Saint Mary’s College of California G.I. Bill® Benefits

Wondering what the G.I. Bill® actually covers at SMC? Coverage is not unlimited and varies school to school, so the fine print is worth checking.

$56,134 Veteran Tuition & Fees

$20,235 Guaranteed Post-9/11 Benefit

$35,899 Tuition Out of Pocket

What Veterans Pay Out of Pocket
GI Bill Tuition Coverage
Yellow Ribbon Program
Per-Credit Charges and Tuition Assistance
Living Expense Coverage
Books & Supplies Coverage
Veteran Benefit Dollars
References

Expect Roughly $35,899 in Tuition Out of Pocket at Saint Mary’s College of California

The table below compares the guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit to the cost of attending SMC. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.

Item	Amount
Veteran tuition & fees	$56,134
Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit	$20,235
Tuition out of pocket	$35,899

Private College Tuition Not Fully Covered by GI Bill® Benefits

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 SMC.

Saint Mary’s College of California Participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program

Saint Mary’s College of California is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap. About 8 Yellow Ribbon recipients were reported at this school.

Available Yellow Ribbon seats and maximum contributions differ by program and degree level — check with the veteran services office for current limits.

Per-Credit Charges vs. the $250 Tuition Assistance Cap

DoD Tuition Assistance pays up to $250 per credit hour for active-duty students; here is how the per-credit charge at SMC compares.

Residency	Per-credit charge	Below $250 cap?
In-state	$0
Out-of-state	$0

Monthly Housing Allowance for Veterans

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 SMC.

Item	Amount
Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year)	$19,431
Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA)	$3,774/mo
Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months)	$30,192
Estimated surplus in your pocket	$10,761

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.

Your Books and Supplies Are Likely Covered

The Post-9/11 GI Bill® pays a books-and-supplies stipend of up to $1,000 per year. Estimated book and supply costs at SMC run about $938, so the stipend covers them in full.

Veteran Education Benefit Dollars at Saint Mary’s College of California

Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to SMC.

Roughly 35 students drew Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefits totaling $606,757.

Benefit	Recipients	Total disbursed	Average / recipient
GI Bill® (all students)	34	$744,820	$21,906
GI Bill® — undergraduate	16	$435,424	—
GI Bill® — graduate	18	$309,396	—
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.

More Veteran Resources

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.