News Releases

Alma Welcomes Veterans Via Yellow Ribbon Program

Alma College is one of the more than 1,000 colleges and universities across the nation that have joined the Yellow Ribbon Program, a federal effort to help military veterans attend college.

Under the program, qualified veterans who meet Alma College’s admissions requirements are able to attend tuition-free, plus receive stipends for books and living expenses. There is no cap on the number of Yellow Ribbon participants who may attend Alma.

“The Yellow Ribbon Program gives veterans and their families the opportunity to participate in higher education,” says Chris Brown, director of financial assistance at Alma College.  “We appreciate the sacrifices that military members make for our country. Given students have a lot of choice in higher education, this benefit levels the cost differences between public universities and private colleges, which generally offer a more personalized educational experience.”

Veterans who have served at least 36 months of active duty following Sept. 10, 2001 are eligible for the funding provided by the program. Also eligible are veterans who were honorably discharged for a service-connected disability and served 30 continuous days after Sept. 10, 2001.

Sponsored by the Department of Veteran Affairs, the Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. Under the program, the government matches the amount of financial aid pledged by participating colleges above the base educational benefits provided by the GI Bill. An institution can contribute up to 50 percent of tuition expenses, and the VA will match that amount.

Click here for more information about Alma eligibility and enrollment.

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Alma College students have experiential learning opportunities in Washington, D.C. and around the world through the College’s partnership with the Osgood Center for International Studies. The Osgood Center offers annual leadership, business and foreign policy conferences for college students on contemporary international issues.

 

Student Profile

Kelsee Miles

Kelsee Miles
Graduation: 2013
Major: Athletic Training

For an athlete like Hanover senior Kelsee Miles, it wasn’t much of a stretch to major in athletic training.

“I’ve always been involved in athletics, and I always want to be,” she says. “It’s like a puzzle—if someone has an injury, you have to do tests to figure out what’s wrong.”