Illinois Armed Forces veterans who served 36 months following 9/11 will now be able to attend Benedictine University in Lisle to pursue any undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degree for free now that the university has agreed to participate in the federal government’s Yellow Ribbon program.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, and calls for each participating degree-granting school to share the cost of educating veterans with Veteran Affairs.

“We wanted to ensure that our students who participated in this program did not have to pay anything,” said Diane Battistella, associate dean for financial aid at Benedictine University. “The cost to the students is zero.”
 
The Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, and allows institutions of higher learning to voluntarily enter into an agreement with Veteran Affairs to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate, according to a release issued by the university.
 
Participating institutions can contribute up to 50 percent of the remaining expenses, and Veteran Affairs will match the same amount as the institution.
 
“We agreed to fund the maximum, 50 percent,” Battistella said.
 
Benedictine has also agreed to admit an unlimited number of students under the program — some Illinois private colleges and universities have placed limits on the number of students who can take advantage of the program at their institutions — and also included its graduate and doctoral programs.

Those interested can get more information on eligibility at www.gbill.va.gov.