GI Bill 2026-27: tuition cap, housing pay and chapters

For 2026-27, the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays full in-state tuition and fees at public schools and up to $30,908.34 a year at private schools. It also pays a monthly housing allowance and up to $1,000 a year for books.

Those are VA’s rates for August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027, and they are the 100% figures. How much of each you get depends on how long you served, where you take classes and how many credits you carry.

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Post-9/11 pays tuition, housing and books as three separate payments

VA sends tuition and fees straight to the school. Housing and book money go to you. Each line has its own cap, and each one is multiplied by your benefit percentage.

Payment	What VA pays	Paid to
Tuition, public school	Net in-state tuition and mandatory fees	School
Tuition, private or foreign school	Up to $30,908.34 a year	School
Housing, in-person classes	E-5 with dependents BAH for the ZIP where you attend most classes	You, at the end of each month
Housing, online-only classes	Up to $1,261 a month	You
Books and supplies	$41.67 a credit, up to $1,000 a year	You, at the start of each term
Rural relocation (one time)	$500	You

Payment Tuition, public school

What VA pays Net in-state tuition and mandatory fees

Paid to School

Payment Tuition, private or foreign school

What VA pays Up to $30,908.34 a year

Paid to School

Payment Housing, in-person classes

What VA pays E-5 with dependents BAH for the ZIP where you attend most classes

Paid to You, at the end of each month

Payment Housing, online-only classes

What VA pays Up to $1,261 a month

Paid to You

Payment Books and supplies

What VA pays $41.67 a credit, up to $1,000 a year

Paid to You, at the start of each term

Payment Rural relocation (one time)

What VA pays $500

Paid to You

The rural payment is for people living in a county with 6 or fewer people per square mile who must move at least 500 miles, or fly, to attend school. Source · VA Post-9/11 GI Bill rates

Tuition above the private cap is yours to cover. The Yellow Ribbon Program can close that gap at schools that sign up for it, but only at the 100% tier.

Your months of active duty set your percentage

VA counts total active-duty days after September 10, 2001, with or without breaks. You reach 100% at 1,095 days (36 months), with a Purple Heart earned on or after September 11, 2001, or after 30 continuous days followed by a discharge for a service-connected disability.

Active-duty days	About	Share of every payment
1,095 or more	36 months or more	100%
910 to 1,094	30 to 35 months	90%
730 to 909	24 to 29 months	80%
545 to 729	18 to 23 months	70%
180 to 544	6 to 17 months	60%
90 to 179	90 days to 5 months	50%

Active-duty days 1,095 or more

About 36 months or more

Share of every payment 100%

Active-duty days 910 to 1,094

About 30 to 35 months

Share of every payment 90%

Active-duty days 730 to 909

About 24 to 29 months

Share of every payment 80%

Active-duty days 545 to 729

About 18 to 23 months

Share of every payment 70%

Active-duty days 180 to 544

About 6 to 17 months

Share of every payment 60%

Active-duty days 90 to 179

About 90 days to 5 months

Share of every payment 50%

The percentage applies to tuition, housing and books alike. Example: at the 70% tier, the online-only housing maximum becomes $883 a month and the book stipend tops out at $700 a year.

Housing pay follows your classroom, not your home

For in-person classes in the U.S., VA uses the 2026 military housing rate (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents in the ZIP code where you physically attend most of your classes. Where you live does not change it.

Three rules cut housing pay to zero or less:

• Enrollment of half time or less. Your rate of pursuit must be above 50%. VA’s example: 9 credits where 12 is full time is 80%, rounded to the nearest tenth.
• Active duty. Service members on active duty get no housing allowance, and neither do spouses using transferred benefits while the service member is on active duty.
• School breaks. No housing is paid between terms, so plan to cover rent for those weeks.

Online-only students get half the national average: up to $1,261 a month for 2026-27, for anyone who started using benefits on or after January 1, 2018. At a foreign school the cap is the full national average, $2,522.

To see the housing rate for a specific campus, enter its ZIP code in the Defense Travel Management Office BAH lookup and read the E-5 with dependents figure. Then multiply by your tier.

The Montgomery GI Bill pays a flat monthly rate instead

The Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (Chapter 30) sends you one monthly payment and you pay the school. Under VA’s Category I, you entered active duty after June 30, 1985 and had your pay reduced by $100 a month for your first 12 months.

For college enrollment after at least 3 continuous years of active duty, VA pays $2,601 a month full time and $1,300.5 at half time. Those rates run from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027. VA has published $2,601 a month full time for October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.

