GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program Forum

[nukelaloosh]

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/C ... d_fees.htm

Has anyone seen this chart? Does "per term" mean academic year or semester? The Texas "per term" amount of $12130 seems like it must mean academic year, but other states are so low it seems that it can't mean academic year.

Yea, it's kinda bizzare. Highest undergrad tuition in WA is $6,000, and they have $4,000 down on the list. But they do warn you....

This information has no relationship to, and should not be compared with, average costs of tuition and fees of public institutions within any state commonly referred to when considering educational options.

They do say that it is preliminary info, I bet you it'll probably end up changing again. Otherwise, standing by to get screwed.

I read that but to me it means that you shouldn't use their information as a guide for average state tuition...i.e. $12,130 will not be the cost of North Texas (it should be much less). This is because they are using only the highest tuition for the chart.

I agree that it will change (hopefully going up) and I get the feeling that the GI Bill site is intentionally vague for some strange reason.....

[scott82]

Is anyone else who is eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill, but who used most/all their benefits under MGIB and racked up student loan debt to cover the difference, feeling slightly screwed by their proactive approach?

Anyone know if there has been any attempt to reach out to that group?

[Rotor]

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/C ... d_fees.htm

Has anyone seen this chart? Does "per term" mean academic year or semester? The Texas "per term" amount of $12130 seems like it must mean academic year, but other states are so low it seems that it can't mean academic year.

The CA number looks like it's per semester (dang well better be...)

I can't figure out where they got the VA number (the only two states I'm familiar with). UVA tuition & fees were ~9K this year. So, unless they're planning on jacking up tuition by 30-40% it isn't per semester. But the GI Bill's 6600 isn't close to the 9K either.

HMMMmmmmm

[dapoetic1]

The numbers they're using should be for the highest tuition for undergrad in a particular state. So the VA tuition maybe a "random" school in VA (not necessarily UVA) that has been qualified as having the highest tuition. The $6,000 they quote for VA is per term. So it's actually a little over $12,000/year
http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/C ... d_fees.htm
This is the latest and greatest on the highest tuition prices per state verified by the VA

Honestly if you got to school in Tennessee, Ohio, Texas, or Michigan you're getting a pretty good amount
Tenn=~$15k/term
Ohio=~$12k/term
Tedas=~$12k/term
MIch=~$10k/term

I had an excel sheet that is just a few months older than this information from the VA website and the tuition breakdown isn't anything close to this. But according to VA this is the most up to date info!! I don't know what school in Tennessee is charging $15k/term for public school undergrad tuition.

[Zojirushi]

From the bottom of that VA list:
This information has no relationship to, and should not be compared with, average costs of tuition and fees of public institutions within any state commonly referred to when considering educational options.

This makes me think these numbers may be unpublished figures used by the finaid dept for budgeting. They take into effect many factors outside of direct fees and tuition like COL, etc to create a ceiling for your budget. This may explain the higher numbers. No public school in TX comes close to 12,000. Texas A&M was around 7900, and they had UT beat last time I looked at this.

[Cole S. Law]

Found a website with a list of schools "expressing interest" re: Yellow Ribbon participation. D

http://inquiry.vba.va.gov/weamspub/searchInst.do

[LSATfromNC]

Found a website with a list of schools "expressing interest" re: Yellow Ribbon participation. D

http://inquiry.vba.va.gov/weamspub/searchInst.do

Link is not working, interested in seeing this!

[Cole S. Law]

Found a website with a list of schools "expressing interest" re: Yellow Ribbon participation. D

http://inquiry.vba.va.gov/weamspub/searchInst.do

Link is not working, interested in seeing this!

Not sure why the link isn't working anymore, go to http://www.gibill.va.gov/ and follow the student links to Yellow Ribbon Program. It's not hard to find.

[Rotor]

Found a website with a list of schools "expressing interest" re: Yellow Ribbon participation. D

http://inquiry.vba.va.gov/weamspub/searchInst.do

Link is not working, interested in seeing this!

Not sure why the link isn't working anymore, go to http://www.gibill.va.gov/ and follow the student links to Yellow Ribbon Program. It's not hard to find.

I followed the links and couldn't find it. I did find the link showing you the eligible schools, but then it said "Beginning April 1, 2009, you may search for institutions that have expressed interest in participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program." Did you find something else?

