by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to Howard County Junior College 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 Howard County Junior College. Living-expense and book benefits are addressed in their own sections below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $4,626 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $4,626 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit is enough to cover the full tuition and fees at Howard County Junior College.
There is no record that Howard County Junior College participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program in the latest federal data. If you need benefits beyond the Post-9/11 cap, ask the schools veteran services office whether any programs participate.
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 Howard County Junior College falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $946 |  |
| Out-of-state | $306 | |
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 Howard County Junior College.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $6,858 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $1,692/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $13,536 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $6,678 |
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 Howard County Junior College run about $1,690, leaving about $690 out of pocket.
This is the real volume of GI Bill® and military tuition benefits paid out at Howard County Junior College.
Roughly 11 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $18,255.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 45 | $173,069 | $3,846 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 45 | $173,069 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 8 | $10,420 | $1,303 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 8 | $10,420 | — |
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.