by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to Harvard 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.
Here is how the Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit stacks up against the published cost of attending Harvard. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $59,076 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $38,841 |
Because the Post-9/11 tuition benefit is capped near $20,235 per year, tuition above the cap is the veterans responsibility at Harvard.
Harvard University is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap. About 226 Yellow Ribbon recipients were reported at this school.
Seat counts and matching amounts change by program each year; verify the details with the schools military and veteran services team.
For active-duty students, Tuition Assistance covers up to $250 per credit hour — the indicators below show whether Harvard is below that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $5,126 |  |
| Out-of-state | $5,126 | |
Beyond tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® pays a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) while you are enrolled. Below, the academic-year housing benefit is set against the estimated living costs at Harvard.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $20,374 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $4,755/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $38,040 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $17,666 |
For most full-time students the housing allowance covers the cost of living off campus, with money left over. MHA amounts reflect the local housing rate for the school’s area.
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 Harvard run about $1,000, so the stipend covers them in full.
This is the real volume of GI Bill® and military tuition benefits paid out at Harvard.
Roughly 287 veterans received Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition payments of $6,127,471.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 394 | $9,293,345 | $23,587 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 84 | $2,023,443 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 310 | $7,269,902 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 57 | $165,973 | $2,912 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 8 | $18,000 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 49 | $147,973 | — |
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.