by our College Data Analytics TeamHow much of the cost at Prairie State College will the G.I. Bill® cover? Coverage is not unlimited and varies school to school, so the fine print is worth checking.
The table below compares the guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit to the cost of attending Prairie State College. Housing and book benefits are covered separately below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $9,342 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $9,342 |
| 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 Prairie State College.
Federal data does not indicate that Prairie State College currently participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Check directly with the school, since participation can change year to year.
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 Prairie State College falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $732 |  |
| Out-of-state | $732 | |
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 Prairie State College.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $7,516 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $3,225/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $25,800 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $18,284 |
The benefit generally more than covers off-campus living costs here. The MHA is based on the school’s ZIP code and is paid at the full-time rate for resident students.
Eligible veterans receive up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies; Prairie State College estimates these costs at about $2,500, leaving about $1,500 out of pocket.
Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to Prairie State College.
Roughly 34 veterans received Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition payments of $78,836.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 42 | $75,224 | $1,791 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 42 | $75,224 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 1 | $1,080 | $1,080 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 1 | $1,080 | — |
These are federal education benefits — the Post-9/11 GI Bill® for veterans and DoD Tuition Assistance for active-duty 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.