Scholarship for Service
Taylor Smith
September 4, 2009
Filed under Senior Stuff
Paying for college is one of the most stressful things about deciding where you want to go. If only there was a way to get a full-ride scholarship without being an all American athlete. If you are willing to serve your country then there is; it is called the “Post-9/11 GI Bill”, and it could help pay your way through college.
In July of 2008 the Post-9/11 GI Bill was passed, creating a great new way to receive financial aid when attending a college. The new bill, which went into effect on August 1, 2009, will provide education benefits for service members who have served on active duty for 90 or more days since Sept. 10, 2001. How much the bill will benefits an individual’s education is based on the number of days served on active duty.
This new bill also includes the National Guard and reserve service members, which was something not offered on the previous bill.
One educational benefit in particular offers to pay all of your tuition and fees. The new GI Bill includes the Yellow Ribbon Program which helps students avoid some or all of the out-of-pocket tuition and fees. This Program does not include every school, and the school must enter agreement with the VA to share the expense. There is also a criteria the service member must meet in order to be eligible for these benefits. You must serve a total of 36 months, as an active duty service member. The only exception is if you are honorably discharged from active duty service due to a service-connected disability and have served a minimum of 30 continuous days.
There are many more educational benefits that this Bill offers that every student interested in joining the armed services should look in to. Even if you do not qualify for the full scholarship you could qualify for other benefits and receive some payment through your college years.
