by our College Data Analytics TeamHow much of the cost at Northwestern will the G.I. Bill® cover? GI Bill® benefits are limited and differ by school, so the specifics matter.
The table below compares the guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit to the cost of attending Northwestern. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $36,830 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $16,595 |
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 Northwestern.
University of Northwestern-St Paul is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap. About 3 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 Northwestern 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. Below, the academic-year housing benefit is set against the estimated living costs at Northwestern.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $8,220 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,499/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $19,992 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $11,772 |
At this school the academic-year housing benefit exceeds typical living costs, so most full-time students come out ahead. Your actual MHA depends on your rate of pursuit and the school’s location.
With a Post-9/11 book stipend of up to $1,000 per year, the estimated $700 in supply costs at Northwestern, so the stipend covers them in full.
Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to Northwestern.
In the latest reporting year, about 21 students drew Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefits totaling $312,310.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 29 | $416,552 | $14,364 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 24 | $386,377 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 5 | $30,175 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 7 | $28,250 | $4,036 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 7 | $28,250 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 0 | $0 | — |
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.