Veteran Benefits

Ahmanson Foundation Veteran Initiative

The Ahmanson Veteran Scholarship Initiative provides funding to twenty-four private colleges and institutions in California with the goal of enrolling, supporting, and helping veterans graduate from college.

Thanks to the Ahmanson Foundation, veteran students who attend Occidental have the opportunity to graduate without student loan debt. See Veteran Student – Ahmanson Sample Award below for more details.

Yellow Ribbon Benefit Program

In collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Occidental is able to assist veterans and their spouse/dependents through the Yellow Ribbon program, which assists students with tuition and fees.

Students must qualify under the Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) in order to receive this benefit and have 100% eligibility for benefits.

Eligibility

Only veterans entitled to the maximum benefit rate (based on service requirements) or their designated transferees (spouse or dependent children) may receive this funding. Active duty service members and their spouses are not eligible for this program (child transferees of active duty service members may be eligible if the service member is qualified at the 100% rate).

Therefore, you may be eligible if:

• You served an aggregate period of active duty after September 10, 2001, of at least 36 months.
• You were honorably discharged from active duty for a service connected disability and you served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001.
• You 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.

Benefit Amount

Payment rates for the 2024 - 2025 academic year (August 1, 2024 - July 31, 2025) are up to $28,937.09 (national maximum).

Sample Awards

A veteran student with 100% service eligibility or their transferee (spouse/dependents) will qualify for the annual maximum of $28,937.09 in a Post 9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit for 2024 - 2025. Rates for subsequent years are typically made available by the VA in June.

The Yellow Ribbon Benefits will then cover the remaining cost of tuition and fees that are not covered by the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. In the case of Occidental College, for the 2024 - 2025 academic year, tuition & fees are $33,137 per semester. The Post 9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit pays the full amount ($28,937.09) during the fall semester, resulting in a larger Yellow Ribbon benefit for the spring semester (see example below).

Spouse/Dependent(s) of Veterans- Sample Award

Fall 2024	Cost	Spring 2025	Cost
Tuition	$32,839	Tuition	$32,839
Fees	$298.00	Fees	$298.00
Total	$33,137	Total	$33,137
Post 9/11 GI Bill® (100% fall)	$28,937	Post 9/11 GI Bill®	$0
VA Yellow Ribbon	$2,100	VA Yellow Ribbon	$16,568.50
Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$2,100	Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$16,568.50
Student Tuition & Fees Responsibility	$0	Student Tuition & Fees Responsibility	$0

 

Veteran Student- Ahmanson Sample Award

In addition to the Post 9/11 VA tuition benefit and Yellow Ribbon program benefit, through the generous support and donations from the Ahmanson Foundation, veterans (not spouse or dependents) attending Occidental College will receive additional funding to help them meet the full cost of attendance.

** Subject to change based on available funding and number of qualified veterans**

***Students qualifying for any aid or assistance designated for the sole purpose of reducing a student's tuition and fees, will see a reduction in the Ahmanson Veterans Scholarship for the amount of this assistance. The student's full cost of attendance will still be met by the combination of all awards.***

Fall 2024 On-Campus	Cost	Spring 2025 On-Campus	Cost
Tuition	$32,839	Tuition	$32,839
Fees	$298.00	Fees	$298.00
Food & Housing, books & supplies, and personal/miscellaneous expenses	$11,255	Food & Housing, books & supplies, and personal/miscellaneous expenses	$11,255
Total	$44,392	Total	$44,392
Post 9/11 GI Bill® (100% fall)	$28,937	Post 9/11 GI Bill®	$0
VA Yellow Ribbon	$2,100	VA Yellow Ribbon	$16,568.50
Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$2,100	Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$16,568.50
Ahmanson Veteran's Scholarship	$11,255	Ahmanson Veteran's Scholarship	$11,255
Student Total Cost of Attendance Responsibility	$0	Student Total Cost of Attendance Responsibility	$0

 

Fall 2024 Off-Campus	Cost	Spring 2025 Off-Campus	Cost
Tuition	$32,839	Tuition	$32,839
Fees	$298.00	Fees	$298.00
Food & Housing, books & supplies, and personal/miscellaneous expenses	$9,352	Food & Housing, books & supplies, and personal/miscellaneous expenses	$9,352
Total	$42,489	Total	$42,489
Post 9/11 GI Bill® (100% fall)	$28,937	Post 9/11 GI Bill®	$28,937
VA Yellow Ribbon	$2,100	VA Yellow Ribbon	$16,568.50
Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$2,100	Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$16,568.50
Ahmanson Veteran's Scholarship	$9,352	Ahmanson Veteran's Scholarship	$9,352
Student Total Cost of Attendance Responsibility	$0	Student Total Cost of Attendance Responsibility	$0

 

On-campus and off-campus budgets are based on the cost of attendance set by the college each academic year. The on-campus housing and food budget is based on the average cost of living on-campus with meal plan B. The off-campus budget is based on a survey that assesed the cost of living in Southern California.

Veterans receiving Ahmanson funds will be asked to participate in special events through the Ahmanson Foundation.

Steps to Receive Financial Aid and Activate VA Benefits

Veterans and their spouse/dependent(s) that qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit and Yellow Ribbon program may also qualify for other types of Financial Aid. Since the Post 9/11 GI Bill® and Yellow Ribbon programs combined only cover the cost of tuition and fees, students that require additional assistance to help cover housing, food, books and supplies are encouraged to apply for need-based financial aid.

To be considered for need-based federal, state, and institutional financial aid, the student must complete a financial aid application. Instructions for completing aid applications for first-years, transfers, and returning/current students are available online.

To activate VA benefits , the student must submit the Certificate of Eligibility  (which can be obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs) to the Office of Financial Aid. The Office of Financial Aid will then notify the 'school certifying official', James Herr, Registrar, of the student's eligibility. The school certifying official will submit the request for funding to the VA.