by our College Data Analytics TeamHow much of the cost at Western will the G.I. Bill® cover? 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 Western. Living-expense and book benefits are addressed in their own sections below.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veteran tuition & fees | $11,083 |
| Guaranteed Post-9/11 tuition benefit | $11,083 |
| 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 Western.
Western Colorado University is a Yellow Ribbon school: the institution and the VA jointly fund tuition that exceeds the GI Bill® cap.
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 Western falls under that cap.
| Residency | Per-credit charge | Below $250 cap? |
|---|---|---|
| In-state | $4,010 |  |
| Out-of-state | $4,010 | |
On top of tuition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® provides a Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for the months you are in school. Here is how that benefit compares to the estimated cost of living at Western.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated living expenses (room & board, academic year) | $14,679 |
| Post-9/11 monthly housing allowance (MHA) | $2,163/mo |
| Housing benefit (academic year, ~8 months) | $17,304 |
| Estimated surplus in your pocket | $2,625 |
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.
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 Western run about $1,350, leaving about $350 out of pocket.
Beyond the coverage math above, this is how much veteran education-benefit money actually flows to Western.
Approximately 40 students drew Post-9/11 GI Bill® tuition benefits totaling $335,032.
| Benefit | Recipients | Total disbursed | Average / recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| GI Bill® (all students) | 36 | $387,793 | $10,772 |
| GI Bill® — undergraduate | 28 | $278,100 | — |
| GI Bill® — graduate | 8 | $109,693 | — |
| DoD Tuition Assistance (all) | 4 | $15,243 | $3,811 |
| DoD TA — undergraduate | 1 | $4,500 | — |
| DoD TA — graduate | 3 | $10,743 | — |
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.