CU, Naropa to participate in scholarship program for veterans

Brittany Anas

The Daily Camera

Posted: 06/28/2009 02:46:00 AM MDT

BOULDER, Colo. -

The University of Colorado and Boulder's Buddhist-inspired Naropa University are among the 700 schools nationwide voluntarily partnering with the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer scholarships to veterans.

The reformed, post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistant Act covers public in-state tuition for undergraduate veterans. But schools enrolled in the VA's "Yellow Ribbon Program" provide more tuition dollars for students with higher costs, such as veterans enrolled at private colleges or in graduate programs.

Under the program, the government will pay up to the highest in-state tuition and then match what the schools contribute. Veterans Affairs will publish a final list of schools participating in the program on Tuesday.

Naropa University, a private school, is offering 25 undergraduate scholarships that are each worth $10,000, according to Veterans Affairs. The school is also offering 25 graduate student scholarships for $5,000.

At CU, the Leeds School of Business will offer five scholarships up to $2,000, said Gwen Pomper, director of financial aid. The university will offer an additional 10 scholarships up to $5,000.

Pomper said the scholarships show the school's commitment to veterans, who sometimes relocate after their deployments.

"I think we're always interested in assisting our veteran population and this is another way of providing some financial support," she said.

Students eligible for the program must have served three years after Sept. 10, 2001.

The Boulder campus has approximately 400 undergraduate and graduate students who are military veterans.

Earlier this month, Gov. Bill Ritter signed House Bill 1039, which intends to make college more affordable by making active-duty military members, their families and honorably discharged veterans eligible for in-state tuition.

The combination of Colorado's new law -- plus schools' enrollment in the Yellow Ribbon program -- will open up educational choices for veterans, said retired Marine Col. Greg Akers, who is the director of the Office of Veterans' Affairs at CU.

"It's leveled the playing field," he said. "It's just as cheap to go to a large prestigious university like the University of Colorado at Boulder as it is to go to smaller, less-known institutions."

The university will also be able to offer more financial aid to veteran-graduate students.

About 40 Colorado schools are enrolled in the Yellow Ribbon program, including CU's Colorado Springs campus, the University of Northern Colorado, the University of Denver, Western State College, Regis University and Mesa State University. A full list of participating colleges can be found on the Veterans Affair Web site at www.va.gov.

Contact Camera Staff Writer Brittany Anas at (303) 473-1132 or anasb@dailycamera.com.