What the GI Bill Pays You
Net of any scholarships or aid paid straight to the school.
Assumes 12 credits is full time at your school.
Housing is paid only while you are in class.
Defaults to VA's 2026–2027 national average ($2,396). Use the rate for your school's ZIP code.
Housing only? Use the GI Bill BAH calculator. Confirm your school with the VA GI Bill Comparison Tool.
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The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays your full net in-state tuition and fees at a public school, or up to $30,908.34 a year at a private or foreign school. At Rank and Pay, we built this GI Bill calculator from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 2026 to 2027 Post-9/11 GI Bill rates. VA multiplies the tuition amount by your eligibility tier. On top of tuition, VA pays a monthly housing allowance (MHA) and $41.67 per credit for books.
What the GI Bill Pays for College
The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays for college in three parts: tuition sent to your school, a monthly housing allowance, and money for books. The figures below apply from August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027. If you qualify for less than the full benefit, VA multiplies every rate by your percentage.
- Tuition and fees. At a public school, VA pays the net tuition and mandatory fees at in-state rates. At a private or foreign school, VA pays up to $30,908.34 for the academic year. VA sends this money directly to your school.
- Housing (MHA). If you attend in person in the U.S., MHA equals the military Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents in the ZIP code where you attend most of your classes. Online-only students get up to $1,198 a month. Students at a foreign school get up to $2,396 a month. VA pays MHA at the end of each month.
- Books and supplies. VA pays $41.67 per credit hour for up to 24 credits a year, capped at $1,000. The book money is paid at the start of each term.
In the calculator's default case, you attend a public school in person at the in-state rate, at the 100% tier. Your school charges $11,000 a year, and you take 12 credits for 2 semesters across 9 months, with a local BAH of $2,396.
| Payment | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition VA pays to the school | $11,000 |
| Tuition you still owe | $0 |
| Housing per month | $2,396 |
| Books for the year | $1,000 |
| Paid to you for the year | $22,564 |
The $22,564 is 9 months of housing at $2,396, which is $21,564, plus $1,000 for books. Books hit the cap because 24 credits at $41.67 comes to $1,000.08. For more on each part, read our guides to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the GI Bill housing allowance and the GI Bill book stipend.
How to Use the Calculator
The calculator is headed "What the GI Bill Pays You." It needs your tier, your school's costs and your class load. Fill in the fields from top to bottom:
- Eligibility Tier (% of benefit). Pick the tier that matches your active-duty time. The default is 100%.
- School Type. Choose "Public school, in-state rate," "Public school, out-of-state rate," "Private school" or "Foreign school." The default is public in-state.
- Yearly Tuition and Fees You Are Charged ($). Enter what the school bills you for the year, after any scholarships or aid paid to the school. The default is $11,000.
- This School's Yearly In-State Tuition and Fees ($). This field appears only for public out-of-state.
- School's Yellow Ribbon Contribution per Year ($). This field appears for out-of-state public, private and foreign schools. The default is $0.
- How You Attend. Choose In person or hybrid, or Online only.
- Credit Hours per Term. The default is 12. The tool treats 12 credits as full time.
- Terms per Year. Choose 2 semesters or 3 quarters/trimesters.
- Months Enrolled per Year. The default is 9.
- Your School's E-5 With-Dependents BAH ($/month). The default is $2,396, VA's 2026 to 2027 national average. This field is hidden for online-only and foreign schools. Our GI Bill BAH calculator links to the official lookup for your school's ZIP code rate.
VA sets the tiers by days of active duty:
| Tier | Active duty |
|---|---|
| 100% | 1,095 days or more (36 months or more) |
| 90% | 910 to 1,094 days (30 to 35 months) |
| 80% | 730 to 909 days (24 to 29 months) |
| 70% | 545 to 729 days (18 to 23 months) |
| 60% | 180 to 544 days (6 to 17 months) |
| 50% | 90 to 179 days (90 days to 5 months) |
You also qualify at 100% with a Purple Heart received on or after September 11, 2001. The same applies if you served at least 30 continuous days on active duty and were discharged because of a service-connected disability.
