MU enters Yellow Ribbon program for veterans in 2010-11
MU will be one of 1,100 schools in the country to offer veterans help in paying for college as part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs "Yellow Ribbon" Program, the department announced this morning. The department made 152 agreements with Missouri colleges and universities and a full list of schools is available here.
According to a VA press release, the VA-administered Post-9/11 GI Bill normally reimburses students for tuitions that don’t exceed the highest in-state undergraduate tuition rate for a public institution. Under the Yellow Ribbon program, when schools contribute to the difference between the in-state maximum and their usual cost, VA will match them dollar for dollar up to 50 percent of the difference.
Veterans eligible for the program are those who are elgible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill's benefits who served at least 36 months on active duty or served at least 30 continuous days before being discharged due to a service-related injury.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill, passed by Congress in 2008, allows every eligible veteran, service member, reservist and National Guard member to receive an in-state, undergraduate education at a public institution at no cost.
The release said the VA launched a special outreach effort in January to encourage more schools to participate in the program during the coming academic year. The deadline was extended to July 23 and letters were also mailed to school officials and reminder e-mails sent to promote maximum participation. The application process was streamlined to allow schools to fax and e-mail agreements to VA rather than send through regular mail.