by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to MECC for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? GI Bill® benefits are limited and differ by school, so the specifics matter.
The table below compares the guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit to the cost of attending MECC. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $4,863 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $4,863 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
Public-college veterans generally have their entire in-state tuition paid by the Post-9/11 GI Bill® at MECC.
Federal data does not indicate that MECC currently participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Contact the veteran services office to confirm whether any programs offer Yellow Ribbon matching.
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 MECC falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $4 |  |
| Out-of-state | $30 | |
On top of tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® provides a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for the months you are in school. Below, the academic-year housing benefit is set against the estimated living costs at MECC.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $4,500 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $1,446/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $11,568 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $7,068 |
For most full-time students the housing allowance covers the cost of living off campus, with money left over. 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; MECC 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 MECC.
Approximately 23 students drew Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefits totaling $58,983.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 0 | $0 | — |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 0 | $0 | — |
These are federal education benefits — the Post-9/11 GI Bill® for veterans and DoD Tuition Assistance for active-duty 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.