The results show four cards: "Tuition VA Pays (Year)," "Tuition You Still Owe (Year)," "Housing (MHA) per Month" and "Paid to You (Year)." A step-by-step list below the cards shows each calculation. Click "Copy result" to save the numbers.
Paying the Gap at Private and Out-of-State Schools
At a private or foreign school, VA pays net tuition and fees up to $30,908.34 a year, and you owe anything above that. Because VA pays only the in-state rate at a public school, the calculator asks for that school's in-state tuition when you pick the out-of-state option. VA notes that you may be able to get in-state rates at a public school even if you have not lived in the state. Ask your school about in-state rates before you budget for the gap.
The Yellow Ribbon Program can cover part of that gap. Your school contributes an amount through a grant, scholarship or similar program, and VA matches it. The program works at a private school, a foreign school, or a public school where you attend as a nonresident.
You must qualify at the 100% benefit level. The school must also offer the program and still have room under its maximum number of students. The calculator counts Yellow Ribbon only at the 100% tier. It never lets the school's share plus VA's match exceed the amount left over.
Take a private school charging $40,000 a year with a $3,000 Yellow Ribbon contribution, at the 100% tier:
- VA pays $30,908 for tuition.
- That leaves $9,092.
- The school adds $3,000, and VA matches it with another $3,000.
- You still owe $3,092 a year.
Our Yellow Ribbon guide covers how to ask a school about its contribution.
When Your Payment Will Differ
The default result assumes the 100% tier, 12 credits a term and in-person classes.
A tier below 100%. Use the same $11,000 public school at the 70% tier, with 9 credits a term, online only:
- VA pays $7,700 for tuition, and you owe $3,300.
- Housing is $1,198 × 70% × 80%, which comes to $671 a month.
- Books are 18 credits × $41.67 × 70%, which comes to $525.
At this tier, the tool shows that a Yellow Ribbon contribution is not counted.
Part-time classes. VA works out your rate of pursuit by dividing your credits by what your school counts as full time, rounded to the nearest tenth. In the 70% example, 9 credits out of 12 is 80%. Your rate must be more than 50% to get any MHA. With 6 credits out of 12, you get books but no housing.
The 12-credit assumption. The calculator treats 12 credits as full time. If your school counts a different number of credits as full time, your rate of pursuit and housing will differ from the result. Your school's certifying official can tell you the rate of pursuit VA will use.
Online classes. Online-only MHA is up to $1,198 a month. Taking at least 1 class in person along with online classes may qualify you for the higher resident rate.
Break months and active duty. VA pays no MHA while you are on break from school. It also pays none while you are on active duty, or while you are a spouse using transferred benefits and the Veteran is on active duty. Correspondence and flight training get no MHA either.
VA and your school's certifying official decide the final amounts. Check your school's figures in the VA GI Bill Comparison Tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the GI Bill pay per month?
In person in the U.S., the monthly housing allowance equals the E-5 with-dependents BAH for your school's ZIP code. That rate is multiplied by your tier and rate of pursuit. Online-only students get up to $1,198 a month, and students at a foreign school get up to $2,396. Our Post-9/11 GI Bill BAH explainer shows how the rate is set.
How much does the GI Bill pay for books?
The GI Bill pays $41.67 per credit hour for books, for up to 24 credits a year, with a cap of $1,000 each academic year. The amount is prorated by your tier, so 24 credits at the 70% tier pays $700. VA pays it at the start of each term.
How much does the GI Bill pay per semester?
To estimate a semester, split the yearly figures across your terms. In the default case above, VA pays $5,500 of the $11,000 tuition each semester. Books for a 12-credit semester come to $500 (12 × $41.67), and housing pays $2,396 for each month you are enrolled.
Does the GI Bill pay for out-of-state tuition?
At a public school, the GI Bill pays only the in-state tuition rate, so a nonresident owes the difference. You may still qualify for in-state rates even if you have not lived in the state. At the 100% tier, the Yellow Ribbon Program can match a school's contribution toward the rest.
Is the GI Bill housing allowance paid during breaks?
No, VA does not pay MHA while you are on break from school. It pays MHA at the end of each month you are enrolled, which is why the calculator asks for months enrolled per year. Enter your school's actual enrolled months in the GI Bill calculator above, then click "Copy result" to save your 2026 to 2027 estimate.