What is the Yellow Ribbon Program?

The Yellow Ribbon Program is a supplementary program and an extension of the benefits provided by the New GI Bill. This program offers up to thousands of extra dollars in financial aid and tuition assistance to military students that attend participating colleges and other education institutions. The Yellow Ribbon Program allows students to attend schools which would otherwise be out of their financial reach by covering up to 100% of the additional tuition expenses not financed by standard benefits provisions built into the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

If you are a military student or military dependent currently enrolled in continuing education then you’ll want to review our list of Yellow Ribbon Program participating schools to see if your school participates. If your school doesn’t participate, or if you’re currently researching college and university level educational opportunities then check out our list of the Top 25 Military Friendly Colleges for 2011.

Once you’re enrolled in a participating school (or a school that has agreed to partner with the VA to provide Yellow Ribbon Program benefits) there are a variety of ways that you can become eligible to receive them. Potential ways to establish eligibility include:

1. Having served at least 36 months of active duty after September 10, 2001
2. Having been honorably discharged from active duty for a service connected disability after serving for at least 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001
3. Being a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Yellow Ribbon Program tuition assistance (in the form of scholarships, grants, or discounts) are handed out by participating schools on a first-come first-served basis, so don’t delay your research! Once you begin receiving Yellow Ribbon tuition benefits, they’ll continue during subsequent academic years until you’ve either completed your education or exhausted all your Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits). The only caveat is that you must maintain satisfactory progress, conduct, and attendance, which each university defines differently. Make sure you stay up to speed on the guidelines set by your particular school.

How Do the Yellow Ribbon Program Benefits Work?

The Post 9/11 GI Bill compensates eligible military students with the equivalent of the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition and fees. However, since many students fees and tuition expenses exceed those levels, the Yellow Ribbon Program was initiated to help cover the difference. Schools that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program offer to waive a certain portion of that uncovered tuition, and the VA then agrees to match that amount.

For example, if your tuition costs are $500 more than the Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits cover, and you attend a Yellow Ribbon Program participating school which agrees to waive $250 of that expense, then the VA will donate the other $250 you need, leaving you with zero out-of-pocket expenses. Not a bad deal, right?

The trick is to make sure that you find and enroll at a school that participates in this program, and who hasn’t already maxed out the number of students they’re willing to sponsor for the given year that you need coverage. Applying early on in the applications cycle is one way to help increase your chance of receiving benefits, but another is to make sure that you are attending a fully supportive program in the first place. If you’re still hunting for the right academic institution, make sure to look over our list of schools that offer Yellow Ribbon program benefits.

Where Can I Get More Information?

The VA can answer your specific GI Bill benefit questions. Call 1-888-GIBILL-1 to get personalized information and support.

For further reading,visit additional posts from the Yellow Ribbon Program category on this Blog and sign up to receive our Free Military Education Handbook.

We’ll do our best to provide you with continuous, up-to-date information on both the Post 9/11 GI Bill as well as all of its provisions and benefits (like the Yellow Ribbon Program).

And feel to ask questions along with your fellow service members in the comments section below.