Use your VA education benefits for online design and technology training

VDCI is a San Diego career school whose programs are approved for the training of veterans and eligible dependents using VA education benefits. Study CAD, BIM, Civil 3D, drafting and design, software engineering, data, and AI entirely online, from anywhere in the country.

Talk to our School Certifying Official See the approved programs

Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33), Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31), and Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35). VA determines your eligibility and how much of a program your benefits cover. You can check any school and program yourself with the VA GI Bill Comparison Tool.

A VDCI instructor working through a drafting exercise with students at workstations
11
programs approved for VA education benefits
100%
online, no campus attendance required
33 · 31 · 35
VA benefit chapters accepted
ACCET
nationally accredited, and an Autodesk Authorized Training Center

The benefits VDCI accepts

VDCI's approved programs are open to veterans, service members, and eligible dependents using any of the three benefit chapters below. VA decides who is eligible and what each benefit pays. Our School Certifying Official handles the certification with VA once you enroll.

Chapter 33
Post-9/11 GI Bill®

The most common benefit. Depending on your rate of pursuit, it can cover tuition and fees, a books and supplies stipend, and a monthly housing allowance. Because VDCI's programs are delivered fully online, the housing allowance is paid at the online rate.

Chapter 31
Veteran Readiness and Employment

For veterans with a service-connected disability and an employment barrier. Your VR&E counselor authorizes the training and VDCI bills VA directly. Chapter 31 has its own authorization step, separate from GI Bill eligibility, so start with your counselor.

Chapter 35
Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance

For eligible spouses and children. Chapter 35 pays a set monthly amount rather than tuition directly, so it will not necessarily cover a full program on its own. We can talk through the balance and payment options before you commit.

Not sure which benefit you have, how much entitlement is left, or what it will pay here? That is exactly what the conversation below is for, and you can always confirm independently with VA at va.gov/education or the GI Bill hotline at 888-442-4551.

Programs approved for VA education benefits

Every program below appears on VDCI's approval with the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education and can be verified in VA's own GI Bill Comparison Tool under Virtual Design and Construction Institute, facility code 21321405. All are delivered online. Program names on this page are the catalog names; VA lists several of them under a slightly different approved title.

Enrolling now

Drafting, design, and construction technology
Occupational Associate of Applied Science in Drafting and Design VDCI's degree program. The longest option, and the one that behaves most like traditional school for benefit purposes.
1,170 hours
Degree
Ask about this
CAD/BIM Certificate Program AutoCAD and Revit together. The broadest of the drafting certificates.
400 hours
$7,750
Ask about this
BIM Certificate Program Building Information Modeling with Revit Architecture for commercial projects.
290 hours
$5,660
Ask about this
CAD Certificate Program 2D drafting with AutoCAD, plus Revit and SketchUp.
280 hours
$5,470
Ask about this
Civil 3D Certificate Program Infrastructure design with AutoCAD Civil 3D.
270 hours
$5,280
Ask about this

Approved, opening shortly

Software, data, and AI. Ask to be told the day enrollment opens.
Software Engineering Certificate Program Front-end with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and React, back-end with Python and Django.
520 hours
$10,995
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AI Software Engineering Certificate Program Designing, building, and deploying AI-powered applications.
300 hours
$9,999
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Data Analytics & AI Certificate Program Analyzing data, building predictive models, and shipping AI-powered tools with Python.
210 hours
$6,995
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Programs in the second group are on VDCI's VA approval, and the coursework is being finished to VDCI's academic engagement standard before veteran enrollment opens. We would rather tell you that plainly than take an enrollment we cannot certify. Tell us which one you want and we will contact you the day it opens.

The work you will actually produce

These are course projects from VDCI programs, the same deliverables you would build and submit for grading. Portfolio work like this is the output of every program on this page.

A 3D structural model of a building produced in the CAD/BIM program
3D structural building modelCAD/BIM Certificate Program
A completed construction floor plan sheet drafted in the program
Construction document setCAD Certificate Program and the OAD degree
A 3D building systems model built in Revit in the program
Building systems modeled in RevitBIM Certificate Program
A playable browser card game built by students in the program
Playable browser game in JavaScriptSoftware Engineering Certificate Program
A world map data visualization built from a public dataset in the program
Map visualization from a public datasetData Analytics & AI Certificate Program
A complete multi page website built and deployed in the program
Deployed multi-page web applicationAI Software Engineering Certificate Program

How enrollment works

Four steps. Our School Certifying Official does the VA-facing part.

STEP 1
Talk it through

Tell us your goal and which benefit you plan to use. We will tell you which program fits, what your benefit is likely to cover, and what it will not.

STEP 2
Apply

Complete VDCI's application for the program you chose. Have your Certificate of Eligibility ready to upload, plus your DD-214 and Joint Services Transcript if you have them. Chapter 31 students come through their VR&E counselor instead.

