IUPUI to Offer Yellow Ribbon Program Benefits to Post-9/11 Veterans

This fall, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and other Indiana University campuses will welcome their first groups of “Yellow Ribbon Program” veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Yellow Ribbon Program – a provision of the new, Post-9/11 GI Bill – is designed to cover the costs that exceed an in-state undergraduate education for military veterans. The program also offers additional tuition support for military veterans enrolled in graduate programs or from outside the state.

Under the Yellow Ribbon Program, the VA matches university contributions to cover tuition expenses for eligible veterans.

IUPUI will provide four Yellow Ribbon Program awards through the IU School of Dentistry, one award through the IU School of Law-Indianapolis, and up to 20 awards campuswide through the Office for Veteran and Military Personnel.
 

The IU School of Dentistry will contribute $3,650 per year to the four veterans currently enrolled in the dental school. Matching Yellow Ribbon funds from the VA, combined with the core elements of the new GI Bill, will cover full tuition costs for these students.

“The School of Dentistry is proud and grateful to be able to participate in this unusual but certainly fitting opportunity; an opportunity to provide assistance and a “thank you” to those who have served our country so unselfishly in the troubled and uncertain times since 9/11,” says IU School of Dentistry Dean Larry Goldblatt.

“Many current faculty and staff of the School of Dentistry ether have family members or are themselves veterans of previous conflicts or are reservists right now. In addition we understand how important and fitting the educational benefits of the old GI Bill were in providing much needed help continuing our education and realizing our dreams. We are honored to be just a small part of this important effort.”

The IU School of Law – Indianapolis will award one eligible student with a $1,000 Yellow Ribbon contribution that the VA will match.

For the campuswide awards, IUPUI will contribute up to $2,000 in additional funds that will be matched by the VA for a total of $4,000 per person - for up to 20 new, qualified students annually.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill, passed by Congress last year, is considered the most extensive educational assistance program authorized since the original GI Bill was signed into law in 1944.

Under the original GI Bill, effective from 1944 to 1956, 7.8 million World War II veterans participated in an education or training programs.

“Supporting our veterans is not only an obligation for their service but also an opportunity to once again transform the U.S. by assisting a new generation of veterans to benefit from a university education,” says IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz.

Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are available to individuals based on their active duty service since Sept. 11, 2001. The bill, effective August 1, 2009, provides tuition assistance, a housing allowance, a books and supplies stipend, and the option to transfer these benefits to family members under certain circumstances.

Awards to qualified IUPUI applicants will be made on a first-come basis and can be renewed each year until they graduate. Applications will be available through the Office for Veteran and Military Personnel beginning July 1, and will be accepted until all awards have been made.

Susan Richards, manager of the IUPUI Office for Veteran and Military Personnel, says, “IUPUI’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program demonstrates the level of commitment the university has to supporting its student veterans. Through this new GI Bill, our veterans will now be able to afford an education that might have formerly been cost prohibitive.”

Information is available online at http://registrar.iupui.edu/va.html. The GI Bill Web site can be found at http://www.gibill.va.gov.

IU News Room contributed to this release.