A student may take courses that apply to his or her degree at more than one school. The school that will grant the degree is the student's "parent" school and all other schools are "secondary". The VA can pay benefits for courses taken at secondary schools based on these examples:
- A student is only enrolled at the secondary school (supplemental enrollment); the VA will pay for the credits taken at the secondary school.
- A student is enrolled at the primary school and the secondary school at the same time (concurrent enrollment): the VA will pay for the combined credit, taking overlapping enrollment dates into account.
The Parent School Letter gives the receiving school assurance that the class, if successfully completed, will apply appropriately to the student's academic program.