VA to Release Updated State Maximums for Post-9/11 GI Bill

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July 28, 2009

On August 1, the Department of Veteran Affairs is scheduled to release tuition and fee state maximums for the 2009-10 year. These figures are used to establish how much the VA will pay institutions for eligible veterans.

The VA had asked its network of state approving agencies (SAAs) to examine charges at public institutions and determine the most expensive per-credit-hour tuition amounts, and the most expensive per-term fees. Some of these amounts for the 2009-10 year are already available on the VA's website, but the complete list will be released on August 1. For some states, there is a significant difference between the amount currently listed versus the amount posted in April when institutions were considering participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program. For example, in Oregon the maximum total fees per term decreased by $20,638, while in North Dakota the maximum total fees per term increased by $19,165. Tuition per credit hour has also gone both up and down: in Georgia, it more than doubled from $203 to $433, while Utah's maximum went from $489 to $209. Institutions are encouraged to review the complete list from the VA when it is posted on August 1.

In the spring, NACUBO developed a tool to calculate an estimated maximum per-term payment for veterans attending institutions in each state. This tool will be updated with the new figures from the VA by August 5.. The institutions will need to input an estimate of their total tuition (per term), fees (per term), and assumed number of credit hours taken. NACUBO provides this tool to assist members in making estimates, but users should not rely on the tool alone and should not use it to calculate an individual student's VA education benefit.