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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (March 24, 2009) – Milligan College has signed on to the voluntary “Yellow Ribbon” program, commonly referred to as the “New GI Bill.” The program makes it possible for eligible veterans who meet the college’s admissions requirements to attend tuition-free. The benefits will go into effect for the fall semester 2009.
Formally known as the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, the Yellow Ribbon program is an effort to pay for veterans’ college expenses to a similar extent that the original GI Bill did after World War II by providing for payment of tuition and fees, a housing allowance, and a stipend for books and supplies. The program is available for eligible veterans who have served at least three years on active military duty, or at least 30 days for someone released for a service-connected disability, since September 11, 2001.
For all colleges, public or private, the program provides scholarships equal to tuition and fees at the most expensive public institution in a state, plus a monthly housing stipend and $1,000 a year for books. While the Veterans Administration (VA) will provide official figures through a Federal Register notice in the coming weeks, in Tennessee it is expected to be somewhere near $6,000, the maximum tuition and fees for Tennessee students at the University of Tennessee.
For institutions with higher tuition and fees, the federal government will match, dollar-for-dollar, contributions that colleges and universities make to help veterans cover tuition costs above the maximum in-state public college tuition amount.
Milligan is a veteran-friendly institution. The college allows for military transfer credit, flexibility on registration and withdrawals due to deployments, and payment deferments while awaiting properly applied-for educational benefits. Milligan also waives college application fees for veterans and provides individual counseling during the application and admission process.
The Yellow Ribbon Program is applicable towards all Milligan degree programs, which include traditional undergraduate programs in more than 25 majors, evening degree completion programs in business and education, and three graduate programs: MBA, Master of Education, and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy.
For more information about this program, contact the Office of Student Financial Services at 423.461.8949. To find out more about the “New GI Bill,” visit the Veterans Administration website at www.gibill.va.gov or http://www.gibill2008.org/.