# What will the GI Bill pay me?

Estimates what the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays for a school year from August 2026: tuition and fees, the monthly housing allowance, and books, by eligibility tier and course load.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/education/gi-bill-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/education/gi-bill-calculator.json
- Version: eaa6d8f46a6f

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Your benefit level 100% (36 months or more, or a service-connected discharge), School Public, Tuition and fees a year $12,000.00, Classes In person, School’s monthly housing rate $2,200.00, Credits a term 12, Full-time credits 12, Months in school a year 9, Credits in the year 24): At a 100% (36 months or more, or a service-connected discharge) benefit level, the GI Bill pays about $32,800.00 for the year, with $2,200.00 a month for housing.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| tier | Your benefit level | The percent of the full benefit VA says you can get (100% after 36 months of active duty). |
| school | School | A public college or university (in-state tuition), or a private or foreign school. |
| tuition | Tuition and fees a year | Net in-state tuition and mandatory fees for the school year, after scholarships and grants. |
| classes | Classes | In person (at least one class on campus) or online only. |
| mha | School’s monthly housing rate | The full monthly housing allowance for your school’s ZIP code (the E-5 with dependents BAH rate), from the VA GI Bill Comparison Tool. |
| credits | Credits a term | The credits you take in a standard term. |
| ft | Full-time credits | The credits your school counts as full time in a term (often 12). |
| months | Months in school a year | Months you are enrolled; housing is not paid during breaks. |
| yc | Credits in the year | All the credits you take in the school year, for the books payment. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| total | GI Bill for the year | Tuition and fees paid, plus housing for the months in school, plus books. |
| tuitionPaid | Tuition and fees paid | Paid to the school: your tuition (up to the private school cap) times your benefit level. |
| youPay | Tuition left to pay | Tuition and fees minus what the GI Bill pays. |
| housing | Housing allowance a month | The full monthly rate times your benefit level times your rate of pursuit; none at 50% or less. |
| pursuit | Rate of pursuit | Credits a term divided by full-time credits, rounded to the nearest 10%. |
| books | Books and supplies | $41.67 a credit, up to $1,000 a year, times your benefit level. |

## Method

Tuition paid = tier × net tuition (private: up to $30,908.34); housing a month = school rate (online: $1,261) × tier × rate of pursuit rounded to the tenth, if over 50%; books = tier × $41.67 a credit, up to $1,000.

## Assumptions

- Post-9/11 GI Bill rates for August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027, for students who started on or after January 1, 2018.
- Yellow Ribbon, tutoring, the rural relocation grant, and kicker payments are not included.
- Not on active duty (active-duty students and their spouses get no housing allowance).
- Standard-length terms; VA prorates housing for partial months.

## Worked examples

1. tier = 100, school = private, tuition = $45,000.00, classes = online, credits = 12, ft = 12, months = 9, yc = 24 gives tuitionPaid = $30,908.34, youPay = $14,091.66, housing = $1,261.00, books = $1,000.00, total = $43,257.34. Source: VA Post-9/11 GI Bill rates 2026-27 (https://www.va.gov/education/benefit-rates/post-9-11-gi-bill-rates/): private cap $30,908.34, online housing $1,261, books up to $1,000.
2. tier = 80, school = public, tuition = $10,000.00, classes = campus, mha = $2,000.00, credits = 9, ft = 12, months = 9, yc = 18 gives pursuit = 80%, tuitionPaid = $8,000.00, housing = $1,280.00, books = $600.05, total = $20,120.05.
3. tier = 100, school = public, tuition = $8,000.00, classes = campus, mha = $2,500.00, credits = 6, ft = 12, months = 9, yc = 12 gives pursuit = 50%, housing = $0.00, books = $500.04, total = $8,500.04.

## FAQ

### How much does the GI Bill pay for tuition?

At a public school it pays all net in-state tuition and mandatory fees. At a private or foreign school it pays up to $30,908.34 for the year from August 1, 2026. Below the 100% benefit level, multiply by your percentage.

### How is the GI Bill housing allowance worked out?

VA starts with the military housing allowance (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents at your school’s ZIP code, then multiplies by your benefit level and your rate of pursuit. Online-only students get half the national average, $1,261 a month at 100%.

### What is the rate of pursuit?

Your credits divided by the credits your school calls full time, rounded to the nearest 10%. 9 of 12 credits is 80%. You get housing money only above 50%.

### How much is the GI Bill book stipend?

$41.67 a credit, up to $1,000 a school year, times your benefit level.

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Post-9/11 GI Bill rates, August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027: https://www.va.gov/education/benefit-rates/post-9-11-gi-bill-rates/
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, GI Bill Comparison Tool (housing rate for a school): https://www.va.gov/education/gi-bill-comparison-tool/
- United States Code, 38 U.S.C. 3313 (Payment of educational assistance): https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/38/3313?type=usc&year=mostrecent&link-type=html