Yellow Ribbon Program Aids Veterans Education
Veterans Affairs Plan Reduces Military Personnel Education Costs
Aug 3, 2009
The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program is a provision found in the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. The Post 9-11/ GI Bill authorizes the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to fund payments of tuition and fees, up to the highest public in-state school costs, for undergraduate, graduate, technical or vocational education for eligible veterans.
The problem for military personnel who choose to attend private or out -of-state schools is that they face higher education costs than those who attend public colleges. The Yellow Ribbon Program is designed to address those differences by reducing, or even eliminating, the increased costs at schools which agree to participate in the program. These funds are not loans; they are issued in the form of a grant or scholarship which the veteran does not have to repay.
How the Yellow Ribbon Program Works
The Yellow Ribbon Program allows degree-granting institutions of higher learning to partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs and fund part of the higher tuition expenses for active or honorably discharged veterans who meet eligibility requirements. Colleges and universities which voluntarily participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program fund up to a maximum of 50% of the tuition costs that exceed the highest in-state public school's tuition.
Under the agreement, each school determines how much of the excess tuition and fees it will contribute and Veterans Affairs pays a matching amount directly to the institution. To participate in the agreement with Veterans Affairs, each institution must:
- State the maximum number of individuals it will contribute funds to during a specific academic year.
- Declare the dollar amount it will contribute to each participant.
- Make contributions to the program for participants in the form of a grant or scholarship.
- Provide contributions during the current and subsequent academic years in which it participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program and if the veteran is in good standing.
- Provide funds to Yellow Ribbon eligible veterans on a first-come, first-served basis regardless of the rate at which the participant is pursuing their education in a given year.
Yellow Ribbon Program benefits are payable for education which began on or after August 1, 2009.
Who Qualifies for the Yellow Ribbon Program?
Military personnel, or their dependents, who wish to take advantage of the Yellow Ribbon Program must meet the following qualifications:
- Veterans must be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill at the 100% rate, which is based on length of service. Veterans who have served 36 months of aggregate active duty service since September 11, 2001 should qualify for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
- Military personnel who were honorably discharged from active duty due to a service related injury and who served at least 30 continuous days are eligible for the program.
- Dependents who are eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post- 9/11 GI Bill, based on a veteran's service which qualifies him under the preceding requirements, may participate in the program.
How to Apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program
Veterans must submit an application for the Post-9/11 GI Bill to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Applicants will receive written notification from the Department of Veterans Affairs and, if they meet the requirements for the Yellow Ribbon Program, they will also receive a Certificate of Eligibility. Veterans must take the certificate to their participating college or university and request that the school certify their enrollment to Veterans Affairs. The agency will accept enrollment certification only from the college or university, not directly from the veteran.
Eligible veterans or their dependents are cautioned by the Veterans Affairs to remember the following:
- Military personnel must be eligible for the highest benefit rate under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
- The school must have an agreement with Veterans Affairs to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
- The participating college or university may not have offered the program to more than the maximum number of veterans they specified in their agreement.
- The institution must certify the veteran's enrollment, including Yellow Ribbon Program information, to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
More Information and List of Yellow Ribbon Program Schools
More detailed information, including applications for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, may be found on the Department of Veterans Affairs' official Yellow Ribbon Program web page. In addition, the agency has posted a list of colleges and universities which have agreed to participate in the Yellow Ribbon program.
While the Post-9/11 GI Bill expands veterans education benefits for those who want to pursue undergraduate, graduate, technical or vocational training, the Yellow Ribbon Program offers the extra advantage of allowing eligible veterans the freedom to attend participating private colleges or out-of-state universities and still have most, if not all, of their expenses covered.
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