by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to Widener for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? Coverage is not unlimited and varies school to school, so the fine print is worth checking.
The table below compares the guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit to the cost of attending Widener. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $53,638 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $33,403 |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® limits the annual tuition benefit to roughly $20,235, so tuition beyond that is out of pocket (or covered by Yellow Ribbon) at Widener.
Widener University is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap. In the most recent year, about 7 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 Widener falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $540 |  |
| Out-of-state | $540 | |
Beyond tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® pays a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) while you are enrolled. The table compares the housing benefit to estimated living expenses at Widener.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $8,766 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,682/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $21,456 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $12,690 |
The benefit generally more than covers off-campus living costs here. Your actual MHA depends on your rate of pursuit and the school’s location.
With a Post-9/11 book stipend of up to $1,000 per year, the estimated $1,408 in supply costs at Widener, leaving about $408 out of pocket.
Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to Widener.
Roughly 47 veterans received Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition payments of $657,249.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 54 | $1,153,290 | $21,357 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 25 | $461,206 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 29 | $692,084 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 0 | $0 | — |
| 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.