by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to Penn State Berks 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 Penn State Berks. Living-expense and book benefits are addressed in their own sections below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $15,944 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $15,944 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
Because tuition is at or below the annual Post-9/11 benefit, the GI Bill® covers it in full at Penn State Berks.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap.
Seat counts and matching amounts change by program each year; verify the details with the schools military and veteran services team.
DoD Tuition Assistance pays up to $250 per credit hour for active-duty students; here is how the per-credit charge at Penn State Berks compares.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $91 |  |
| Out-of-state | $91 | |
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 Penn State Berks.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $13,448 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $1,968/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $15,744 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $2,296 |
The benefit generally more than covers off-campus living costs here. 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 $1,840 in supply costs at Penn State Berks, leaving about $840 out of pocket.
These figures show the GI Bill® and DoD Tuition Assistance dollars veterans and service members actually used at Penn State Berks.
Roughly 78 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $671,451.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 51 | $695,488 | $13,637 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 51 | $695,488 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 3 | $8,250 | $2,750 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 3 | $8,250 | — |
| 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.