Starting this fall semester, veterans eligible for the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill© Yellow Ribbon Program will have their Mitchell Hamline School of Law education paid for in full.
Veterans who served at least three years in active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, and who attend law school full time, can have their tuition and fees fully covered by a combination of funds from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA’s Yellow Ribbon Program, and Mitchell Hamline.
There is no limit to the number of qualifying students who can take advantage of the program.
In the past, the VA paid a portion of an eligible veteran’s Mitchell Hamline tuition, the school paid $1,000, and the Yellow Ribbon Program matched that contribution. Veterans paid the remainder of each semester’s tuition bill. Under the new system, the Yellow Ribbon Program and Mitchell Hamline will fully cover the portion of tuition and fees not provided through the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill for eligible veterans.
President and Dean Mark C. Gordon says Mitchell Hamline is pleased to be able increase its support for veterans.
“We all owe a great debt to everyone serving our country,” Gordon says. “This is a small way to help in showing our gratitude.”
Sarah Hogfoss of Fargo, N.D., served in the U.S. Army from 2009 to 2012. When Hogfoss, 35, starts her second year at Mitchell Hamline this fall, her tuition and fees will be paid for.
“I’m really happy with this change,” Hogfoss says. “I won’t have to take out additional student loans to cover the remaining balance of my tuition, and I won’t have to pay out-of-pocket tuition for J-term and summer courses.”
According to Mitchell Hamline Assistant Director of Financial Aid Nick Anderson, this arrangement is available to any eligible full-time student veteran. While other private law schools around the country offer to match VA funds to pay veterans’ full tuition and fees, many restrict how many students are eligible.
“Many schools have a cap on the number of students they will offer this to,” Anderson says. “Some also have an application process that is first-come, first-served, so only early applicants get the benefit. We want to maximize every eligible student’s benefit, since it is a benefit they have earned.”
During the 2016-17 academic year, 10 Mitchell Hamline students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
More information on Mitchell Hamline’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program can be found on the school’s website.