Will you go to Pacific Oaks 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 Pacific Oaks College. Housing and book benefits are covered separately below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $33,360 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $20,235 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $13,125 |
Because the Post-9/11 tuition benefit is capped near $20,235 per year, tuition above the cap is the veterans responsibility at Pacific Oaks College.
Through the Yellow Ribbon Program, Pacific Oaks College and the VA share the cost of tuition above the Post-9/11 cap.
Available Yellow Ribbon seats and maximum contributions differ by program and degree level — check with the veteran services office for current limits.
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 Pacific Oaks College falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $480 | |
| Out-of-state | $480 |
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 Pacific Oaks College.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $18,536 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $3,864/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $30,912 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $12,376 |
At this school the academic-year housing benefit exceeds typical living costs, so most full-time students come out ahead. MHA amounts reflect the local housing rate for the school’s area.
With a Post-9/11 book stipend of up to $1,000 per year, the estimated $2,028 in supply costs at Pacific Oaks College, leaving about $1,028 out of pocket.
This is the real volume of GI Bill® and military tuition benefits paid out at Pacific Oaks College.
In the latest reporting year, about 10 students drew Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefits totaling $121,452.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 11 | $101,025 | $9,184 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 2 | $12,173 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 9 | $88,852 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 0 | $0 | — |
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.