by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to Central Penn for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? The answer depends on the school — benefits are capped and the details vary, so it pays to do your research.
Below is the gap between the Post-9/11 tuition benefit and the cost at Central Penn. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $19,404 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $19,404 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
Tuition and fees here fall within the annual Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefit, so eligible veterans typically owe nothing toward tuition at Central Penn.
Through the Yellow Ribbon Program, Central Penn College and the VA share the cost of tuition above the Post-9/11 cap. In the most recent year, about 3 students received Yellow Ribbon awards at this school.
Seat counts and matching amounts change by program each year; verify the details with the schools military and veteran services team.
Active-duty service members using DoD Tuition Assistance are capped at $250 per credit hour. The chart below shows whether the per-credit charge at Central Penn falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $510 |  |
| Out-of-state | $510 | |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® also covers housing through a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA). The table compares the housing benefit to estimated living expenses at Central Penn.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $5,750 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,133/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $17,064 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $11,314 |
At this school the academic-year housing benefit exceeds typical living costs, so most full-time students come out ahead. The MHA is based on the school’s ZIP code and is paid at the full-time rate for resident students.
Eligible veterans receive up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies; Central Penn estimates these costs at about $1,500, leaving about $500 out of pocket.
These figures show the GI Bill® and DoD Tuition Assistance dollars veterans and service members actually used at Central Penn.
Approximately 33 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $347,517.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 33 | $334,998 | $10,151 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 30 | $306,265 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 3 | $28,733 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 2 | $8,000 | $4,000 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 2 | $8,000 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 0 | $0 | — |
GI Bill® dollars are paid on the veterans behalf, while DoD Tuition Assistance supports active-duty service members.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at benefits.va.gov/gibill.