STEP 3
We certify with VA

Once you are enrolled, our School Certifying Official submits your enrollment certification to VA. VA then pays according to your entitlement and rate of pursuit.

STEP 4
Start online

Coursework, projects, and instructor feedback all happen online. Attendance is measured by academic engagement, meaning submitted work, not by logging in.

Straight answers on the money

The numbers people ask about most, stated the way VA states them. These are VA-published rates and rules, not VDCI promises, and VA can change them.

Monthly housing allowance, online study
For students training exclusively online at more than half-time under Chapter 33, VA pays a housing allowance equal to half the national average BAH. VA's published rate is $1,169.00 per month, increasing to $1,261.00 per month effective August 1, 2026. Your actual amount depends on your entitlement percentage and rate of pursuit.
Housing if you study part-time
You need a rate of pursuit above 50% to receive any housing allowance, and the amount is prorated from there. At or below half-time, the housing allowance is zero. Half-time itself does not qualify.
What counts as full-time
VDCI's catalog defines full-time as 24 clock hours per week for certificate programs, and 12 quarter credits for the degree. For fully online programs VA measures training time by rate of pursuit rather than seat time.
If your entitlement is partial
Veterans at 90% or less, and most Chapter 35 students, will have a balance after VA pays. Ask us before you enroll and we will put the remainder in writing, including payment plan options.
Two programs at once
You can complete programs one after another, but VA will not certify overlapping enrollments. We will sequence them with you.
VET TEC
VDCI is not a VET TEC provider and does not accept VET TEC.

Talk to our School Certifying Official

No obligation, and nothing is submitted to VA from this form. We will confirm which programs your benefit can be used for, what it is likely to cover, what would be left, and when your program starts. If a different school is a better fit for what you want to do, we will say so.

Call: (619) 758-9300
Email: admissions@vdci.edu
Hours: 9am to 6pm ET, Monday through Friday

Virtual Design and Construction Institute
3904 Groton Street, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92110

By submitting, you agree we may contact you about VDCI programs. We do not sell your information. See our Privacy Policy. Please do not send your Social Security number or DoD ID through this form.

Questions veterans ask

Are these programs really approved for VA education benefits?
Yes. VDCI's approved programs are listed with VA under facility code 21321405. You do not have to take our word for it: look up Virtual Design and Construction Institute in the VA GI Bill Comparison Tool and you will see the approved program list. Approval means the program met the standards of the State Approving Agency and VA. It is not an endorsement or recommendation of VDCI by either one.
Do I have to come to San Diego?
No. These programs are completed entirely online from anywhere in the United States. Studying exclusively online does affect your housing allowance rate under Chapter 33, which is covered above.
Will my benefits cover the whole cost?
It depends on your benefit chapter, your entitlement percentage, and how much entitlement you have left. Chapter 33 at 100% typically covers tuition and fees for an approved program. Chapter 35 pays a fixed monthly amount and often will not cover a full program by itself. We will give you the expected balance in writing before you enroll rather than after.
How is attendance tracked in an online program?
By academic engagement, not seat time. Submitting an assignment or project, taking a graded quiz or exam, posting to a graded discussion, attending a live session, or substantive contact with your instructor all count. Watching a video or logging in does not count on its own. This matters because VA requires continued engagement for benefits to keep paying.
I have partial benefits, 90% or less. Can I still enroll?
Yes. Contact us before you register so we can set up the balance and, if you need one, a payment plan.
How does Chapter 31 work here?
Your Veteran Readiness and Employment counselor authorizes the training and sends the authorization to VDCI, and we bill VA directly. Chapter 31 is a separate authorization from GI Bill eligibility, so start with your counselor. Tell us you are Chapter 31 and we will coordinate from our side.
Can I take two programs at the same time?
Not concurrently. You can complete them one after another. VA will not certify overlapping enrollments, so we sequence them.
Do you accept VET TEC?
No. VDCI is not a VET TEC provider.
Who do I call at VA with benefit questions?
The GI Bill hotline is 888-442-4551, and benefit information is at benefits.va.gov/gibill. For questions about your payments and entitlement, VA is the authority, not us.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

VDCI's programs are approved for the training of veterans and other eligible persons by the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education. Approval does not constitute endorsement or recommendation of VDCI by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, by the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education, or by any other government agency. VDCI is not affiliated with, and this page is not endorsed by, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency.

VA determines eligibility, entitlement, and payment amounts. Benefit rates shown on this page are VA-published figures as of July 2026 and are subject to change by VA. Nothing on this page is a guarantee of benefits, of the amount VA will pay, of admission, of program completion, of employment, of a particular job, or of a particular salary.

The Virtual Design and Construction Institute is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training (ACCET) and is an Autodesk Authorized Training Center. Tuition and program hours shown are current as of July 2026; see each program page on vdci.edu for current terms, and the VDCI catalog for full policies including refunds, transfer of credit, and satisfactory academic progress.