by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to Lafayette for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? GI Bill® benefits are limited and differ by school, so the specifics matter.
Below is the gap between the Post-9/11 tuition benefit and the cost at Lafayette. Housing and book benefits are covered separately below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $62,574 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $42,339 |
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 Lafayette.
Lafayette College is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap. In the most recent year, about 13 students received Yellow Ribbon awards at this school.
The exact number of seats and the maximum contribution vary by degree level and program, so confirm the current limits with the schools veteran services office.
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 Lafayette falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $0 |  |
| Out-of-state | $0 | |
On top of tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® provides a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for the months you are in school. Below, the academic-year housing benefit is set against the estimated living costs at Lafayette.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $18,640 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,400/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $19,200 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $560 |
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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette.
In the latest reporting year, about 9 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $258,801.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 8 | $216,960 | $27,120 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 8 | $216,960 | — |
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.