Veterans Benefits
Read on for information about the Post 9/11 GI Bill® and Yellow Ribbon Program for Undergraduate Students.
"How do veterans benefits work at Duke?"
For undergraduate students, veterans benefits may be applied to the family contribution to cover Duke’s full cost of attendance. In instances where the benefit would cause a student’s aid to be greater than Duke’s full cost of attendance, students will retain any federal aid in excess of the cost of attendance, and Duke’s grant assistance will be reduced such that the combination of VA benefits and Duke’s grant support covers all expenses. Once we have the approved notification from our VA Certifying Official and all data has been validated, we will update financial aid to include the benefit amounts for our VA students.
The Office of the Registrar has provided step-by-step instructions regarding how to apply for your VA benefits.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Yellow Ribbon Program Description
Trinity College and the Pratt School of Engineering are proud participants in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which is an enhancement of the Post 9-11 Veteran's Educational Assistance Act of 2008. Yellow Ribbon awards are available to qualifying veterans or children of veterans (when the benefits have been transferred). Trinity and Pratt will each contribute up to $5,000 in Yellow Ribbon scholarship support and the VA will provide up to $5,000 in additional funding.
Trinity College awards 25 Yellow Ribbon scholarships each year.
Pratt School of Engineering awards 8 Yellow Ribbon scholarships each year.
For initial application procedures, please visit our Registrar’s website on Veterans Benefits.
Once a student is granted a Yellow Ribbon Scholarship, he/she will keep that scholarship for each year until enrollment as an undergraduate at Duke ceases, as long as the student continues to receive GI benefits. When the student's GI Bill benefits expire, the student will no longer receive the Yellow Ribbon award.
After returning students have received funding, awards are then made to new students. A waitlist is established on a “first-come, first-served” basis, according to Post 9/11 GI benefit and Yellow Ribbon regulations.
The date we use to establish when the application has been received by our Certifying Official is the date stamp on the Certificate of Eligibility which must be submitted to the Duke University School Certifying Official (SCO) in the Office of the Registrar. Certificates of Eligibility must be obtained from the Veterans Administration and can be submitted via email to veteranseducation@duke.edu or by fax to 919-684-4500.
Only veterans deemed 100% eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, as determined by service requirements, or their designated transferees may receive this funding. Child transferees of active duty service members may be eligible if the service member is qualified at the 100% rate.
Although the Department of Veterans Affairs is ultimately responsible for determining eligibility for the Yellow Ribbon Program, here are the eligibility criteria pertinent to the veteran:
- Veterans must be 100% eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill
- Veterans must not be on active duty, nor may you be a spouse using transferred entitlement
- Veterans must have served an aggregate period of 36 months in active duty after Sept. 10, 2001 or were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability and served 30 continuous days after Sept. 10, 2001.
- You are a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill based on the service eligibility criteria listed above.
At 100% eligibility, the following tables estimate the Post 9/11 GI-Bill & Yellow Ribbon benefit payout for your program. Please note, the Post 9-11 Chapter 33 funds are paid entirely in the fall term and by necessity the Yellow Ribbon funding is split unevenly to pay the remaining portion of tuition and fees in the fall before rolling over into spring (see chart below for current year funding splits).
Students and parent veterans should plan accordingly for spring expenses and should contact us if they have any questions about how the funds will arrive and be paid toward the student account.
| Fall | Spring | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition & Fees | $29,099.00 | $29,099.00 |
| Less Chpt. 33 Payment | -$24,476.79 | -$0.00 |
| Balance After Chpt. 33 | $4,662.21 | $29,099.00 |
| Less Yellow Ribbon - VA | -$2,331.11 | -$2,668.89 |
| Less Yellow Ribbon - Duke | -$2,331.10 | -$2,668.90 |
| Final Tuition/Fee Cost | $0.00 | $23,761.21 |
Note: If qualifying students are enrolled in health insurance it increases the mandatory fees and allows for more of the Yellow Ribbon to pay in the fall.