[Cole S. Law]

Found a website with a list of schools "expressing interest" re: Yellow Ribbon participation. D

http://inquiry.vba.va.gov/weamspub/searchInst.do

Link is not working, interested in seeing this!

Not sure why the link isn't working anymore, go to http://www.gibill.va.gov/ and follow the student links to Yellow Ribbon Program. It's not hard to find.

I followed the links and couldn't find it. I did find the link showing you the eligible schools, but then it said "Beginning April 1, 2009, you may search for institutions that have expressed interest in participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program." Did you find something else?

I misread the info. The list was for programs approved for GI Bill funding not Yellow Ribbon. I saw a link under "Yellow Ribbon" and foolishly thought that it had to do with Yellow Ribbon schools. Sorry about that. I'll be quiet now.

[dapoetic1]

RULE CHANGE!!!!

Now they're saying the new GI BILL will not pay the tuition for any state school you attend, but only the maximum of how much your state will pay out.
If you're an Illinois, Tennessee, Texas or Ohio you're in luck. Otherwise it could be a loooong semester!

And I don't know what public school program in Illinois cost so much!

http://www.military.com/money-for-schoo ... ucation.nl

[LSATfromNC]

RULE CHANGE!!!!

Now they're saying the new GI BILL will not pay the tuition for any state school you attend, but only the maximum of how much your state will pay out.
If you're an Illinois, Tennessee, Texas or Ohio you're in luck. Otherwise it could be a loooong semester!

And I don't know what public school program in Illinois cost so much!

http://www.military.com/money-for-schoo ... ucation.nl

Thats not new. Its been known they only pay tuition based off the highest public school tuition in the state.

Am I reading the article wrong?

[scott82]

An Iraq war veteran living in Texarkana, Texas, could get more than $56,000 in tuition benefits under the GI Bill next year

*blink, shake head, read again*

Wilson emphasized the latest numbers are only preliminary figures. Final numbers will be made public sometime this spring, months before the Aug. 1 deadline for the new GI Bill program to begin making payouts.

So in other words, this is a kink that will probably get hammered flat before implementation...

[Krys987]

There appears to be a misunderstanding in exactly how the individual benefit is decided.

The post 9/11 GI bill is NOT based on your home of record. Everyone has an equal opportunity to attend the schools in every state, but the individual states residency requirements will decide tuition and all of that blah blah blah we're all familiar with.

The only tuition the disparity will negatively affect is if you are planning on attending a private school. You either make up the difference, get the to waive it, or choose a private school in one of the "expensive" states...

I'm pretty much in the "don't count your chickens" boat. So far this new GI bill is too good to be true. I, for one, will not be the herald of complaints over having to go with a school in the state i reside (or Ohio, etc) or choosing a school in a state with extremely high public tuition rates.

It would be nice if every state would give veterans in state status, or if the monthly BAH could be applied to housing costs per school (as in, if i elect to live in a dorm they can just use what i would get in BAH and apply it to the housing, stipend me the difference for food or whatever, that sort of thing)....

But "as is" it's already so much better than the former GI bill I can't believe it. I'm so glad I didn't blow through mine in 2005 when i ETS'd. Now that I actually know what i want to do, this change is awesome.

Also don't confuse the "fee's" cost with a total cost per semester. use the credit hour cost to compare states/schools.

[orangeswarm]

My benefits expire at the end of this semester. I still have 1 year of LS left. Don't they let you have the full semester if you have over 30 days left? Anyone have any info on this?

If so, I may just not verify enrollment for the last month or so this semester.

[dapoetic1]

RULE CHANGE!!!!

Now they're saying the new GI BILL will not pay the tuition for any state school you attend, but only the maximum of how much your state will pay out.
If you're an Illinois, Tennessee, Texas or Ohio you're in luck. Otherwise it could be a loooong semester!

And I don't know what public school program in Illinois cost so much!

http://www.military.com/money-for-schoo ... ucation.nl

Thats not new. Its been known they only pay tuition based off the highest public school tuition in the state.

Am I reading the article wrong?

I was originally under the opinion that if you went to a public school you would have tuition paid at whatever the highest undergrad tuition was in the state where you were enrolled. But the language in the article seems to make reference to where the veteran lives(i'm thinking home of record) not where he's enrolled.

But if the same veteran lives a few miles east on the Arkansas side of the city, he'll get only about $5,300 a year
But the amount of payout depends on a servicemember's home state and the costs of higher education there.

