by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to Hawaii Pacific University 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 Hawaii Pacific University. Living-expense and book benefits are addressed in their own sections below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $33,020 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $12,785 |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® limits the annual tuition benefit to roughly $20,235, so tuition beyond that is out of pocket (or covered by Yellow Ribbon) at Hawaii Pacific University.
Hawaii Pacific University is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap.
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 Hawaii Pacific University 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. The table compares the housing benefit to estimated living expenses at Hawaii Pacific University.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $12,570 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,223/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $17,784 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $5,214 |
The benefit generally more than covers off-campus living costs here. Your actual MHA depends on your rate of pursuit and the school’s location.
Eligible veterans receive up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies; Hawaii Pacific University estimates these costs at about $1,050, leaving about $50 out of pocket.
Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to Hawaii Pacific University.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 624 | $13,349,306 | $21,393 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 444 | $10,279,089 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 180 | $3,070,217 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 272 | $551,875 | $2,029 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 265 | $535,625 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 7 | $16,250 | — |
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.