Azusa, Calif. — In an effort to make higher education more accessible to U.S. veterans, Azusa Pacific University joins more than 750 schools across the nation in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, or GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program. Designed to close the financial gap between public and private colleges and universities, the program enables APU to offer student veterans scholarship funds to help cover the unmet portion of tuition costs.
Institutions that join the Yellow Ribbon Program determine the maximum pay rate per student per year, maxing out at the 50 percent involvement rate. The Department of Veterans Affairs will match institution contributions. APU has agreed to offer student veterans a Yellow Ribbon scholarship totaling $8,669 per year. Students will still qualify for all other APU Scholarships and federal or state aid which can be added to meet total cost of attendance.
“Our participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program is another way to show our commitment to student veterans by partnering with the Veterans Affairs to make APU a viable choice for their educational, personal, and spiritual pursuits,” said Jennifer Moore, undergraduate and Center for Adult and Professional Studies registrar. “With a number of programs and resources to support veterans, we are excited about the opportunity to continue to serve them and provide the very best experience at APU.”
The Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. Effective August 1, 2009, this program allows institutions of higher learning in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs to fund tuition expenses for student veterans.
The program is available to all service members who stand at 100 percent involvement rate (minimum of 36 consecutive months of service); participants will still qualify for all other APU scholarships and federal or state aid that can be added to meet total costs of attendance. Azusa Pacific is 1 of 46 schools in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
