by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to NWC for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? GI Bill® benefits are limited and differ by school, so the specifics matter.
Here is how the Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit stacks up against the published cost of attending NWC. Living-expense and book benefits are addressed in their own sections below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $35,300 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $15,065 |
Because the Post-9/11 tuition benefit is capped near $20,235 per year, tuition above the cap is the veterans responsibility at NWC.
Through the Yellow Ribbon Program, Northwestern College and the VA share the cost of tuition above the Post-9/11 cap. In the most recent year, about 3 students received Yellow Ribbon awards 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 NWC falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $220 |  |
| Out-of-state | $220 | |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® also covers housing through a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA). The table compares the housing benefit to estimated living expenses at NWC.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $10,700 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $1,446/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $11,568 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $868 |
The benefit generally more than covers off-campus living costs here. MHA amounts reflect the local housing rate for the school’s area.
Eligible veterans receive up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies; NWC estimates these costs at about $1,100, leaving about $100 out of pocket.
These figures show the GI Bill® and DoD Tuition Assistance dollars veterans and service members actually used at NWC.
Approximately 11 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $187,637.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 13 | $215,344 | $16,565 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 12 | $208,729 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 1 | $6,615 | — |
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.