University of Pennsylvania G.I. Bill® Tuition Assistance

Will you go to UPenn for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? Coverage is not unlimited and varies school to school, so the fine print is worth checking.

$66,104 Veteran Tuition & Fees

$20,235 Guaranteed Post-9/11 Benefit

$45,869 Tuition Out of Pocket

Your Estimated Out-of-Pocket Cost
How Tuition Is Covered
Yellow Ribbon Program
Per-Credit Charges and Tuition Assistance
Housing Allowance Coverage
Book Stipend Coverage
GI Bill & DoD Benefits Used Here
References

Expect Roughly $45,869 in Tuition Out of Pocket at University of Pennsylvania

Below is the gap between the Post-9/11 tuition benefit and the cost at UPenn. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.

Item	Amount
Veteran tuition & fees	$66,104
Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit	$20,235
Tuition out of pocket	$45,869

Private Tuition Above the Post-9/11 Benefit Cap

The Post-9/11 GI Bill® caps the annual tuition benefit (about $20,235), so the tuition above that is a gap veterans must cover through Yellow Ribbon, savings, or other aid at UPenn.

Yellow Ribbon Program Available

University of Pennsylvania is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap. Roughly 28 students used Yellow Ribbon benefits here in the latest reporting year.

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.

Per-Credit Charges vs. the $250 Tuition Assistance Cap

DoD Tuition Assistance pays up to $250 per credit hour for active-duty students; here is how the per-credit charge at UPenn compares.

Residency	Per-credit charge	Below $250 cap?
In-state	$884
Out-of-state	$884

Your Living Expenses Are Likely Covered

Beyond tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® pays a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) while you are enrolled. Here is how that benefit compares to the estimated cost of living at UPenn.

Item	Amount
Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year)	$18,360
Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA)	$5,115/mo
Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months)	$40,920
Estimated surplus in your pocket	$22,560

At this school the academic-year housing benefit exceeds typical living costs, so most full-time students come out ahead. The MHA is based on the school’s ZIP code and is paid at the full-time rate for resident students.

Books & Supplies Coverage

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 UPenn run about $1,358, leaving about $358 out of pocket.

GI Bill® & DoD Benefits Used at University of Pennsylvania

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

Approximately 21 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $953,712.

Benefit	Recipients	Total disbursed	Average / recipient
GI Bill® (all students)	164	$3,837,256	$23,398
GI Bill® — undergraduate	28	$563,039	—
GI Bill® — graduate	136	$3,274,217	—
DoD Tuition Assistance (all)	0	$0	—
DoD TA — undergraduate	0	$0	—
DoD TA — graduate	0	$0	—

GI Bill® dollars are paid on the veterans behalf, while DoD Tuition Assistance supports active-duty service members.

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.