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, some veteran students who attend Occidental have the opportunity to graduate without student loan debt. See Veteran Student – Ahmanson Veteran's Scholarship 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 2025 - 2026 academic year (August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2026) are up to $29,920.95 (the national maximum).

Sample Awards

A veteran student with 100% service eligibility or their transferee (spouse/dependents) will qualify for the annual maximum of $29,920.95 in a Post 9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit for 2025 - 2026. 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 2025 - 2026 academic year, tuition & fees are $34,352 per semester. The Post 9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit pays the full amount ($29,920.95) 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 2025	Cost	Spring 2026	Cost
Tuition	$34,054	Tuition	$34,054
Fees	$298	Fees	$298
Total	$34,352	Total	$34,352
Post 9/11 GI Bill® (100% fall)	$29,921	Post 9/11 GI Bill®	$0
VA Yellow Ribbon	$2,216	VA Yellow Ribbon	$17,176
Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$2,215	Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$17,176
Student Tuition & Fees Responsibility	$0	Student Tuition & Fees Responsibility	$0

 

Veteran Student with- Ahmanson Veteran's Scholarship 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. These amounts are subject to change based on available funding and the number of qualified veterans enrolling.

***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 Yellow Ribbon funding.***

Fall 2025 On-Campus	Cost	Spring 2026 On-Campus	Cost
Tuition	$34,054	Tuition	$34,054
Fees	$298	Fees	$298
Food & Housing, books & supplies, and personal/miscellaneous expenses	$11,781	Food & Housing, books & supplies, and personal/miscellaneous expenses	$11,780
Total	$46,133	Total	$46,132
Post 9/11 GI Bill® (100% fall)	$29,921	Post 9/11 GI Bill®	$0
VA Yellow Ribbon	$2,216	VA Yellow Ribbon	$17,176
Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$2,215	Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$17,176
Ahmanson Veteran's Scholarship	$11,781	Ahmanson Veteran's Scholarship	$11,780
Student Total Cost of Attendance Responsibility	$0	Student Total Cost of Attendance Responsibility	$0

 

Fall 2025 Off-Campus	Cost	Spring 2026 Off-Campus	Cost
Tuition	$34,054	Tuition	$34,054
Fees	$298	Fees	$298
Food & Housing, books & supplies, and personal/miscellaneous expenses	$9,797	Food & Housing, books & supplies, and personal/miscellaneous expenses	$9,796
Total	$44,149	Total	$44,148
Post 9/11 GI Bill® (100% fall)	$29,921	Post 9/11 GI Bill®	$29,921
VA Yellow Ribbon	$2,216	VA Yellow Ribbon	$17,176
Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$2,215	Oxy Yellow Ribbon Match	$17,176
Ahmanson Veteran's Scholarship	$9,797	Ahmanson Veteran's Scholarship	$9,796
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 assessed the cost of living in Southern California.

Veterans receiving Ahmanson funds may 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', Registrar James Herr, of the student's eligibility. The school certifying official will submit the request for funding to the VA.