by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to ETSU for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? Coverage is not unlimited and varies school to school, so the fine print is worth checking.
Here is how the Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit stacks up against the published cost of attending ETSU. Living-expense and book benefits are addressed in their own sections below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $9,950 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $9,950 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
Because tuition is at or below the annual Post-9/11 benefit, the GI Bill® covers it in full at ETSU.
East Tennessee State University is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap.
The exact number of seats and the maximum contribution vary by degree level and program, so confirm the current limits with the schools veteran services office.
For active-duty students, Tuition Assistance covers up to $250 per credit hour — the indicators below show whether ETSU is below that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $131 |  |
| Out-of-state | $131 | |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® also covers housing through a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA). Below, the academic-year housing benefit is set against the estimated living costs at ETSU.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $11,938 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $1,608/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $12,864 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $926 |
At this school the academic-year housing benefit exceeds typical living costs, so most full-time students come out ahead. 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; ETSU estimates these costs at about $1,350, leaving about $350 out of pocket.
These figures show the GI Bill® and DoD Tuition Assistance dollars veterans and service members actually used at ETSU.
Roughly 292 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $2,399,118.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 212 | $1,889,603 | $8,913 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 191 | $1,721,568 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 21 | $168,035 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 0 | $0 | — |
| 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.