Indiana State University Newsroom

Indiana State University is expanding its commitment to returning veterans by extending financial aid to out-of-state servicemen and women looking to continue their education.

ISU was the first public university in the state - and among the first in the nation - to offer one semester of free in-state tuition for servicemen and women returning from overseas deployment and enrolling full time for fall 2009. Now, the university is partnering with the federal government's Yellow Ribbon Program to provide returning servicemen and women from other states with up to $1,000 per year toward the cost of out-of-state tuition, with the award eligible for federal matching funds, or a total of up to $2,000 per year.

"All of us our grateful for the sacrifices veterans and their families have made and we believe colleges and universities should do everything possible to help them complete a college degree," said John Beacon, vice president for enrollment management, marketing and communications.

With Indiana State's campus located just seven miles from the state line, veterans from Illinois will especially benefit from ISU's participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, Beacon said.

Indiana State's veteran's benefit was put in place one year ago and was intended to pay the first semester (fall 2009) tuition. Congress later amended the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act to provide in-state undergraduate tuition for eligible veterans. At that time, ISU officials decided to apply an amount equal to the cost of one semester's tuition to other direct educational expenses incurred by veterans who were honorably discharged, deployed overseas any time in 2008-09 and enrolled full time this fall.

Targeting those veterans who choose to attend an out-of-state or private institution, and thus incur higher tuition expenses, the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program allows colleges and universities to enter into an agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs to fund tuition expenses that exceed the cost of in-state undergraduate tuition. The institution can contribute up to 50 percent of those expenses and VA will match the same amount.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is available to qualified veterans for the 2009-10 school year and beyond. Veterans from any branch of service, including regular military and National Guard, are eligible for both the Yellow Ribbon Program and the additional one-semester ISU educational benefit.

Veterans interested in attending Indiana State University should contact Michael Caress, veteran's services coordinator in the Office of Admissions, at 812-237-2540 or mcaress@isugw.indstate.edu

Media contact and writer: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu