Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program

Eligible veterans or their dependents can attend Sweet Briar College tuition free.

Sweet Briar College is pleased to partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, a new initiative that will help post-9/11-era veterans or their dependents attend the college of their choice. Under Sweet Briar's current agreement with the VA, anyone who qualifies may take advantage of the Yellow Ribbon program. There is no cap imposed by the College on the number of individuals who can use the post-9/11 benefit at Sweet Briar.

Individuals entitled to the maximum benefit rate under the Post-9/11 GI Bill (based on service requirements) are eligible to take advantage of the Yellow Ribbon Program. You may be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program if:

• You served an aggregate period of active duty after Sept. 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 Sept. 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.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays up to the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition and fees. In Virginia, the maximum tuition amount under the Post-9/11 GI Bill is $313/credit hour (which, for a student taking the "normal" 30 semester hours over an academic year amounts to a total of $9,390 toward tuition).

The Yellow Ribbon Program allows colleges with tuition charges greater than $9,390/academic year (in Virginia) to enter into an agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs to share remaining tuition costs. Sweet Briar has entered into such an agreement, and with the VA match, is providing a grant large enough to cover the full cost of tuition for a Yellow Ribbon-eligible veteran (or her/his eligible dependent).

The Post-9/11 GI Bill also provides a monthly housing allowance for an eligible veteran (or his/her eligible dependent) equal to the Basic Allowance for Housing for an E-5 with dependents. In the 24595 zip code (Sweet Briar's location) this monthly housing allowance is $1,110.

Therefore, for the nine months that a student is enrolled at Sweet Briar, an eligible veteran (or his/her eligible dependent) should receive a total housing allowance of $9,990. This amount, when applied to Sweet Briar's room/board cost ($10,460 for the 2009-10 academic year) covers all but $470.

The bottom line — a Yellow Ribbon Program-eligible veteran (or his/her eligible dependent) is able to attend Sweet Briar for approximately $470 per academic year.

Determining Eligibility

Members of the military should contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to determine individual eligibility for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program. Once eligibility has been determined by the VA, a qualifying individual should present the appropriate certificate of eligibility to Babs Rentz in the registrar's office at Sweet Briar (you can contact Babs at brentz@sbc.edu or 434.381.6179). As soon as Sweet Briar has received the appropriate certificate of eligibility and the eligible student has been accepted for admission, Sweet Briar will help facilitate appropriate next steps.

For more information about the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program, please visit the VA Web site or call 888.442.4551 to speak with a veterans benefits counselor.

If you have questions about the Yellow Ribbon Program at Sweet Briar, please contact the admissions office at admissions@sbc.edu or 800.381.6142.