University to participate in Post-9/11 GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program beginning this fall
The University of St. Thomas continues its long tradition of support for veterans by participating in the new Yellow Ribbon Education Enhancement Program, a provision of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.
The Yellow Ribbon Program is designed to cover the costs that exceed an in-state undergraduate education for military veterans. Beginning Aug. 1, St. Thomas will provide an increased tuition benefit to undergraduate and graduate military veterans that will be matched by the Veterans Administration, said Marla Friederichs, associate vice president for admissions and financial aid.
St. Thomas will provide 15 Yellow Ribbon Program awards for undergraduate students, three awards through the Law School, unlimited awards to graduate students in either the School of Engineering or the Opus College of Business, and up to 40 awards campuswide for students in other graduate programs.
St. Thomas will contribute $9,500 per year for undergraduate student veterans. Matching Yellow Ribbon funds from the VA, combined with the core elements of the new GI bill, generally will cover full-tuition costs for these students. St. Thomas will contribute $1,620 to $10,000 per year to graduate students, an amount designed to generally cover full-tuition costs for each program.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill, passed by Congress last year, is considered the most extensive educational assistance program authorized since the original GI Bill was signed into law in 1944.
Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are available to individuals based on their active duty service since Sept. 11, 2001. The bill, effective Aug. 1, 2009, provides tuition assistance, a housing allowance, a books and supplies stipend and the option to transfer these benefits to family members under certain circumstances.
Awards to qualified St. Thomas applicants will be made on a first-come basis and can be renewed each year until they graduate. Applications are available now and will be accepted until all awards have been made.
Kris Roach, director of undergraduate admissions and financial aid, said "St. Thomas' participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program demonstrates the level of commitment the university has to supporting its student veterans. Through this new GI Bill, our veterans will now be able to afford an education that might formerly have been cost prohibitive."
Information and applications are available online at https://www.stthomas.edu/financialservices/yellowribbon/ . See also the GI Bill Web site .
