Santa Monica College G.I. Bill® Tuition Assistance

Will you go to SMC 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.

$1,156 Veteran Tuition & Fees

$1,156 Guaranteed Post-9/11 Benefit

$0 Tuition Out of Pocket

Your Estimated Out-of-Pocket Cost
How Tuition Is Covered
Yellow Ribbon Program
Per-Credit Fees & the Active-Duty Cap
Living Expense Coverage
Books & Supplies Coverage
Veteran Benefit Dollars
References

At Santa Monica College, the GI Bill Covers Veteran Tuition in Full

The table below compares the guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit to the cost of attending SMC. Living-expense and book benefits are addressed in their own sections below.

Item	Amount
Veteran tuition & fees	$1,156
Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit	$1,156
Tuition out of pocket	$0

Private College Tuition Fully Covered by GI Bill® Benefits

Tuition and fees here fall within the annual Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefit, so eligible veterans typically owe nothing toward tuition at SMC.

Yellow Ribbon Participation Could Not Be Determined

SMC is not listed as a Yellow Ribbon participant in current federal reporting. Contact the veteran services office to confirm whether any programs offer Yellow Ribbon matching.

Active-Duty Tuition Assistance and Per-Credit Cost

For active-duty students, Tuition Assistance covers up to $250 per credit hour — the indicators below show whether SMC is below that cap.

Residency	Per-credit charge	Below $250 cap?
In-state	$52
Out-of-state	$52

Housing Allowance Coverage

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 SMC.

Item	Amount
Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year)	$11,556
Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA)	$3,864/mo
Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months)	$30,912
Estimated surplus in your pocket	$19,356

At this school the academic-year housing benefit exceeds typical living costs, so most full-time students come out ahead. Your actual MHA depends on your rate of pursuit and the school’s location.

Book and Supply Stipend

With a Post-9/11 book stipend of up to $1,000 per year, the estimated $1,746 in supply costs at SMC, leaving about $746 out of pocket.

GI Bill® and Tuition Assistance Paid at Santa Monica College

This is the real volume of GI Bill® and military tuition benefits paid out at SMC.

Approximately 217 veterans received Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition payments of $149,313.

Benefit	Total disbursed	Average / recipient
GI Bill® (all students)	$0	—
GI Bill® — undergraduate	$0	—
DoD Tuition Assistance (all)	$0	—
DoD TA — undergraduate	$0	—

These are federal education benefits — the Post-9/11 GI Bill® for veterans and DoD Tuition Assistance for active-duty members.

Helpful Veteran Links

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.