by our College Data Analytics TeamHow much of the cost at UM will the G.I. Bill® cover? 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 UM. Housing and book benefits are covered separately below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $8,152 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $8,152 |
| 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 UM.
The University of Montana participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which can cover tuition and fees beyond the Post-9/11 GI Bill® cap through matching funds from the school and the VA. In the most recent year, about 6 students received Yellow Ribbon awards at this school.
Seat counts and matching amounts change by program each year; verify the details with the schools military and veteran services team.
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 UM falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $108 |  |
| Out-of-state | $131 | |
Beyond tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® pays a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) while you are enrolled. The table compares the housing benefit to estimated living expenses at UM.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $12,192 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,088/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $16,704 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $4,512 |
The benefit generally more than covers off-campus living costs here. MHA amounts reflect the local housing rate for the school’s area.
Eligible veterans receive up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies; UM estimates these costs at about $1,100, leaving about $100 out of pocket.
Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to UM.
Approximately 304 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $1,811,379.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 272 | $1,903,468 | $6,998 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 236 | $1,596,399 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 36 | $307,069 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 6 | $17,478 | $2,913 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 6 | $17,478 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 0 | $0 | — |
GI Bill® dollars are paid on the veterans behalf, while DoD Tuition Assistance supports active-duty service 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.