Use Your VR&E or GI Bill® at a U.S. University — While Living in Medellín
A one-day conference for U.S. veterans who want to apply their Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 benefits toward accredited U.S. university credits through Westminster University, while immersing in Spanish at OLSA International — Colombia's top-rated certified Spanish academy.
- Earn real Westminster University credit
- Live in Medellín on your subsistence allowance
- Walk out with a personal action plan
Most veterans don't know this is possible.
U.S. veterans qualified for VR&E in FY2024 — and never used a single dollar of it.
VR&E (Chapter 31) and the GI Bill® (Chapter 33) will fund accredited international study programs — including Spanish-language immersion in Latin America for U.S. university credit through partner institutions. The benefit covers tuition, books, fees, and a monthly housing stipend that, in Medellín, often goes three to four times further than it does in most U.S. cities.
The barrier isn't the benefit. The barrier is that nobody walks veterans through how to actually use it.
Source: VA FY2024 Annual Benefits Report — Veteran Readiness & Employment.
This isn't a sales pitch in a hotel ballroom.
It's four hours with the people who run these programs.
By the end of the day on May 27, you'll have specific answers to your specific questions — not a brochure and a follow-up email.
A clear answer on your specific benefits
Whether your VR&E entitlement, GI Bill® months, or Chapter 35 transfer applies to Westminster credit — and exactly how to use it.
Face time with the IPSL Executive Director
Thomas Morgan runs the Westminster program that approves international credit transfer. Ask him directly about your situation in the afternoon breakout.
A personal next-steps plan
Built around your goals, your branch, your rating, and your timeline — not a generic checklist.
Connections with veterans already doing it
Including peer presenters who've used these benefits abroad themselves. The most valuable conversations of the day usually happen at lunch.
How the day runs.
Walk in with questions. Walk out with answers. Three short, focused presentations covering Westminster credit transfer, VR&E navigation, and the legal mechanics of using U.S. education benefits abroad.
Eat with the presenters and other veterans. The most useful conversations of the day usually happen here.
Sit down individually with each presenter. Bring your DD-214, your benefit letters, your questions. Get specific answers about your situation — not generalized advice.
For veterans considering relocating: a practical briefing on neighborhoods, healthcare (including VA Foreign Medical Program), banking, visas, and the parts of moving here nobody warns you about.
A casual evening social with foreigners and Colombians. Practice Spanish, meet people, decompress. Optional and informal.
Four presenters. Real authority.
No middlemen.
Thomas Morgan runs the Westminster IPSL program that approves U.S. university credit transfer for international study — including for veterans using Chapter 31 (VR&E) and Chapter 33 (GI Bill®) benefits. He has lived and worked in Latin America, speaks fluent Spanish, and has built credit-bearing study programs across multiple countries.
If you want to know whether your specific benefits will translate into Westminster credit for OLSA's Spanish program, Thomas is the person who can answer that.
Donny Whitton is a U.S. Army combat veteran (Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq — 2003 invasion force), a 100% disabled veteran, and a former VA School Certifying Official — the role authorized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to certify veteran enrollment for GI Bill® and VR&E payments at the institutional level. He is a VR&E (Chapter 31) recipient whose doctoral program was approved under the program.
Pathfinder Benefits is a VR&E navigation education platform built on the principle that the information veterans need to access their Chapter 31 benefits should be clear, honest, and free of sales pressure. Donny lives in Medellín with his family.
pathfinderbenefits.com →
Former U.S. Marine. Glen is the Founder and Executive Director of the Minga House Foundation, a Westminster IPSL field partner running credit-bearing programs in health, social work, and education. He launched the Troops for Teachers initiative in Colombia, connecting U.S. veterans with paid teaching opportunities throughout the country.
If you're considering teaching, coaching, or service work as a VR&E vocational goal, Glen has placed veterans in those exact roles.
