West Virginia University will begin to offer the Yellow Ribbon program to student military veterans in four graduate programs.

The Yellow Ribbon program, which funds the education of out-of-state student military veterans, is an extension of the 9/11 GI Bill that pays all in-state tuition and fees at public colleges and university for eligible students.

WVU has taken part in the Yellow Ribbon program for undergraduate out-of-state students for years, but this is the first year that the University has offered it to graduate students. The School of Public Health, the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources have funded 100 percent of a student’s portion of out-of-state tuition for the 2012-13 school year. The School of Nursing has funded 75 percent of out-of-state tuition as part of the program.

Jerry McCarthy, interim veterans advocate at WVU, said the program will not only benefit the students but the veteran community.

“Student veterans bring a unique character, integrity and life experience to campus,” McCarthy said. “They are driven, goal-oriented and proactive. They want to engage with the WVU community as well as the greater Morgantown community. Offering the Yellow Ribbon program to select graduate students removes financial barriers between our student veterans and our world-class education.”

The program will go into effect at the start of the fall semester in August. Veterans enrolled in the selected graduate programs will automatically receive benefits from the program without having to fill out an application.

For more information, visit http://wvuveterans.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

td/07/24/12

CONTACT: Jerry McCarthy, Interim Veterans Advocate
304-293-8262, Jerry.McCarthy@mail.wvu.edu

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