by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to South College for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? Coverage is not unlimited and varies school to school, so the fine print is worth checking.
Below is the gap between the Post-9/11 tuition benefit and the cost at South College. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $17,935 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $17,935 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit is enough to cover the full tuition and fees at South College.
South College is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap. In the most recent year, about 40 students received Yellow Ribbon awards at this school.
The exact number of seats and the maximum contribution vary by degree level and program, so confirm the current limits with the schools veteran services office.
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 South College falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $2,085 |  |
| Out-of-state | $2,085 | |
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 South College.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $17,856 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,175/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $17,400 |
| Estimated shortfall to cover yourself | $456 |
The housing benefit does not fully cover estimated living costs at this school — budget for the gap. The MHA is based on the school’s ZIP code and is paid at the full-time rate for resident students.
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 South College run about $1,400, leaving about $400 out of pocket.
Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to South College.
Approximately 438 veterans received Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition payments of $5,664,852.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 704 | $8,954,320 | $12,719 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 617 | $7,649,199 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 87 | $1,305,121 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 64 | $130,169 | $2,034 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 62 | $125,919 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 2 | $4,250 | — |
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.