Private colleges balk at new G.I. Bill

Days before a June 15 deadline, 521 private colleges had signed modest-to-grand “Yellow Ribbon” agreements under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit, making these higher-priced schools more affordable to at least some Iraq and Afghanistan war-era veterans who qualify for admission.

But more than half of private colleges nationwide apparently will balk at entering Yellow Ribbon deals, at least for the 2009-2010 academic year.

The final tally could disappoint veterans who hoped to see their new GI Bill entitlement enhanced