Yellow Ribbon Opens Doors
For thousands of military students, this program is the ticket to America’s elite universities. Why the Yellow Ribbon may leave some students dangling.
By Andrea Downing Peck

When Congress enacted the Yellow Ribbon Program in 2008, lawmakers believed the legislation would open the doors of Ivy League and other private institutions to military veterans who otherwise might not be able to afford to attend the nation’s elite universities.

For David Salsone, the Yellow Ribbon program did just that. Salsone, a Navy veteran, is in his sophomore year at Brown University. Tuition at the Ivy League school in Providence, R.I., is more than $38,000, with total costs exceeding $50,000 per year. Before passage of the enhanced veterans’ education benefits, the university’s price tag would have been out of reach for Salsone.

“Knowing that the Yellow Ribbon Program was able to cover (an additional) $20,000 a year made it possible for me to attend,” he said. “I wouldn’t have been able to go to this school without it. Other schools that didn’t offer it, I couldn’t even consider going to.”

Opening the Doors
Veterans who qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill at the maximum benefit rate are eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program, as are military dependents who receive their education benefits through the new GI Bill’s transferability provision.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill’s basic benefit package pays for tuition and fees up to a state’s highest in-state undergraduate tuition at a public university. It also provides a monthly housing stipend equal to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents in the school’s ZIP code, and grants up to a $1,000 allowance for books and supplies. The benefit is payable for up to 36 months – the equivalent of four years of higher education.

The Yellow Ribbon Program radically enhances the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s benefits by allowing private colleges to enter into a cost-sharing agreement with the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to offset tuition expenses that exceed the VA reimbursement level in their state. The VA will match up to 50 percent of the unmet charges, with the school contributing an equal amount. Public institutions also can sign Yellow Ribbon agreements to offset higher tuition costs for out-of-state students.

22,600 Students Take Advantage
In the program’s inaugural year, nearly 22,600 eligible students (veterans, spouses or dependent children) cashed in on the benefit, which was offered at 1,181 institutions of higher learning.

Colleges determine the maximum number of students who will receive funds under the program and eligible students must be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. As long as they maintain satisfactory academic progress and have GI Bill entitlement, student veterans will receive Yellow Ribbon funding in all subsequent academic years in which an institution is participating in the program.

Could Yellow Ribbon Unravel?
One major concern to veterans, however, is that colleges decide on an annual basis whether they will remain in the program, meaning students could be left with sizable shortfalls if their schools opt out of the Yellow Ribbon Program prior to their graduation or no longer offset all tuition expenses.

“The fact that the Yellow Ribbon Program is decided on a yearly basis is somewhat worrisome,” Salsone said. “Tuition increases at private institutions are in no way comparable to increases at public institutions. There could be a growing gap between what I can afford and the portion the GI Bill is going to cover, even with the Yellow Ribbon Program.”

Brian Hawthorne, legislative director for the Student Veterans of America, said his organization is pushing for Congress to amend the law requiring colleges to award Yellow Ribbon scholarships on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We want to make sure veterans are not competing with each other for earned benefits,” Hawthorne said. “What I’ve advocated for is if they do not have enough spots for all their eligible veterans, they should distribute the scholarships in order of financial aid, after the rest of their financial aid package is done.”

Going the Extra Mile
George Washington University in Washington, D.C., is expanding its participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for 2010-2011 so that eligible student veterans will have 100 percent of their tuition and fees paid for in the university’s undergraduate programs and 71 percent of the tuition and fees in its graduate schools.

 “We’ve had a terrific experience at George Washington University,” said Andrew Sonn, director of student and academic services. “In the first year, we’ve had 161 participants in the Yellow Ribbon Program. About 109 are graduate students and 52 are undergraduates.”

Sonn said the university boosted its contribution to $5,120 per year for eligible veterans enrolled in GWU’s graduate and doctoral programs in response to student-veteran feedback. It spends up to $18,300 for undergraduate student veterans.

“We’ll do what we have to do to support our veterans,” Sonn said. “Obviously, the (Yellow Ribbon) Program was put into place in a very aggressive time frame. The hope is we’ll continue to dialogue with the VA to see if there can be some enhancements made in the future, but we’re very pleased with the program and our partnership with the VA.”

Another Doorway
Salsone, who entered Brown University through its Resumed Undergraduate Education Program, recommends veterans seek out admission programs for nontraditional students such as those at Yale University (Eli Whitney Students Program), Tufts University (Resumed Education for Adult Learners), and Brown that provide another doorway into an elite university.

“They ask you to tell the story of your life, but they are not as focused on what you did six years ago in high school,” he said. “They want to know what you’ve been doing with yourself right now. You get to talk a lot about your experiences and accomplishments that you’ve had in the military.”

Yellow Ribbon Program

What Is It

• The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.
• This program allows institutions of higher learning (degree-granting institutions) in the United States to enter voluntarily into an agreement with VA to fund tuition and fee expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. The institution can contribute a specified dollar amount of those expenses and VA will match the same amount as the institution not to exceed 50% of the difference.

Who is Eligible?
Only individuals entitled to the maximum benefit rate (based on service requirements) may receive this funding.

An Individual May Be Eligible if He/She:

• Served an aggregate period of active duty after Sept. 10, 2001, of at least 36 months
• Was honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability and served 30 continuous days after Sept. 10, 2001
• Is a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill based on an individual’s service under the eligibility criteria listed above.
  

How Can I Learn More?
Detailed information about the Yellow Ribbon program – for individuals and participating institutions – can be found at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com/yellow.

Number of schools participating from  Aug. 1, 2010, to July 31, 2011:  1,229

Amount of money spent by the Department of Veterans Affairs on the Yellow Ribbon Program in the first 10 months (between Aug. 1, 2009, and May 1, 2010): $35.1 million

Number of eligible students (veterans, spouses or dependent children) who used the program in the first year: 22,576

Yellow Ribbon Program Participating Schools Agree to:

• Provide contributions to eligible individuals who apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of the rate at which the individual is pursuing training in any given academic year.
• Provide contributions during the current academic year and all subsequent academic years in which the institution is participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program and the student maintains satisfactory progress, conduct, and attendance.
• Make contributions toward the program on behalf of the individual in the form of a grant, scholarship, etc.
• State the dollar amount that will be contributed for each participant during the academic year.
• State the maximum number of individuals for whom contributions will be made in any given academic year.

For more information, call toll-free 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551), or visit the VA GI Bill website at www.gibill.va.gov.