Saint Leo University Announces Participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program

Yellow Ribbon Program

Saint Leo University announced after the May release of the Post 9/11 GI Bill application that they will be participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program. The Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the Post 9/11 GI Bill designed to aid students in the over-the-top tuition expenses that are not covered under the Post 9/11 GI Bill’s regular benefits.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill was designed so that qualifying active military, military reserve, and veterans could receive tuition assistance up to the in-state undergraduate tuition costs at the college of their choice. For universities with higher tuition costs higher than an in-state university equivalent, the Yellow Ribbon Program steps in to mitigate the extra expenses. Here’s how it works:

A college may, at their option, waive 50% of the additional expenses of their tuition; the VA, in return, covers the additional 50%. This is the maximum benefit of the Yellow Ribbon Program, adding up to 100% coverage of the student’s over-the-top tuition expenses. Some colleges may only waive 25%, in which case, the VA would cover 25%, and the student would be left with the remaining 50%.

For example: Saint Leo University’s main campus charges $8,498 per class. The Post 9/11 GI Bill only covers $8,186 of these expenses, leaving an excess of $312. Saint Leo University waives $156 of this additional expense through the Yellow Ribbon Program, and the VA in turn covers the other $156, leaving the student with a zero-dollar obligation.

It is important to note that the Yellow Ribbon Program is completely voluntary enrollment on a college-by-college basis. A college is not required to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program at all, or may opt for partial participation. Once a college has enrolled for partial or complete participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, they must provide the benefits of the additional fee waiver equally to all students.

Saint Leo University is proud to support the U.S. military by signing up for complete enrollment with this wonderful opportunity. The official release for which colleges are participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program comes out in June, but for prospective military students considering Saint Leo University, this information is useful while preparing for early enrollment.

A student only qualifies for the Yellow Ribbon Program if they receive 100% of the benefits of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. If a student does not have enough military background and only receives a percentage of the Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, they cannot take advantage of the Yellow Ribbon Program.