by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to Alma for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? GI Bill® benefits are limited and differ by school, so the specifics matter.
Below is the gap between the Post-9/11 tuition benefit and the cost at Alma. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $47,430 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $27,195 |
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 Alma.
Alma College participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which can cover tuition and fees beyond the Post-9/11 GI Bill® cap through matching funds from the school and the VA. Roughly 1 students used Yellow Ribbon benefits here in the latest reporting year.
Available Yellow Ribbon seats and maximum contributions differ by program and degree level — check with the veteran services office for current limits.
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 Alma falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $0 |  |
| Out-of-state | $0 | |
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 Alma.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $9,154 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $1,539/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $12,312 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $3,158 |
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.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® pays a books-and-supplies stipend of up to $1,000 per year. Estimated book and supply costs at Alma run about $850, so the stipend covers them in full.
This is the real volume of GI Bill® and military tuition benefits paid out at Alma.
Roughly 7 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $140,963.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 5 | $126,156 | $25,231 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 5 | $126,156 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 3 | $11,500 | $3,833 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 3 | $11,500 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 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.