The venerable GI Bill is getting a boost from Washington, the White House announced yesterday.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill’s Yellow Ribbon Program is giving veterans the most generous educational benefits since the original GI Bill was implemented in 1944, the White House said in a statement.

Sixty-three Illinois colleges, including  nearly 30 in Chicago, are participating in the program, which funds some veterans’ tuition, which matching contributions from the federal government.

“Sixty-five years ago, a grateful nation offered a generation of World War II heroes the chance to go to college,” said President Barack Obama, in the statement. “The original GI Bill paved the way to a better life for millions of veterans and their families while building the foundation of the American middle class. Today, the Post-9/11 GI Bill is affording a new generation of heroes a 21st century version of that same opportunity.”

Local schools taking part in the Yellow Ribbon Program are:

Adler School of Professional Psychology

Argosy University

Calumet College of St. Joseph

Chicago State University

Columbia College

Cooking & Hospitality Institute of Chicago

DePaul University

DeVry University

Ellis University

Harrington College of Design

Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago

Illinois Institute of Technology

International Academy of Design and Technology

Kendall College

Loyola University

North Park University

Robert Morris University

Roosevelt University

Saint Xavier University

Art Institute of Chicago

Shimer College

University of Chicago

VanderCook College of Music

Westwood College – O’Hare

Westwood College of Technology