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Vets: what's been your experience with the 9/11 GI Bill?
wtbaisley
16 replies1 threads Junior Member
The title says it all. Those of you who are using the 9/11 GI Bill how has it gone? I realize it doesn't fully cover tuition. Also if anyone knows...does the 10k of the yellow ribbon program count the VA's addition? Or does the VA then match that 10k. Thanks in advance! Starting at GS this fall.
19 replies
Replies to: Vets: what's been your experience with the 9/11 GI Bill?
Post 9/11 GI Bill for the maximum annual tuition reimbursement amount for private universities:
- $24,476.79 (as of August 1, 2019)
Annual Books & Supplies Stipend:
- $1000.00 Books & Supplies Stipend
Monthly Housing Allowance:
- $3366.00 x 9 semester months (approximately)
Yellow Ribbon Program:
- $10,000 from Columbia
- $10,000 from the VA
Honest question, are you sure? Here's what it says on the Student Financial Services page. Sounds just like a first use, not first use at an institution.
"Individuals who first use Post-9/11 GI Bill program on or after January 1, 2018 will receive monthly housing allowance based on DoD’s reduced basic housing allowance (BAH) for monthly housing rates= $3,669.
Those that began using benefits prior to January 1, 2018 will continue to receive a higher monthly housing rate based in the non-adjusted BAH rates= $4,148."
https://sfs.columbia.edu/content/post-911-gi-bill
Also note that your information is from a Columbia website and probably referring to Columbia students that were grandfathered and still plan on attending Columbia—not students transferring from a different institution.
EDIT: I just reread your post and I certainly do see why you’re asking again. The wording DOES seem vague. I did check with two different sources, but VA rules frequently change and are vague to interpret so there is the possibility that I’m wrong.
You may already be aware of this, but I was not until recently; if you are a veteran that qualifies for the Yellow Ribbon Program, expect to receive zero institutional financial aid/scholarship. Only those veterans who are NOT eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program are eligible to receive institutional financial aid/scholarship.
That said, there are a couple things you can do to lower the out-of-pocket expense and keep your costs at or below the combined amount you will receive from the GI Bill + Yellow Ribbon Program.
If you're covered under VA healthcare or other private healthcare insurance, you can forego the $3,433 per-year student healthcare plan and cut that expense out of the equation.
If you do not plan on working while attending Columbia and don't already already qualify to receive a Pell Grant, you can contact the GS financial aid office to fill out and submit an income adjustment statement in order to qualify for a Pell Grant of up to $6095 per year. This is assuming that you did not previously qualify for a Pell Grant because you applied for financial aid using your 2017 tax returns which reflected earning an income during that tax year.
Columbia charges tuition a per credit basis; this is unlike most other colleges that charge a flat tuition rate for 12-17 credits. Your 36 months of GI Bill usage is used up by the day, not by the semester, so with the length of Columbia's semesters in terms of days, the GI Bill will you last you just about 5 years if used at Columbia. So, if necessary in order to keep per-semester tuition costs as low as possible, you could elect to take a lower number of credits per semester and just attend for a longer amount of time.
Good luck!
https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/nys-grants-scholarships-awards/veterans-tuition-awards.html
Where did you read that the GI Bill expires by the day, and not by the month or semester? I'm on the VA's website right now looking at the GI Bill section, but I can't find anything regarding how it could possibly be used for 5 years. It specifically says the GI Bill can be used for 36 months.
Also, can anyone answer how much they had to pay OUT OF POCKET while using the GI Bill + Yellow Ribbon Program?
Thanks!
How did you calculate your total out of pocket cost? The GI Bill Calculator says that Columbia charges a total of $57,208 for fees and tuition. I'm assuming you didn't factor in living expenses and health insurance?