Date: Jun 26, 2009

Hofstra University Joins The Yellow Ribbon Program to Cover Tuition Costs for Veterans of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Their Dependents

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY …Hofstra University has announced its participation in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. This program allows degree granting institutions of higher learning in the United States to enter into an agreement with the VA to subsidize tuition expenses for veterans of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and their dependents. The institutions can contribute up to 50 percent of those expenses, and the VA will match the same amount as the institution. Tuition expenses covered under the Yellow Ribbon Program are those that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate.

“Hofstra is very proud to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program,” said Jessica Eads, vice president for enrollment management and dean of admission. “Many of the students who will come to us through this program have had to put their academic interests on hold while serving their country. Hofstra University is very excited about having the opportunity to help these men and women pursue and complete their studies.”

The Yellow Ribbon Program at Hofstra will begin with the fall 2009 semester and will be available to students wishing to pursue a bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral or law degree. Through the program, Hofstra has agreed to accept 100 undergraduate, 75 graduate and 15 law students who meet the University’s regular admissions standards. These students will work with a specially-assigned advisement counselor who will ease their transition into Hofstra’s academic community. The students will be able to choose from Hofstra’s 145 undergraduate and 155 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business, communication, engineering, education and allied human services. Hofstra Law School is ranked among the Top 100 law schools nationwide, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2010.”

According to the VA, participants must be:

•    Veterans who served an aggregate period of active duty after September 10, 2001, of at least 36 months
•    Those who were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability, who served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001
•    Those who are a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill based on a veteran’s service under the eligibility criteria listed above.

To attend Hofstra University under the Yellow Ribbon Program, applicants must also meet Hofstra’s current admission standards.

For information about Hofstra’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program contact Ms. Harleigh Gastman of Student Financial Services at (516) 463-4467. Hofstra will host an Information Session on the Yellow Ribbon Program on Thursday, July 16, 2009. To register visit www.hofstra.edu/yellowribbon . Click on the "Information Session" icon on the right side of the page.

For more information on the bill and who is eligible, visit the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Web site at www.gibill.va.gov/GI_BILL_Info/CH33/Yellow_ribbon.htm.

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Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 145 undergraduate and 155 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business, communication, engineering, education and allied human services, and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. With a student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1, our professors teach small classes averaging 22 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students’ interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations. The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.

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