by our College Data Analytics TeamWondering what the G.I. Bill® actually covers at Bridgewater? 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 Bridgewater. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $41,350 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $21,115 |
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 Bridgewater.
Bridgewater College is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap. Roughly 15 students used Yellow Ribbon benefits here in the latest reporting year.
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 Bridgewater falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $40 |  |
| Out-of-state | $40 | |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® also covers housing through a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA). Here is how that benefit compares to the estimated cost of living at Bridgewater.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $11,975 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,163/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $17,304 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $5,329 |
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.
With a Post-9/11 book stipend of up to $1,000 per year, the estimated $905 in supply costs at Bridgewater, so the stipend covers them in full.
These figures show the GI Bill® and DoD Tuition Assistance dollars veterans and service members actually used at Bridgewater.
Approximately 28 veterans received Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition payments of $305,392.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 23 | $587,145 | $25,528 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 23 | $587,145 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 1 | $4,000 | $4,000 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 1 | $4,000 | — |
| 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.