The College of St. Scholastica receives military friendly school designation; Assists veterans under the yellow ribbon program.

Release Date: 09/20/12

For the fourth consecutive year, The College of St. Scholastica has been named one of the nation's top "military friendly" schools.

The "2013 Military Friendly Schools" list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America's military service members, veterans, and spouses as students to ensure their success on campus. 

The list includes more than 1,700 schools that represent the top tier of U.S. colleges, universities and trade schools doing the most to educate America's veterans. These schools offer military students the best services, programs, discounts, scholarships, clubs, networking and staff.

"Military veterans are an under-represented group in American higher education," stated Larry Goodwin, veteran and president of St. Scholastica. "I am glad that the College is doing its best to right that wrong, through programs and services including the Yellow Ribbon campaign and the Veterans Resource Center."

Six years ago St. Scholastica opened its Veterans Resources Center on campus, which serves as a starting place for individual advisement and information about programs and services that benefit veterans, Guard members, reservists and current military members. The Center is in Tower Hall, Room 2143, on campus.

For more information about Military Friendly Schools see www.militaryfriendlyschools.com/mfspr.  For information about the College's services for veterans see www.css.edu/veterans.xml.

Eligible veteran-benefit students can also attend The College of St. Scholastica at a significantly reduced cost thanks to the school's participation in the Yellow Ribbon GI Educational Enhancement Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays eligible students' tuition and fees up to a base amount of $18,077 per year.  At St. Scholastica, eligible veteran-benefit students who enroll as undergraduate or graduate students can receive additional benefits up to a $9,000 tuition discount, which will be matched by the Department of Veterans Affairs through the Yellow Ribbon program.  In most cases, a student receiving 100 percent Post-9/11 veteran benefits can attend St. Scholastica with no out-of-pocket expenses.

A student must meet one of the following criteria to qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits:

• Served an aggregate period of active duty after Sept.10, 2001, of at least 90 days.
• Was honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability and served 30 continuous days after Sept. 10, 2001.
• Is a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill based on a veteran service under the eligibility criteria listed above.

More than 1,000 colleges and universities have reached agreements with the Department of Veterans Affairs to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

For more information about the program, visit: http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_info/ch33/yellow_ribbon.htm

To find out more about the Yellow Ribbon Program at St. Scholastica contact Jessica Johnston at (218)-723-6645 or jjohnsto@css.edu.