Yellow Ribbon Program
The Yellow Ribbon Program is detailed in Chapter 33 of the GI Bill, once called the “Servicemen’s Readjustment Act,” that was first signed into law by FDR in 1944. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has a great website that explains the latest form of the GI Bill here. However, since the bill's birth college tuition has exploded, especially with private universities. But the law has not kept pace.
Veterans hoping to attend a member school of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE) will pay 34% more on average than they would to attend a public university outside their state of residence. Unfortunately, the GI Bill caps funding at a rate equal to in-state tuition and fees, where the "tuition gap" from a private education is exponentially higher (246% on average). Chapter 33, the Yellow Ribbon Program, provides funds to split the different between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the university in question; the VA pays half the difference, and the university forgives the other half.One would think the cost-benefit analysis of forgiving some (already exorbitant levels of) tuition in exchange for attracting the nation’s top student pool would be a no brainer, that private schools would jump on board, but they don’t. According to a report by Student Veterans of America, private universities enroll just 17% of veteran students; lower than both public and proprietary schools.Proprietary, for profit schools prey upon veterans because of a loop hole that allows them to bypass certain regulations. But somehow, predatory educators graduate more student veterans than private schools! Private universities are also collecting less GI Bill money than public and proprietary schools as well, which just makes bad business sense.
Making matters even clusterfuckier, most large private universities push implementation decisions to subordinate colleges and professional schools. Those schools often restrict the number of slots, meaning student veterans essentially have to compete against one another for financial aide. The polite way of phrasing this is to remind veterans "first come first serve."The other problem with short-changing the Yellow Ribbon Program is that it predetermines career paths, forcing veterans into those disciplines and professional schools that throw the most money at them. If veterans are inclined toward the humanities, where funding is in shorter supply, they're shit outta luck. The nice way to look at this is to say that business, law, and medical professions want veterans, evidenced by the money they put on the table. But the reality is restrictive; lack of affordable options funnels veterans into fields for which they have neither skill nor interest.The only fair and lasting solution is to push private universities to maximize their participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program. COFHE members are leaders in higher education, and each is "committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of admitted students." If that's true, then...