Southwestern Illinois College G.I. Bill® Tuition Assistance

Will you go to SWIC 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.

$6,390 Veteran Tuition & Fees

$6,390 Guaranteed Post-9/11 Benefit

$0 Tuition Out of Pocket

Your Estimated Out-of-Pocket Cost
GI Bill Tuition Coverage
Yellow Ribbon Participation
Per-Credit Charges and Tuition Assistance
Living Expense Coverage
Books & Supplies Coverage
Veteran Benefit Dollars
References

At Southwestern Illinois 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 SWIC. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.

Item	Amount
Veteran tuition & fees	$6,390
Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit	$6,390
Tuition out of pocket	$0

Public College Tuition Fully Covered by GI Bill® Benefits

For public schools, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® covers the full in-state tuition and fees, so eligible veterans typically owe nothing toward tuition at SWIC.

Yellow Ribbon Program Status Not Reported

SWIC 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

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 SWIC falls under that cap.

Residency	Per-credit charge	Below $250 cap?
In-state	$108
Out-of-state	$108

Monthly Housing Allowance for Veterans

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 SWIC.

Item	Amount
Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year)	$11,540
Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA)	$1,596/mo
Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months)	$12,768
Estimated surplus in your pocket	$1,228

For most full-time students the housing allowance covers the cost of living off campus, with money left over. The MHA is based on the school’s ZIP code and is paid at the full-time rate for resident students.

Your Books and Supplies Are Likely Covered

With a Post-9/11 book stipend of up to $1,000 per year, the estimated $2,400 in supply costs at SWIC, leaving about $1,400 out of pocket.

GI Bill® and Tuition Assistance Paid at Southwestern Illinois College

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

Approximately 229 students drew Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefits totaling $1,032,256.

Benefit	Recipients	Total disbursed	Average / recipient
GI Bill® (all students)	249	$1,032,015	$4,145
GI Bill® — undergraduate	249	$1,032,015	—
DoD Tuition Assistance (all)	57	$57,639	$1,011
DoD TA — undergraduate	57	$57,639	—

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.