Military & Veterans Education Assistance

Designated as a Yellow Ribbon School, a Veteran Friendly School, as well as Military Friendly, Augustana University is committed to assisting veterans in their pursuit of postsecondary education. The university also participates in the Air Force ROTC programs for students who are interested in military careers. Veterans and their families can utilize the traditional GI Bill® as well as the Post 911 GI Bill benefits for education at Augustana. In instances where the student has previously been offered gift assistance by the University, any prior offer of institutional gift assistance may be adjusted. In accordance with Augustana residential financial aid policy, no refunds of Augustana funds will be issued.

The following serves as formulation of policy with regard to these financial assistance programs:

South Dakota National Guard Tuition Assistance

South Dakota National Guard members may be eligible to receive South Dakota State Tuition Assistance for enrollment in undergraduate programs at Augustana. If you are eligible for South Dakota Tuition Assistance and would like to learn more about this program at Augustana, email financial.aid@augie.edu. 

Active Duty Deployment Policy

Federal Tuition Assistance 

Joaquin J. Andujar Endowed Scholarship

Sergeant Major (SGM) Joaquin (Jei) Andujar served our country in the United States Army for 26 years, most recently as part of Mortuary Affairs. He was a decorated combat veteran and humanitarian. In his honor, Jei's wife Tara has set up a memorial scholarship fund for full-time university students who are veterans of the military, spouses and/or children of veterans, or active duty personnel pursuing a major in nursing or a Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN). For more information regarding the scholarship, contact Tresse Evenson, assistant vice president of Financial Aid, at 605.274.5216 or at financial.aid@augie.edu.

ROTC

Students who enroll in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) may qualify for generous scholarships through the ROTC program. Coordination of these benefits with university-offered benefits will be at the discretion of the university.

Air Force ROTC Scholarships at Augustana

  • Available to: Current high school seniors who plan to enroll at Augustana. Must demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential, outstanding character and extracurricular involvement; ACT composite score of 26 or 1240 SAT score required for application. Interviews are required after application submission and applicants must also complete the Air Force fitness test. More details can be found at the US Air Force ROTC Website
  • Amount available: Unlimited number of scholarships at $18,000 each for tuition and fees. Scholarship awarded over four years
  • Application form: Between June – January of senior year in high school
  • Begin Application

Yellow Ribbon Program

Veterans or their dependents who are declared eligible for the Yellow Ribbon program by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs may apply for the Augustana University Yellow Ribbon program. Veterans or their dependents must qualify at the 100% level, with the veteran having served a minimum of 36 months active duty. Each year, the university reserves the right to renew its Yellow Ribbon agreement with the Department of Veteran Affairs. Eligible veterans and their dependents are accepted into the Augustana Yellow Ribbon Program on a first come, first-served basis, pending acceptance for admission to the university. Yellow Ribbon benefits apply only to undergraduate programs, do not apply to summer terms, and may be limited for study abroad.

Complaint Policy for Students Receiving VA Education Benefits

For students receiving VA education benefits, any complaint against the school should be routed through the VA GI Bill Feedback System by going to benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/Feedback.asp. The VA will then follow up through the appropriate channels to investigate the complaint and resolve it satisfactorily.

The Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-407) was signed into law on Dec. 31, 2018. In compliance with this law, Augustana allows GI Bill and VR&E beneficiaries (Chapter 33 and Chapter 31 beneficiaries) to attend a course of education or training for up to 90 days from the date the beneficiary provides a certificate of eligibility, or valid VAF 28-1905. This allows a student to attend the course until VA provides payment to the institution. Augustana will not impose a penalty, or require the beneficiary to borrow additional funds to cover tuition and fees due to late payments from VA. 

For more specific information on individual Veteran Education Programs, contact the Department of Veterans Affairs, South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs or your unit's education office.

For Augustana-specific questions:

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