Shane is a former U.S. educator (math teacher, coach, vice principal) who founded OLSA in Medellín after relocating to Colombia. OLSA is the top-rated certified Spanish academy in the country, qualifies for student visas, and operates campuses across Medellín.
Shane will walk through OLSA's specific programs, the Westminster partnership mechanics, and how the day-to-day of studying here actually works.
Why veterans are choosing Medellín.
Climate
Year-round 70°F. No winter. No humidity.
Cost of Living
Your VR&E subsistence allowance or GI Bill® housing stipend goes 3–4× further here.
Healthcare
World-class private care at a fraction of U.S. costs. VA Foreign Medical Program coverage applies for many.
Career Value
Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the U.S. — and the working language of half the hemisphere.
Community
An established veteran community. You won't be the first, and you won't be alone.
A U.S.-owned academy with an accredited credit pathway.
OLSA is U.S.-owned and operated, certified by the Secretary of Education of Medellín, and qualifies students for Colombian student visas. Through OLSA's alliance with Westminster University, eligible veterans can earn accredited U.S. university credits for OLSA coursework — making VR&E and GI Bill® benefit usage straightforward where it would otherwise be difficult or impossible at a foreign-only institution.
You don't have to be on VR&E or the GI Bill® for this to work.
Because OLSA coursework transfers as Westminster University credit, you may have multiple paths to fund your studies — alone or in combination.
VR&E — Chapter 31
For veterans with a service-connected disability that creates an employment handicap. Covers tuition, books, fees, and a monthly subsistence allowance. No tuition cap.
Post-9/11 GI Bill® — Chapter 33
For veterans with qualifying active-duty service after 9/11. Covers tuition up to the annual federal cap, plus a monthly housing allowance.
Chapter 35 — DEA
For eligible dependents and surviving spouses of qualifying veterans. Provides a monthly allowance toward education costs.
Pell Grants
Need-based federal grants of up to $7,395 per year for the 2024–25 award year. Eligibility is determined by FAFSA. Many veterans and their families qualify.
Federal Student Loans
Direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans available through FAFSA. Can be used alongside VA education benefits.
Combinations
Many students stack sources — for example, GI Bill® for tuition plus a Pell Grant for living expenses. The afternoon breakouts help you map what fits your situation.
Pell Grant maximum reflects the 2024–25 federal award year and is subject to change. Eligibility for federal student aid is determined by the U.S. Department of Education through FAFSA, not by OLSA, Westminster, or any presenter.
The answers veterans usually want first.
No. The conference is for any veteran considering these benefits — whether you've never applied, have been denied, are mid-plan, or are evaluating options. Bring your questions.
No. This is education only. Presenters reference their organizations because that's how you'll find them later, but nobody will be selling you anything in the room.
You may still qualify for federal financial aid — including need-based Pell Grants and Direct Student Loans — through FAFSA, since OLSA coursework transfers as Westminster University credit. The morning briefings cover all funding pathways. Many students also combine VA benefits with federal aid to cover tuition and living expenses.
You're welcome. Eligibility for VR&E and the GI Bill® includes qualifying Reserve and Guard service. The presenters can speak to your situation specifically.
The conference covers Chapter 35 usage as well. Spouses and dependents are welcome to attend.
This is an in-person event. If you're outside Medellín and can't travel, register anyway — recordings of the morning briefings will be made available afterward to registrants.
Optional but useful: your DD-214, VA disability rating letter, and your COE (Certificate of Eligibility) if you have one. The afternoon breakouts get more specific the more documentation you have on hand.
OLSA International
Estadio Campus.
Barrio Estadio
Medellín, Colombia
Closest metro: Estadio Station (Line B). Plenty of parking nearby. The campus is in a safe, walkable neighborhood — most attendees take a taxi, Uber, or DiDi.
For arrivals from outside Medellín, José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) is 45 minutes from Estadio. Hotels in Estadio, Laureles, and El Poblado are all within a 10-minute taxi.
Contact: +57 311 394 0669 · info@olsainternational.edu.co