FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579
June 26, 2009 (Notre Dame, Ind.)- Saint Mary’s College will participate this fall in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a new federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that helps veterans attend college and/or graduate school. The program was created through the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 which was signed into law last summer and goes into effect in August. Under an agreement between the VA and Saint Mary’s, up to five qualifying students could potentially attend the school free of charge for the 2009-2010 academic year. Saint Mary’s College will award the benefit on a first come, first serve basis.
Here’s how the Yellow Ribbon Program works: The Post-9/11 GI Bill covers the cost of attending the most expensive public institution in each state. However, veterans may choose to attend private colleges that have agreed to pay at least some of the extra cost. These private institutions choose how many students to offer the aid to and how much cost it will cover, and the VA matches that amount. Saint Mary’s College has committed to provide the benefit to five students at up to $10,000 each for the year. With the VA match, the remaining tuition and fees to attend the College would be covered for most of the qualifying students.
Here's an example of how it would work at Saint Mary’s: Tuition and fees for a student enrolled in 15 credit hours this fall and 15 credit hours in the spring would be $29,616. The qualifying student would receive $9,846.30 as payment of her GI Bill benefit, Saint Mary's would pay $9,884.85 as Yellow Ribbon Program funding and the VA would match with another $9,884.85. The student's entire tuition and fees would be paid for the year.
“Saint Mary's is honored to be included in the more than 700 colleges and universities across the nation who have signed on to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program,” said Dan Meyer, vice president for enrollment management. “Saint Mary’s involvement in the Yellow Ribbon Program provides an ideal partnership with the Veteran’s Administration to reach out to meet the needs of female veterans who have given of the time and talents to serve this great nation.”
Traditionally, not many veterans enroll as students at Saint Mary’s, but under the program, in some cases, veterans may transfer their eligibility to their children. Veterans interested in the Yellow Ribbon Program at Saint Mary’s College should contact Kathleen Brown, director of financial aid, by email at or (574) 284-4557.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 major areas of study. The College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
