Special situations
How does the Yellow Ribbon Program work?
Yellow Ribbon helps cover tuition above the Chapter 33 cap at participating schools. The school contributes and the VA matches it.
The Yellow Ribbon Program helps pay tuition and fees that go beyond what the Post-9/11 GI Bill covers. A participating school commits its own money toward the gap, and the VA matches that amount dollar for dollar, up to the limits in the school's agreement. It is not automatic and it varies a lot from school to school.
Who qualifies
- You must be at the 100% Chapter 33 benefit level.
- That includes eligible dependents using transferred benefits at 100% and Fry Scholarship recipients.
- Chapter 30, 1606, 31, and 35 students are not eligible.
When it helps
Chapter 33 pays in-state tuition in full at public schools, but private and foreign schools are capped at a national annual amount. Out-of-state students at public schools can also face a gap. Yellow Ribbon is designed for those gaps.
Questions I tell students to ask
- How many Yellow Ribbon slots are there this year, and how are they assigned?
- What is the per-student contribution, and will it cover my whole gap?
- Will I keep Yellow Ribbon in later years of my program?
- What do you need from me, and when will the credit show on my account?
You do not apply to the VA separately. Your certifying official includes Yellow Ribbon when certifying you. Yellow Ribbon covers tuition and fees only. It does not change your housing allowance or books stipend, and it does not use extra entitlement.