OHIO to expand its support of veterans via Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Program

Ohio University has entered an agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, an educational enhancement program that provides scholarship assistance to U.S. veterans.

The program will fund tuition expenses that exceed any tuition and fee amounts currently payable under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

“Ohio University is recognized nationally for its efforts to support a growing number of veterans and military dependent students,” said Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis. “OHIO’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program provides another important pathway to financial support that will help our service members, veterans and their families achieve their educational pursuits.”

The Yellow Ribbon Program was established by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. It allows higher education institutions in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition and fee expenses that are not able to be covered as part of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

“Ohio University is a campus community that enables veterans to enjoy and grow from their college experiences,” said David Edwards, director of the Veterans and Military Student Services Center at Ohio University. “Our participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program is an added way that we can inform OHIO’s current and future student veterans, and the parents of those students, that they will be taken care of and provided as smooth a transition as possible into college life.”

Per VA regulations, OHIO students must meet specific criteria in order to receive benefits under the Yellow Ribbon program, including:

• Eligibility for the maximum benefit rate (100 percent) under the Post 9-11 GI Bill®
• Students are required to meet all current Ohio University registration, residency requirements (if applicable) to ensure timely processing.
• Individuals who have used their VA benefits previously are required to submit their Yellow Ribbon application before the end of week 3 of each semester. For new students, including those who received benefits during the current semester, the Veterans Center must receive one’s Yellow Ribbon application before the end of the current semester in which they are currently enrolled.
• Students must have a non-resident program fee on their financial account.

It is important to note that students cannot be awarded payment of Yellow Ribbon Program benefits until they are first accepted by the VA and certified by the Ohio University Veterans and Military Student Services Center for Post 9/11 GI Bill® benefits.

Ohio University has continued to expand and refine its services for student veterans, dependents and military personnel in recent years.

In January 2018, OHIO was named the eighth most military-friendly school in the country by Victory Media, a veteran-owned company and publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine.

The 2018 Military Friendly Schools® list honors colleges, universities and trade schools across the country that are doing the most to embrace America's military service members, veterans and dependents as students and ensure their success on campus. More than 1,300 schools participated in the 2017-2018 survey with 849 earning the designation.

OHIO was the only Tier-2 Research University within the state of Ohio to be included in the top 10 of the Victory Media list.

For more information about Ohio University’s commitment to military veterans and available academic opportunities, please contact the Veterans and Military Student Services Center at 740-566-VETS (8387) or veteranscenter@ohio.edu.