by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to Graceland Lamoni for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? The answer depends on the school — benefits are capped and the details vary, so it pays to do your research.
Below is the gap between the Post-9/11 tuition benefit and the cost at Graceland Lamoni. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $33,220 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $12,985 |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® caps the annual tuition benefit (about $20,235), so the tuition above that is a gap veterans must cover through Yellow Ribbon, savings, or other aid at Graceland Lamoni.
Federal data does not indicate that Graceland Lamoni currently participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. 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 Graceland Lamoni falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $596 |  |
| Out-of-state | $596 | |
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 Graceland Lamoni.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $10,540 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,049/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $16,392 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $5,852 |
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.
Eligible veterans receive up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies; Graceland Lamoni estimates these costs at about $1,200, leaving about $200 out of pocket.
These figures show the GI Bill® and DoD Tuition Assistance dollars veterans and service members actually used at Graceland Lamoni.
Roughly 7 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $71,663.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 12 | $108,811 | $9,068 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 8 | $70,163 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 4 | $38,648 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 1 | $3,750 | $3,750 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 1 | $3,750 | — |
| 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.