Education and Training.

Question 1: Can I get a confirmation that endowed scholarships that can be used for room and board as well as tuition and fees does not need to be deducted from total cost of tuition and fees?

Answer: Any funding that is not tuition and fees specific does not need to be considered when determining the net charges to report to Veterans Affairs (VA).

Question 2: Regarding Yellow Ribbon, we only offer to undergraduate students. Students can earn their masters and bachelor's concurrently. How should Yellow Ribbon be applied when students are in graduate and undergraduate courses at same time?

Answer: Assuming available slots in accordance with your YR agreement, you should accept an undergraduate student enrolled concurrently in a graduate program. For example, if the student has 6 undergraduate credits and 6 grad credits, you can cover only the undergraduate costs for that term. If you wish to provide a full YR contribution including the graduate charges, VA will make the matching payment as well.

Question 3: With Chapter 33 transfer of entitlement (TOE) who are 100% eligible for Yellow Ribbon and at end of benefits how is Yellow Ribbon treated? Some are receiving full Yellow Ribbon some are being prorated.

Answer: Only the last family member (including the Veteran) using transferred entitlement is entitled to an extension to the end of the term. When other dependents exhaust their allotted TOE entitlement, VA payment depends on the amount of remaining entitlement and the amount of available annual cap for that student for the term in question. This can result in full or prorated YR payments. If a student questions their final payment amount, they can request an explanation through Ask VA (AVA).

Question 4: Where do you find the tuition limits for yellow ribbon?

Answer: The following link displays the current Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) rates: https://www.va.gov/education/benefit-rates/post-9-11-gi-bill-rates/future-rates/.

Question 5: If a student used Yellow Ribbon for the spring. Can they use it again for summer school?

Answer: In this example, if the student still has entitlement yes, Yellow Ribbon can be used in the summer. Schools must report the actual net cost for in-state tuition and fees after the application of any waiver of or reduction in tuition and fees. The cap is applied until it is exhausted.

Once the full amount of the cap has been exhausted, Yellow Ribbon funds can be reported to meet the difference between what the Post-9/11 GI Bill® covers and the outstanding net tuition and fees charges. The school should report no more than half of the unmet net charges in the Yellow Ribbon field. VA will match the school’s reported contribution, not to exceed 50% of the unmet net tuition and fees.  

Question 6: If you are an existing domestic institution with a Yellow Ribbon Agreement, does my institution need to renew this agreement?

Answer: No, the School Certifying Official (SCO) will not have to renew the Yellow Ribbon Agreement for an existing domestic institution unless there are modifications during Open Season from March 15^th through May 15^th. 

Question 7: How would a “Guest” school know a student needs Yellow Ribbon (YR)? 

Answer: The Guest School Certifying Official(s) can find this information in Enrollment Manager; it shows remaining benefits and tier for Chapter 33. The Guest school may also want to communicate with the “Parent” school to determine if the Chapter 33 annual cap has been met or not. Note: The Guest school can be YR without regard to the parent school’s participation status.

Question 8: We do not participate in Yellow Ribbon due to us applying a waiver for all non-resident fees for our students. I am still a little confused as to how we can use this in another way other than non-res fees.

Answer: A public school that treats all VA students as in-state residents does not need a Yellow Ribbon agreement, since all in-state mandatory charges are covered at public schools.

Question 9: Can yellow ribbon usage be restricted to just fall and spring terms? As in we can say it’s not available for use in the summer session or is that not allowed?

Answer: Veterans Affairs (VA) defines an academic year as August 1 through July 31. However, a school participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program may designate how it will distribute its Yellow Ribbon Program funding over the entire academic year. If the school does not include the summer term for Yellow Ribbon distribution, it is not obligated to match the tuition gap for any Yellow Ribbon eligible student who elects to attend a summer term.

Question 10: Which school pays when a “Guest” student meets eligibility for Yellow Ribbon (YR) funding, the “Parent” school or the “Guest” school?  

Answer: The “Guest” school only certifies courses listed in the parent school letter, and Yellow Ribbon only applies to Chapter 33. Veterans Affairs (VA) data and history for both parent and guest schools will be in Enrollment Manager. The student has a single cap. Yellow Ribbon can be applied to any term at either school if the cap has been exhausted. 

For example: The “Parent” school certifies Fall and Spring semesters, which reaches the Chapter 33 annual cap amount. The student takes summer courses at the “Guest” school that will apply to their degree, which is being pursued at the “Parent” school. The “Guest” school may certify Yellow Ribbon.

Question 11: I have my own Facility code for my Extension campus. I do not process Yellow Ribbon. Would this be correct? Who would I see if I can add this process?

Answer: The Extension campus is operationally dependent on the main campus or a branch campus of the educational institution. Therefore, the certifications of Yellow Ribbon must come from the School Certifying Official at one of those approved locations not the Extension campus. 

Question 12: For a Non-College Degree School, do we need to have a contract for Yellow Ribbon?

Answer: Yellow Ribbon is not an option for Non-College Degree (NCD) Schools.