University of Chicago Participates in Yellow Ribbon Program

The University of Chicago is joining a new initiative to expand higher education funding for post-9/11 servicemen and women in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, through the Yellow Ribbon Education Enhancement Program.

For the 2009-2010 school year, the University is prepared to help up to 59 qualifying veterans in the College, graduate and professional programs, said Kim Goff-Crews, Vice-President for Campus Life and Dean of Students.

“The University of Chicago is proud to be part of the Yellow Ribbon Program, and we have been eager to participate in the initiative since it was announced last summer,” Goff-Crews said.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is part of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, also called the New GI Bill. Congress overwhelmingly approved the act last summer to provide a significant expansion of the financial aid available for post-9/11 veterans.

Beginning in August 2009, the New GI Bill will cover an amount up to the highest in-state public undergraduate tuition rate for post-9/11 veterans. The Yellow Ribbon Program will then allow participating schools to contribute up to half of the remaining tuition expenses for a selected number of veterans and their dependents. The VA will match the school's contribution.

“Supporting the educational goals of veterans is a natural fit in our University culture, which prides itself on public service,” Goff-Crews said. The University began a large-scale commitment to educating veterans under the 1944 GI Bill of Rights.

“We are embracing the program across the University in order to offer veterans undergraduate, graduate and professional school education that might otherwise prove too costly,” Goff-Crews said.

Acceptance into the Yellow Ribbon Program for eligible students will be on a first-come basis. As of July 1, 2009, the University Registrar's Office will start accepting applications from admitted veterans to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program for the 2009-2010 academic year.

To find out more about how to participate at the University of Chicago, visit the University Registrar's Web site. For more information on the Yellow Ribbon Program, please visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Web site.