Yellow Ribbon Program

The “Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program” (i.e., Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the “Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.” Under this program, institutions of higher education can enter into an agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs to help fund tuition expenses for out-of-state students whose tuition and fees exceed Virginia’s highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. Institutions can contribute up to 50 percent of the difference in tuition and fees. The Department of Veterans Affairs will match the contribution made by the institution.  

The Yellow Ribbon Program at Virginia Tech provides a total of 20 scholarships on a first-come, first-serve basis to out-of-state undergraduates who are utilizing Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. The amount of the Virginia Tech Yellow Ribbon Scholarship is up to $2,500 for the academic year, or $1,250 each fall and spring semesters, of the unmet tuition and fees for each term. As the Department of Veterans Affairs will then match the contribution made by the institution, this scholarship could yield as much as $5,000 in total tuition and fees benefits per academic year for approved students.

To be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Program, students must be pursuing an undergraduate degree in a VA-approved academic program at Virginia Tech, and must be paying out-of-state tuition. The student must be 100% eligible for, and using the Post 9/11 GI Bill, cannot be on active duty, and must have Chapter 33 GI Bill entitlement remaining.

Current Yellow Ribbon recipients can maintain the scholarship. To retain the scholarship, students must reapply every academic year (before Fall), remain continuously enrolled at Virginia Tech (excluding the summer/winter terms), maintain good academic standing, and continue to meet eligibility requirements.

Applications for Virginia Tech’s Yellow Ribbon Program open annually during summer, between June 1 and August 15. To apply, visit https://vt.academicworks.com/ and search “Yellow Ribbon”.

Please direct application questions to veteran@vt.edu or call 540-231-5815.