Recommended

Chapter 33

Post-9/11 GI Bill

Who qualifies

90+ days of active duty after 9/10/2001, a Purple Heart, or 30 days plus a disability discharge

How it pays

Tuition to the school, housing and books to you

Full-time amount

In-state public tuition, or up to $30,908.34 private (2026-27)

Housing

E-5 with dependents BAH for the class ZIP

Time limit

None if service ended on or after 1/1/2013; 15 years otherwise

Transfer to family

Yes, with DoD approval while serving

Chapter 30

Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty

Who qualifies

Pay reduced $100 a month for 12 months, plus 2 or 3 years of continuous service (Category I)

How it pays

One monthly payment to you

Full-time amount

$2,601 a month to Sep 30, 2027; $2,601 from Oct 1, 2026

Housing

None separate

Time limit

Usually 10 years

Transfer to family

No

Chapter 35

Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance

Who qualifies

Spouse or child of a veteran who died of, or is permanently and totally disabled by, a service-connected cause, and other listed cases

How it pays

One monthly payment to you

Full-time amount

$1,574 a month to Sep 30, 2026; $1,621 from Oct 1, 2026

Housing

None separate

Time limit

None if eligibility began on or after 8/1/2023

Transfer to family

Not applicable

At a low-cost public school, the flat Chapter 30 check can come out ahead of Chapter 33 tuition plus a small-town housing rate. At a private school or in a high-cost city, Chapter 33 usually pays more. Compare both with your school’s actual tuition and ZIP before you choose.

Rudisill can add up to 12 months if you earned both benefits

After the Rudisill court decision, VA says some veterans eligible for both Chapter 30 and Chapter 33 can use up to 48 months in total. That applies if you served 56 months or more in one period of active duty, or completed two or more qualifying periods.

If you served less than 56 months, you can generally use only one benefit, capped at 36 months. VA refunds up to $1,200 of your Montgomery contributions once you use up Post-9/11 entitlement. VA reviews entitlement automatically and notifies you of changes.

Chapter 35 covers families of veterans who died or are totally disabled

Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance pays a spouse or child when the veteran is permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability or died from one. It also covers a service member who died in the line of duty or was missing, captured or detained for more than 90 days.

Time limits changed on August 1, 2023. A child or spouse whose eligibility began on or after that date has no time limit. Earlier cases generally allow a spouse 10 or 20 years and a child 8 years, usually ending at age 26.

Transfers to a spouse or child must be requested while you serve

The Defense Department, not VA, approves transfers. You must be on active duty or in the Selected Reserve, have at least 6 years of service when the request is approved, and agree to 4 more years. The family member must be enrolled in DEERS.

You request the transfer in milConnect and can move up to all 36 months. A spouse can use the benefit right away, with no time limit if you separated on or after January 1, 2013. A child can start once you have 10 years of service and must use it before turning 26.

Post-9/11 benefits no longer expire for service that ended after 2012

Under the Forever GI Bill (the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act), Post-9/11 benefits never expire if your service ended on or after January 1, 2013. If it ended before that date, you have 15 years from your last separation to use them. Montgomery benefits usually last 10 years.

Federal student aid stacks on top of the GI Bill

For federal aid, veterans are independent students, so parents’ income is not on the FAFSA. The Federal Student Aid Handbook also excludes Chapters 30, 31, 33 and 35 from “other financial assistance,” and veterans education benefits are not reported as FAFSA income. Source · FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 3, Ch. 3

That means a GI Bill award does not shrink a Pell Grant. Pell pays up to $7,395 for 2026-27 based on your FAFSA, separately from VA.

Which benefit fits your situation

Interactive decision tree

Which GI Bill benefit applies to you?

Who served?

I did My spouse or parent served

Apply before you register for classes

1. Compare schools first

   VA’s GI Bill Comparison Tool shows what each approved school will cost under your benefit and whether it takes part in Yellow Ribbon.

2. Apply online or with VA Form 22-1990

   You need your Social Security number, direct-deposit details, education and military history, and the school’s name. Family members use VA Form 22-1990e (transferred benefits) or 22-5490 (Chapter 35 or Fry).

3. Get your Certificate of Eligibility

   The COE lists your chapter, your percentage and the entitlement you have left.

4. Give the COE to the school certifying official

   The certifying official reports your enrollment to VA. Tuition is paid only after that happens.

5. Verify your enrollment every month

   Post-9/11 students must confirm enrollment monthly to keep receiving housing and kicker payments.

Accredited attorneys, claims agents and Veterans Service Organization representatives can help with the application for free. Your Certificate of Eligibility is the final word on your tier, so run your numbers once more when it arrives.

Degree Sources is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. VA decides eligibility from your service record.