Paying for college as a military applicant
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As a member of the military you may be able to use combined educational benefits from the Post-9/11 GI Bill and its Yellow Ribbon Program provision to assist in earning a degree from Westwood College.¹ To determine whether this is an option, you can explore your benefit eligibility for the Yellow Ribbon Program once your entitlement has been established under the Post-9/11 GI Bill guidelines.2
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You can get a jump start on your career in any one of our 35+ programs spanning the fields of design, technology, healthcare, business, and criminal justice, earning a degree in as little as three years. The information below provides additional details on the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program as possible options for financing your degree at Westwood.
How can I use these programs to assist in obtaining a degree from Westwood?
Depending on your current eligibility for educational benefits, you may be able to combine benefits from the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program with a contribution from Westwood College to help fund the tuition and fees associated with obtaining a college degree. Please note that the stipend available for books through the Post-9/11 GI Bill will likely not cover the full cost associated with your particular requirements.
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What is the Post-9/11 GI Bill?
The Post-9/11 GI Bill is a benefit package established in 2008 by the VA to provide another alternative for educational benefits for members of the armed forces. The amount available for tuition and fees can be as much as the maximum in-state tuition and fees at a United States public institution of higher learning (degree-granting institution)3 Payments are deposited directly to the school on your behalf.
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How does the Yellow Ribbon Program work?
The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill enacted in 2008. The program was introduced to help cover the expense gap between your coverage from the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the actual tuition and fees of your chosen college.
While the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays up to the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition and fees, the Yellow Ribbon Program allows institutions of higher learning to voluntarily make a contribution to expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate.4 The VA can then match that contribution.
Westwood’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon program is determined annually. Should Westwood cease participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, eligible service members will continue to receive other benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
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Who is eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon program?
Benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill may be available to those who have served at least 90 days of aggregate military service occurring after September 10, 2001, and for those discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days.You must have received an honorable discharge to be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The Post-9/11 GI Bill is effective for training on or after August 1, 2009.²
Additional benefits from the Yellow Ribbon Program are available only to those individuals who are entitled to the maximum benefit rate (based on service requirements) from the Post-9/11 GI Bill.Therefore, you may be eligible if:5
- You served an aggregate period of active duty after September 10, 2001, of at least 36 months
- You were honorably discharged from active duty for a service connected disability and you served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001
- You are a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill based on a veteran’s service under the eligibility criteria listed above
Specific requirements are outlined in the comparison of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and other GI Bills.6
The application form requires that individuals currently eligible for benefits under the Montgomery GI BILL-Active Duty (MGIB-AD), Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) or the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) make an irrevocable election from their existing program to the Post-9/11 GI Bill.⁵
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Under the Yellow Ribbon Program how much will Westwood College contribute on my behalf?
Please refer to this Department of Veterans Affairs web page to search for schools participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program and the to see available matching contributions by school. The specific amount available to you will be determined by your eligibility status, your existing military educational entitlement, and the campus you select.
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How do I get started?
- You must first apply for benefits at the Department of Veterans Affairs Online Application (VONAPP) website
- If you are eligible, you will be issued a Certificate of Eligibility for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. Your Certificate of Eligibility will also advise you of any additional details regardiing Yellow Ribbon Program benefits.
- Present your Certificate of Eligibility and DD form 214 to the Westwood campus of your choice
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Which Westwood campuses are participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program?
Qualified applicants may use their combined available benefits from both the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program at any of our on-ground campuses and our online campus. While some institutions may limit the number of students who can use the additional Yellow Ribbon program benefits, Westwood College allows all military personnel who are eligible for them to use these benefits to help fund tuition and fees related to enrollment in one of our degree programs.
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To learn more about the benefits of these programs and to review eligibility and application requirements, please visit the VA Post-9/11 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program websites. You may also wish to review a comparison of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and other GI Bills.
1Financial aid available only to those who qualify and will be pro-rated based on actual entitlement. Does not include books in excess of your allowable Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits
2Residents attending Westwood College in Texas currently are not eligible to receive GI Bill benefits.
3Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (http://gibill.va.gov/post-911/)
4Source: U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (http://gibill.va.gov/post-911/post-911-gi-bill-summary/yellow-ribbon-program.html)
5Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/Benefit_Comparison_Chart.htm)
6Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (http://www.gibill.va.gov)