Veterans Financial Aid Initiative

Supporting Brown’s Commitment to Veterans

Veterans who apply to Brown demonstrate great curiosity about the world, consistent dedication to skill development, and a desire to serve others. Many want to pursue leadership in the next phase of their careers, and the University wants to support them. Because student veterans often weren't afforded the opportunity to take a direct route from high school to college, Brown’s veteran initiatives take into account the unique circumstances and challenges these students face. 

In 2019, Brown announced plans to double the number of U.S. military veterans enrolled as Brown undergraduates by 2024. To reach this goal and ensure these talented students view Brown as an option for higher education, the University is:

• Extending need-blind admission to include prospective students who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. (These students are often admitted under Brown’s Resumed Undergraduate Education program or as transfers from another institution, both of which take a need-aware approach to admission.)
• Eliminating the estimated family contribution for student-veterans and replacing it with scholarship
• Strengthening recruiting through partnership with Service to School and other programs
• Making standardized test scores optional for veterans in the admission process
• Maintaining a strong alumni veteran-to-student veteran mentoring program and establishing a peer-to-peer veteran mentoring program in spring of 2021 
• Increasing the amount of the Yellow Ribbon Match with the Veterans Administration, which combined with their general VA educational benefit, covers the full cost of tuition and fees for student-veterans. 
• Raising $25 million in financial support specifically for veterans

Unlike traditional first-year students, veterans applying to Brown are at different stages in their lives. Many come from low-income backgrounds, have families to support, or are dealing with physical and mental health concerns. As a result, a robust financial aid package is often the single most important factor for military veterans considering Brown. 

The Veterans Financial Aid Initiative supplements the resources offered through the Post-9/11 GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program and enables Brown to meet 100% of the total cost of attendance for qualified veterans. The initiative has raised the number of undergraduate student-veterans to 26 in the 2020-21 academic year and 37 in 2021-22.

Gifts to this initiative through the BrownTogether campaign will ensure that Brown does not miss out on the breadth and depth of perspectives that veterans bring to the student body. This goal aligns with the aims of the University’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, and its campus-wide commitment to supporting meaningful inclusion throughout the Brown community.

For information about the Veterans Financial Aid Initiative, contact:

Shelley Roth P’17, P’20
Director of Development for Academic Initiatives
+1 (401) 863-6162
shelley_roth@brown.edu