The private school issue has always been one of 'find a way to make up the difference'.
You can either go Yellow Ribbon if your school participates, or just make up the difference using scholarships/loans.

But I'm more concerned with the change. It seem to me that from this article if two people attend the University of Texas and one is a Texas resident and one is an Arkansas resident the Texas resident gets more money toward tuition. That's not at all how I (and many others) understood the new GI Bill. But that seems to go completely against the purpose of the bill anyway. But if nothing has changed then I don't understand why this article is even out.

[Rotor]

Poetic: I've read the actual text of the law and I think the writer of the article got it wrong. Benefits (both tuition and BAH) are based on the school you attend-- not where you live. It's why the distance learners don't qualify for BAH-- they don't attend a schoolhouse. That provision along with overseas universities was too hard to figure based on the limits of the law, but it seems those issues are on track to be resolved by the VA or Congress if it takes tweaking the law.

I agree with the previous poster: I'm not bad mouthing a thing. Every dime the VA sends my way is eleven cents more than I counted on getting. It would be nice to get the TX rate, but then I'd have to be in TX :-p

[scott82]

My benefits expire at the end of this semester. I still have 1 year of LS left. Don't they let you have the full semester if you have over 30 days left? Anyone have any info on this?

If so, I may just not verify enrollment for the last month or so this semester.

I believe if you have even one day left of benefits after the start of the new semester, they will cover you for the whole semester. You should call the GI Bill # and talk to a counselor, but I'm almost 95% sure that is the case.

Also, you can't not verify enrollment for part of a semester. If you skip a month, they'll try to make you pay them back for the rest of the semester.

[nukelaloosh]

I finally had a conversation with UT's financial aid office today. They still haven't decided if they will participate in the yellow ribbon program. I was told that the decision will be made very soon due to the fact that the VA set a deadline.

[rbergevine]

For all of you who have served in defense of our great country....

THANK YOU !!!!!!!!

[Cole S. Law]

For all of you who have served in defense of our great country....

THANK YOU !!!!!!!!

No problem. Support MTBI awareness.

[WassAnch]

I sure hope that the coverage is determined by the state that the school is in (and not home or record). Looks like I would only get $3,000/yr from alaska. Thats not going to help a lot at any law school that I was to attend. I'd almost be better off using the old bill unless I went somewhere with high BAH rates, like CA.

Maybe I should give up liquor and coffee and attend BYU

Just kidding

[dapoetic1]

I sure hope that the coverage is determined by the state that the school is in (and not home or record). Looks like I would only get $3,000/yr from alaska. Thats not going to help a lot at any law school that I was to attend. I'd almost be better off using the old bill unless I went somewhere with high BAH rates, like CA.

Maybe I should give up liquor and coffee and attend BYU

Just kidding

:::smack smack smack:::
Get a hold of yourself man!!!!!
Don't talk like that--you're life is important

It seems like there is going to be some confusion until April 1st. That's when all the schools that are going to participate will be revealed by the VA. I'm assuming that along with that list there will be some clarification as to how much you should expect to receive. And hopefully it'll resemble what everyone has been thinking all along that the maximum for the state where you attend is what you get. Although---I'd be set it the amount was based on my home of record. But for fairness' sake I hope that's not what they're doing.

[WassAnch]

At first I was excited when I saw that Illinois was currently set to 28k a term. It would be pretty sweet to go to NU (if I get accepted...) debt free. I would certainly settle with a 13k a year cap for tuition....much better than 3k (although not nearly as good as 56k).

Hopefully the YRP will be widely used....I was very excited about the prospect of going to law school without incurring 100k of debt.

On a side note, of course I wouldn't give up alcohol for BYU! What a ridiculous thought.

[Krys987]

i want to clarify the home of record thing. This is from the FAQ at http://www.gibill2008.org/faq.html#out-of-state letter I:

i) My home of record is one state and I want to attend school in another; how does that work?

The military home of record is not used in determining GI Bill benefits. Only the zip code of the school the veteran is attending will affect benefit amounts.

Hope that clears it up completely. Just rememeber: if you're not a resident of the state and it's a public school, you will not get in state tuition until you meet residency requirements. For private schools it doesn't matter.

Personally i'm not actually a law student i just happened on this forum while doing googles of yellow ribbon =)

I've found a really decent private school that honors the YRP 100% and is ideal for my nursing major. If you're an undergrad(pre-law) feel free to PM me for details.