by our College Data Analytics TeamHow much of the cost at Cal State LA will the G.I. Bill® cover? The answer depends on the school — benefits are capped and the details vary, so it pays to do your research.
The table below compares the guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit to the cost of attending Cal State LA. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $6,818 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $6,818 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
For public schools, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® covers the full in-state tuition and fees, so eligible veterans typically owe nothing toward tuition at Cal State LA.
Cal State LA is not listed as a Yellow Ribbon participant in current federal reporting. 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 Cal State LA falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $1,080 |  |
| Out-of-state | $1,080 | |
On top of tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® provides a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for the months you are in school. Here is how that benefit compares to the estimated cost of living at Cal State LA.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $19,539 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $3,864/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $30,912 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $11,373 |
The benefit generally more than covers off-campus living costs here. MHA amounts reflect the local housing rate for the school’s area.
Eligible veterans receive up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies; Cal State LA estimates these costs at about $1,011, leaving about $11 out of pocket.
These figures show the GI Bill® and DoD Tuition Assistance dollars veterans and service members actually used at Cal State LA.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 140 | $640,429 | $4,574 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 117 | $439,290 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 23 | $201,139 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 2 | $4,096 | $2,048 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 2 | $4,096 | — |
| 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.