by our College Data Analytics TeamHow much of the cost at WMU will the G.I. Bill® cover? The answer depends on the school — benefits are capped and the details vary, so it pays to do your research.
Here is how the Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefit stacks up against the published cost of attending WMU. See the living-expense and book sections below for those benefits.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $15,298 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $15,298 |
| Tuition out of pocket | $0 |
At public institutions the Post-9/11 GI Bill® pays in-state tuition and fees in full, meaning most eligible veterans pay no tuition at WMU.
Western Michigan University 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.
Available Yellow Ribbon seats and maximum contributions differ by program and degree level — check with the veteran services office for current limits.
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 WMU falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $126 |  |
| Out-of-state | $126 | |
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 WMU.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $11,713 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $1,929/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $15,432 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $3,719 |
At this school the academic-year housing benefit exceeds typical living costs, so most full-time students come out ahead. 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; WMU estimates these costs at about $1,128, leaving about $128 out of pocket.
This is the real volume of GI Bill® and military tuition benefits paid out at WMU.
In the latest reporting year, about 236 Post-9/11 recipients used tuition benefits worth $2,786,700.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 226 | $3,114,944 | $13,783 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 198 | $2,854,931 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 28 | $260,013 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 39 | $129,750 | $3,327 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 37 | $124,500 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 2 | $5,250 | — |
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.