Yellow Ribbon Program: extra tuition help
If your tuition is more than the GI Bill pays, this program can cover part of the gap at a private school, a foreign school, or an out-of-state public school. The school pays in and VA matches it.
What it is
Yellow Ribbon is money to help pay tuition and fees the Post-9/11 GI Bill does not cover. It applies at private schools, foreign schools, and public schools where you attend as a nonresident. Your school puts in funds, and VA says it will match the contribution. (For how much the GI Bill itself pays in tuition, see my GI Bill payments page.)
Who qualifies
You must qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill at the 100 percent benefit level, and be one of these:
- A Veteran with 36 or more months of active duty who was honorably discharged
- A Purple Heart recipient honorably discharged after 9/11/2001
- A Veteran who served 30 or more continuous days after 9/11/2001 and was discharged for a service-connected disability
- An active-duty member with 36 or more months of service
- A spouse using transferred benefits from a member with 36 months of service
- A child using transferred benefits from a Veteran
- A Fry Scholar
Your school must also offer Yellow Ribbon, have open slots under its agreement with VA, and certify your enrollment.
100 percent benefit level
What it gives you
The amount is set by each school, based on your tuition and fees minus other aid. VA's FAQ explains the match: the school reports no more than half of the unmet charges, and VA matches the school's contribution, not to exceed 50 percent of the gap. It also says a school may not reduce its matching amount during the academic year. Ask your school's certifying official for the exact dollar figure in writing.
How to get it, step by step
- Apply for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and get your Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Confirm it shows the 100 percent level.
- Look up your school on VA's Find a Yellow Ribbon School tool, or the GI Bill Comparison Tool. Not every school takes part.
- Give your COE to the school's certifying official or financial aid office and ask to be enrolled in Yellow Ribbon.
- The school decides its maximum enrollment and funding amount, then tells you whether you were accepted and how much you will get.
Deadlines and traps
- Below the 100 percent level, you do not qualify.
- Slots run out. Ask the school before you register for classes.
- The Rogers STEM Scholarship cannot be combined with Yellow Ribbon, so if you may use both, ask VA which fits first.
Where to call and where to go
Phone
- GI Bill hotline: 1-888-442-4551, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET (TTY: 711). Source: VA education page and benefits.va.gov GI Bill
- Ask VA (send VA a question online)
Official pages
- Apply for the GI Bill and get your Certificate of Eligibility
- Find a Yellow Ribbon school
- GI Bill Comparison Tool
- Check your remaining Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits
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