by our College Data Analytics TeamWill you go to USD for free thanks to the G.I. Bill®? GI Bill® benefits are limited and differ by school, so the specifics matter.
Here is how the Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit stacks up against the published cost of attending USD. Living-expense and book benefits are addressed in their own sections below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $9,432 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $9,432 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
Tuition and fees here fall within the annual Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefit, so eligible veterans typically owe nothing toward tuition at USD.
Federal data does not indicate that USD currently participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Check directly with the school, since participation can change year to year.
For active-duty students, Tuition Assistance covers up to $250 per credit hour — the indicators below show whether USD is below that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $830 |  |
| Out-of-state | $830 | |
On top of tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® provides a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for the months you are in school. The table compares the housing benefit to estimated living expenses at USD.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $10,501 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $1,551/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $12,408 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $1,907 |
For most full-time students the housing allowance covers the cost of living off campus, with money left over. 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; USD estimates these costs at about $1,200, leaving about $200 out of pocket.
This is the real volume of GI Bill® and military tuition benefits paid out at USD.
Roughly 158 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $829,780.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 126 | $873,217 | $6,930 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 74 | $485,059 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 52 | $388,158 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 66 | $197,081 | $2,986 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 54 | $165,581 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 12 | $31,500 | — |
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.