If you are a qualifying veteran, you may be eligible for educational benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through one of several VA programs. Children of veterans may also be eligible. In all cases, the decision to use your benefits or to save them for graduate school, for example, is a personal one and we encourage you to consider all of your options.
The Office of the Registrar serves as the dedicated site for our student veterans and military-connected students to gather information about benefits and supplemental financial aid support. The staff of the Registrar’s Office is responsible for the administration of all US Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits processing and is dedicated to making the process as smooth as possible. They are the central place for veteran's resources and certifying processing.
VA Education Benefits Programs
Veterans' Financial Aid and Support
VA Benefits for Dependent Undergraduate Students
If you have a parent who has served in the U.S. military and is eligible for Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) educational benefits, your parent may choose to transfer these benefits to you, to go toward your Â鶹´«Ã½ expenses. The decision to use these VA benefits or to save them for graduate school or for use by other siblings, for example, is a family decision and we encourage you to consider all of your options. Chapter 33 tuition and fees benefits are paid directly to Â鶹´«Ã½ and applied to your charges, but the VA will send your books benefit and housing allowance payments directly to you (the student). You should plan to use a portion of your housing allowance to pay for your on-campus housing and food charges.
VA Benefits for Independent Undergraduate Students
We encourage you to carefully consider whether you want to use your Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) benefits for your undergraduate expenses at Â鶹´«Ã½, or to save some or all of your benefits eligibility to use for graduate school costs. Some students decide that Pomona's need-based financial aid package is sufficient to cover their undergraduate expenses, and that it makes financial sense to reserve their Chapter 33 benefits for graduate study. If you have a graduate program in mind, you may want to find out whether your Chapter 33 benefits could be used for that program. You should also consider the expiration date of your Chapter 33 benefits eligibility.
When you apply for financial aid from Â鶹´«Ã½, we will provide an award letter that shows your eligibility for need-based aid without Chapter 33 benefits. If you choose to use your benefits, your need-based scholarship aid from Pomona will be adjusted to reflect the expected amounts of your Chapter 33 benefits for tuition, fees, and books, as well as the portion of the VA housing allowance matching the budgeted amount for your housing and food costs (any additional amount of VA housing allowance will not be considered in the financial aid process). Chapter 33 benefits replace the Student Responsibility portion of the aid package. Chapter 33 benefits do not affect your eligibility for federal Title IV aid programs (grants and loans).
Â鶹´«Ã½ Yellow Ribbon Program
What is the Yellow Ribbon Program?
The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, also known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill® or Chapter 33. This program allows institutions of higher learning to voluntarily agree with the Department of Veterans Affairs to cover a veteran's unmet tuition and fee charges when these exceed the amount payable under Chapter 33.
Only those eligible for the 100% maximum benefit rate under Chapter 33 can receive this funding. The Yellow Ribbon Program is not available to active service members or their spouses.
After a qualifying student’s Post 9/11 GI Bill payment is applied to their eligible tuition and fees, the remaining amount of their tuition and fee expenses are covered by the Yellow Ribbon Program. Half of the Yellow Ribbon funding comes from Â鶹´«Ã½ and half from the VA.
Student Application Policy/Procedures for the Yellow Ribbon Program:
- Students should determine eligibility for the Yellow Ribbon Program on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
- Students should apply, if they are eligible, for education benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® with the .
- Students should apply for and receive confirmation of admission to Pomona. Students should be sure to make an informed decision concerning their choice of Post-9/11 GI Bill®. It is our understanding that there are typically more than one educational benefit choice for individuals with military experience and that once selected, benefit choices are irrevocable. For information on benefits, visit the .
- Eligible students, after receiving an offer admission from Â鶹´«Ã½, should submit their Certificate of Eligibility. Pomona processes the Request for Participation forms on a first-come, first-served basis. Students may scan and e-mail, or fax this form to the Financial Aid Office.
- Eligible students must complete the Step 4 (above) and submit confirmation of their eligibility for the Yellow Ribbon Program to the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible. Confirmation of eligibility may be in the form of a U.S. Department of Veteran Services Certificate of Eligibility for the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. Failure to submit this confirmation in a timely manner will result in the student's removal from the Yellow Ribbon Program participation list.
Ahmanson Foundation Veteran’s Scholarship
The Â鶹´«Ã½ Ahmanson Foundation Veteran’s Scholarship (AFVS) is intended to assist undergraduate students that are Post 9/11 VA fund recipients who are pursuing a degree and demonstrate financial need. The award is not exclusive to tuition charges and can be used toward other educationally related expenses. This need-based fund, which supports the College’s goal of access and affordability, is only available to a student who is a veteran and qualifies for need based aid beyond the amount the VA benefits would cover. There is no separate application for this scholarship. Students who are eligible to receive need based aid will be awarded this fund as part of the financial aid package.
All scholarship recipients must demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and be enrolled in courses that are applicable to their degree program. Scholarship recipients may be asked to submit a written note of thanks to the Ahmanson Foundation as part of their scholarship requirements.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the .
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