by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to HBU 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 HBU. Living-expense and book benefits are addressed in their own sections below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $38,100 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $17,865 |
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 HBU.
Houston Christian University is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap. About 12 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.
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 HBU falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $2,680 |  |
| Out-of-state | $2,680 | |
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 HBU.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $10,816 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,259/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $18,072 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $7,256 |
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.
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 HBU run about $1,000, so the stipend covers them in full.
Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to HBU.
Roughly 114 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $1,269,170.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 122 | $1,652,649 | $13,546 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 68 | $1,081,652 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 54 | $570,997 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 1 | $750 | $750 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 1 | $750 | — |
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.