the re-admission policy please review UHD's Handbook. To apply for re-admission, the link provided is UHD Re-Admissions.

Designate a point of contact to provide academic and financial advice.

Veteran students and their families may contact the Veterans Services Department:

One Main Street, Suite GSB-318
Houston, Texas 77002
713.221.8622
[email protected]

Ensure accreditation of all new programs prior to enrolling students.

The University of Houston-Downtown works with the State Approving Agency (SAA) to ensure accreditation of new programs before the enrollment of Veteran students.

Align institutional refund policies with those under Title IV, which governs the administration of federal student financial aid programs.

The University of Houston-Downtown institutional refund policy aligns with Title IV, that governs the administration of federal Veteran student financial aid programs.