1,100 Colleges Join Veterans Affairs’ Reduced-Tuition Program for Students
Washington
Post
Lisa Rein
August 5,
2010
A year
after the Post-9/11 GI Bill took effect, about 1,100 private and public colleges
and universities have signed on with the Department of Veterans Affairs to
reduce tuition for student veterans in the coming school year, the agency said
Wednesday.
The
colleges range from Harvard University to Texas A&M University, and the pledges
for subsidies vary widely.
Harvard
will contribute a maximum of $3,000 each for 50 undergraduates and $20,000 each
for 20 law school enrollees, whereas Texas A&M will pay $12,000 each for 25
undergraduates, according to a VA website.
American University in the District will pay up to $13,800 each for 24
undergraduates. Many schools have multiple programs that have agreed to
participate, bringing the total to 3,200, the VA said.
“The Yellow
Ribbon” program took effect on August 1, 2009, part of an ambitious new GI Bill
that covers the cost of in-state tuition at state universities and shares the
cost of more-expensive private colleges and some state schools—if the colleges
choose to fund subsidies to close that gap.
The government matches dollar-for-dollar any additional tuition aid
provided by the private school. The
bill applies to community colleges and four-year institutions.
Veterans also receive a monthly housing allowance and a stipend for books
and supplies.
As of the
spring, 228,994 veterans had enrolled in school using the new federal benefits,
at about 4,400 colleges and universities across the country.
About 22,500 students enrolled in private schools through the Yellow
Ribbon program, VA officials said.
And for the
first time, service members can transfer the tuition benefit to spouses or
children. A spouse, for example,
can use the benefit for up to 15 years after the service member leaves active
duty.
The bill
dramatically expands benefits over the original GI Bill signed into law by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
That bill made a college education affordable for millions of World War II
veterans, but the system, and other veteran benefits programs that followed, did
not keep pace with the rising costs of college.
VA
officials said the agency has stepped up its efforts to advertise the program to
returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan and to college admissions staffs.
The agency has hired hundreds of claims processors to administer the
bill, which had a rocky start last year when thousands of students faced a
backlog in reimbursements for tuition, housing and textbook payments.
The agency provided $3,000 in emergency aid per eligible student, and
officials said they expect a smooth process this fall.
The
benefits have eligibility limits that include three years of active service or
separation resulting from a service-connected disability.
Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/04/AR2010080406802_pf.html