Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefit Estimator

How to do it

1. 1
   Choose your tier and school type

   Select your benefit percentage and a public, private or online school.

2. 2
   Enter tuition and housing

   Type the yearly tuition and fees and your housing allowance for the school's ZIP code.

3. 3
   Enter credits and months

   Enter your credits, the credits for a full load and the months you attend.

4. 4
   Add the Yellow Ribbon and remaining months

   Enter any Yellow Ribbon amount and the entitlement months you have left.

5. 5
   Read the estimate

   See tuition, housing, books, any gap and the entitlement used.

About this tool

The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays tuition and fees directly to the school, a monthly housing allowance to the student and an annual book stipend, with the share depending on how much active-duty service you have. This estimator takes your benefit tier, the type of school, the yearly tuition, the housing allowance for your school's ZIP code, your credits and the months you attend, and shows the amount for tuition, housing and books, any gap above the private school cap, and the entitlement months used. Rates are in an editable table.

Who this is for Veterans and service members choosing a school, family members who use transferred benefits and advisers at school veterans offices. It gives a first picture of what the benefit would cover and what you may have to pay yourself.

What the benefit pays **Tuition and fees:** paid to the school. For a public school in the student's state they are paid in full for the 100 percent tier; for a private or foreign school the yearly cap applies, $30,908.34 in the 2026-27 academic year according to published rates. A lower tier pays that percentage.

**Monthly housing allowance (MHA):** equal to the basic allowance for housing of an E-5 with dependents at the school's ZIP code, paid in proportion to your tier and your rate of pursuit. Students who take only online classes receive a lower flat amount. You enter the MHA yourself, since it depends on the location.

**Book and supply stipend:** $41.67 per credit up to $1,000 for the academic year, paid in proportion to the tier.

Benefit tier and entitlement The tier is 40 to 100 percent depending on the length of qualifying active-duty service. A full benefit lasts 36 months of enrollment. The tool shows the months used by the term you enter and what is left.

Rate of pursuit Housing is paid only when you study more than half time. It is paid in proportion to your credits compared with a full load, rounded to the nearest 10 percent. Six credits at a school where 12 is full time is exactly half time and pays no housing allowance.

Worked example A 100 percent student at a public school with $9,500 of tuition, a $1,900 housing allowance, 12 credits and 9 months of enrollment receives $9,500 for tuition, $17,100 for housing and a $1,000 book stipend, $27,600 in total, and uses 9 months of the 36 months of entitlement. At a private school with $45,000 tuition at 80 percent, the VA pays 80 percent of $30,908, about $24,727, and the student or the Yellow Ribbon program must cover the rest.

Limits Rates change every August, there are special rules for some programs and the VA decides on your eligibility. This is an estimate, not a decision.

Worked example

A 100 percent student at a public school with $9,500 tuition, a $1,900 housing allowance, 12 credits and 9 months of enrollment gets $9,500 for tuition, $17,100 for housing and $1,000 for books, $27,600 in total.