Undergraduate Yellow Ribbon Program

Guideline for undergraduate students

• Undergraduate students admitted to Vanderbilt University can apply and will always be considered for all merit and need-based student financial aid programs for which they are determined eligible and as described in our various applicable publications found in print and on the Web.
• As a participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program, Vanderbilt University has committed to providing annual gift assistance (typically, this will be in the form of scholarships and/or grants) from institutional funds up to $16,000 per academic year based on unmet need to each undergraduate student who meets the eligibility criteria for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Additional information on the Yellow Ribbon Program may be found at: http://registrar.vanderbilt.edu/va-benefits/veterans-educational-benefits/
• All Vanderbilt-funded sources of gift assistance awarded to each eligible undergraduate recipient count toward meeting the University's Yellow Ribbon Program commitment. Vanderbilt-funded gift assistance is awarded in varying amounts and some recipients may receive up to $16,000 of such assistance annually while others might receive greater than $16,000 annually, as mentioned in the following paragraphs.
• Under the Yellow Ribbon Program, the VA will provide each eligible undergraduate student who enrolls at Vanderbilt, and who meets all of the VA's Yellow Ribbon Program eligibility criteria, with an annual benefit that matches Vanderbilt's Yellow Ribbon Program funding. [NOTE: The combined total funds from the Post-9/11 GI Bill base benefits paid by the VA to the veteran/recipient for tuition and fees plus the designated Vanderbilt Yellow Ribbon Program funds plus the VA's matching Yellow Ribbon Program funds cannot exceed the total tuition and fees charged to that recipient in any semester/term. This limitation would occur at Vanderbilt only in rare instances when the recipient is enrolled for a very limited number of credits in a particular term.]
• Vanderbilt's gift assistance is awarded in varying amounts and some undergraduates may therefore be initially awarded an annual amount that is less than $16,000 or may be initially awarded no gift assistance at all. In these cases, the University will increase its award up to $16,000 annually upon notification from the VA that the undergraduate student is eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program benefit. In these cases, the combination of Vanderbilt assistance plus the government's Yellow Ribbon matching funds will then total up to $32,000 annually ($16,000 from the University and $16,000 from the government).
• For an eligible recipient who has been awarded Vanderbilt gift assistance that is greater than or equal to $16,000 for the year and who is determined by the VA to be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program benefit, the University-funded gift assistance provided to the recipient will be considered as meeting in full the University's commitment of $16,000 under the Yellow Ribbon Program. The student will then be additionally eligible to receive the Yellow Ribbon Program matching funds, up to $16,000 annually, from VA.