by our College Data Analytics TeamHow much of the cost at Carnegie Mellon will the G.I. Bill® cover? 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 Carnegie Mellon. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $63,829 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $43,594 |
Because the Post-9/11 tuition benefit is capped near $20,235 per year, tuition above the cap is the veterans responsibility at Carnegie Mellon.
Through the Yellow Ribbon Program, Carnegie Mellon University and the VA share the cost of tuition above the Post-9/11 cap. Roughly 77 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 Carnegie Mellon falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $1,040 |  |
| Out-of-state | $1,040 | |
On top of tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® provides a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for the months you are in school. The table compares the housing benefit to estimated living expenses at Carnegie Mellon.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $15,658 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,307/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $18,456 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $2,798 |
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 Carnegie Mellon run about $1,000, so the stipend covers them in full.
Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to Carnegie Mellon.
In the latest reporting year, about 119 veterans received Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition payments of $2,731,459.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 102 | $2,985,806 | $29,273 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 32 | $1,068,818 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 70 | $1,916,988 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 1 | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 1 | $2,500 | — |
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.