by our College Data Analytics TeamHow much of the cost at Digipen will the G.I. Bill® cover? 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 Digipen. Housing and book benefits are covered separately below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $37,400 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $17,165 |
Because the Post-9/11 tuition benefit is capped near $20,235 per year, tuition above the cap is the veterans responsibility at Digipen.
Through the Yellow Ribbon Program, DigiPen Institute of Technology and the VA share the cost of tuition above the Post-9/11 cap. In the most recent year, about 40 students received Yellow Ribbon awards at this school.
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 Digipen falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $0 |  |
| Out-of-state | $0 | |
Beyond tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® pays a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) while you are enrolled. Here is how that benefit compares to the estimated cost of living at Digipen.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $16,240 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $3,174/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $25,392 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $9,152 |
At this school the academic-year housing benefit exceeds typical living costs, so most full-time students come out ahead. 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 $2,140 in supply costs at Digipen, leaving about $1,140 out of pocket.
Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to Digipen.
Roughly 62 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $1,317,926.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 57 | $1,548,208 | $27,162 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 56 | $1,517,008 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 1 | $31,200 | — |
GI Bill® benefits follow the veteran; DoD Tuition Assistance is an active-duty benefit paid while serving.
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.