by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to UC Berkeley for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? GI Bill® benefits are limited and differ by school, so the specifics matter.
Below is the gap between the Post-9/11 tuition benefit and the cost at UC Berkeley. Living-expense and book benefits are addressed in their own sections below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $14,850 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $14,850 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit is enough to cover the full tuition and fees at UC Berkeley.
UC Berkeley is not listed as a Yellow Ribbon participant in current federal reporting. If you need benefits beyond the Post-9/11 cap, ask the schools veteran services office whether any programs participate.
For active-duty students, Tuition Assistance covers up to $250 per credit hour — the indicators below show whether UC Berkeley is below that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $3,117 |  |
| Out-of-state | $3,117 | |
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 UC Berkeley.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $17,614 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $3,774/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $30,192 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $12,578 |
For most full-time students the housing allowance covers the cost of living off campus, with money left over. Your actual MHA depends on your rate of pursuit and the school’s location.
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 UC Berkeley run about $1,273, leaving about $273 out of pocket.
These figures show the GI Bill® and DoD Tuition Assistance dollars veterans and service members actually used at UC Berkeley.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 261 | $8,788,819 | $33,674 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 91 | $998,199 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 170 | $7,790,620 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 0 | $0 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 0 | $0 | — |
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.