by our College Data Analytics TeamWondering what the G.I. Bill® actually covers at Penn State Erie? 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 Penn State Erie. Housing and book benefits are covered separately below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $15,944 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $15,944 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
Public-college veterans generally have their entire in-state tuition paid by the Post-9/11 GI Bill® at Penn State Erie.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which can cover tuition and fees beyond the Post-9/11 GI Bill® cap through matching funds from the school and the VA.
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 Penn State Erie falls under that cap.
| 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). Here is how that benefit compares to the estimated cost of living at Penn State Erie.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $13,448 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $1,509/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $12,072 |
| Estimated shortfall to cover yourself | $1,376 |
The housing benefit does not fully cover estimated living costs at this school — budget for the gap. 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; Penn State Erie estimates these costs at about $1,840, 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 Erie.
Roughly 107 students drew Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefits totaling $1,087,282.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 67 | $931,850 | $13,908 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 64 | $887,174 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 3 | $44,676 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 8 | $36,000 | $4,500 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 8 | $36,000 | — |
| 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.