What's Covered Under Post 9/11 GI Bill for Dependents and Spouses

*Please note all payments described below are based on the applicable eligibility percentage, which is determined by active duty service after 9/10/01.  Please see the tier of eligibility table found here. All Room and Board charges are due upfront to JMU each semester. If you are less than 100% and/or out-of-state, you must pay the remaining tuition balance upfront as well


Tuition and Fees

In-state Residency Questions:

 Please contact:

  • The Office of Admissions at 540-568-5681 if you are a prospective/incoming student

  • Linda Combs in the Business Office at 540-568-3745 or combslc@jmu.edu if you are a current student. 

Think you are eligible for the Choice Act Section 702 and section 417? Click here for a fact sheet with more information and contact the appropriate office (listed above)


Scholarships and Tuition/Fee Specific Aid:

Click here if you will be receiving any scholarships or tuition/fee specific aid. Please notify the JMU School Certifying Officials if you are receiving any scholarships or other tuition/fee specific aid. They will need documentation of the intent of the money from the scholarship organization. 


In-State Undergraduate and Graduate

Effective August 1, 2011, in-state, public tuition and fees for undergrad and graduate students will be paid based on service member/veteran's eligibility tier.  Assuming 100% eligible and Virginia resident, all in-state tuition/fees will be paid by VA to JMU.  JMU is fine to wait on the VA portion of tuition each semester. If eligibility tier is less than 100%, dependent will be responsible for the difference between actual JMU instate tuition/fee charges and VA payment.

For information about JMU charges and payment options, please see the University Business Office website.


Out-of-State Undergraduate

Effective August 1, 2011, VA can only pay the in-state, public tuition/fees for an undergrad student, based on eligibility tier percentage. 

For the 2017-2018 academic year, JMU will be participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program but with limited spots. Contact us for more information. You must be out-of-state for tuition, an undergraduate student and 100% eligible for Post 9/11 to be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program.   

 For fulltime (12+ credits) undergrad, 2017-2018 school year, with an eligibility tier of 100%

JMU out-of-state tuition/fee charges:       $13,639.00
(-) JMU in-state tuition/fee charges:        $ 5,439.00                                                           
                                                       --------------      

      Balance for dependent/family:   $   8,200.00^

^Balance will be greater if eligibility tier is less than 100%. The full difference must be paid upfront to JMU. JMU is only able to wait on your % of the instate tuition.

If you have any scholarships, please contact your JMU Certifying Official.

For information about JMU charges and payment options, please see the University Business Office website.


Out-of-State Graduate

Effective August 1, 2011, VA can only pay the in-state, public tuition/fees for a graduate student, based on eligibility tier percentage.  

For graduate students, JMU charges tuition and fees based on the number of credit hours.

For graduate, 2017-2018 school year, with an eligibility tier of 100%:

JMU out-of-state tuition/fee charges per credit hour:  $1,231.00
(-) JMU in-state tuition/fee charges per credit hour:    $  473.00                                                                           
                                                                            -------------  
         Per credit hour balance for dependent/family:   $  758.00^

^Balance will be greater if eligibility tier is less than 100%. The full difference must be paid upfront to JMU. JMU is only able to wait on your % of the instate tuition.

If you have any scholarships, please contact your JMU Certifying Official.

For information about JMU charges and payment options, please see the University Business Office website.


Books and Supplies Stipend

Up to $1000/annually. paid at $41.67 x number of credits x applicable eligibility tier percentage. Stipend resets every August. 

Paid to the dependent at the beginning of each semester once semester enrollment is processed by VA. 

Examples:

  • 100% eligible for Post 9/11: $41.67 x 15 credits for Fall semester x 100% eligibility tier = $625.05; $374.95 is available for the next semester
  • 50% eligible for Post 9/11: $41.67 x 15 credits for Fall semester x 50% eligibility tier = $312.53; $187.47 is available for the next semester

Monthly Housing Allowance

Based on a pay grade of E-5 with dependents and JMU's zip code (22807).  For the 2017-2018 school year, BAH is equal to $1386 per month (at the 100% level) and is paid to the dependent in arrears. 

The BAH payments will be prorated for August and December for Fall semesters and January and May for Spring semesters, based solely on the dates of each semester.

Effective August 1, 2011 - housing allowance benefits are prorated based upon training time, rounded to the nearest multiple of 10.  Example: If you are enrolled in 7 credits when 12 credits are full time, your training time is .58 and you will receive 60% of the applicable BAH rate.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The housing allowance is NOT payable for those pursuing training at half time or less. Spouses are not eligible for BAH payments while service member is serving on active duty.


Fulltime Status

Typically at JMU, fulltime status is:

  • Undergraduate = 12 semester credits
  • Graduate = 9 semester credits

Atypical enrollments do exist at JMU and will not conform to the above, including: 8-week block enrollments, summer sessions, and some graduate programs. 


Distance Learning

Effective October 1, 2011, housing allowance is NOW payable to students enrolled solely in distance learning (online) courses.  The housing allowance payable is equal to 1/2 the national average BAH for an E-5 with dependents.  (Effective 8/1/2017 - 7/31/2018 - $840.50 per full month). 


Break/Interval Pay

Effective August 1, 2011, break/interval pay is NO longer payable under any VA education benefit program unless under Executive Order of the President or due to an emergency situation such as a natural disaster or strike.  Entitlement which previously would have been used for break pay will be available for use during a future enrollment.

Example: Your semester ends December 15th.  Your housing allowance is paid for the first 15 days of December only.  Your next semester begins January 10th.  Your next BAH payment will be for January 10th-30th, payable on or after February 1st.


Will Your Monthly Housing Allowance Change?

As you may know, the Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) payments you receive for the Post-9/11 GI Bill are based on the military's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for an E-5 with dependents. The Department of Defense adjusts the military BAH rate every calendar year (or January 1) based on changes to housing costs across the country. Rates can either go up or down.

Public Law 111 - 377 (the Veterans Educational Assistance Improvement Act of 2010) amended the effective date for the adjustment of the MHA you receive under the Post-9/11 GI Bill from the beginning of the calendar year (January 1) to the beginning of the academic year (August 1).

If the BAH increased for your area, you will not see an increase until your September 2014 payment for training pursued in August. If the BAH decreases for your area, your MHA amount will not decrease unless you change schools or have more than a six-month break in training.


Showing Proof of your GI Bill Housing Allowance

If you need to show proof of your VA housing allowance to a landlord or reality company, here are a few things that may work:

  • The "term verification letter" that VA sends once they have processed your enrollment each semester.  It lists credit hours, tuition and fees, book stipend and the monthly housing allowance amount. 
  • Print out a copy of the BAH rates for JMU's zip code (22807) and pay grade (E-5) from this link
  • Provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility for your Post 9/11 Benefits. You may request a new copy from VA by calling 888-442-4551.
  • Print this page where it states the BAH monthly rate (above).
  • Print out information from the GI Bill website.

 Please note:

  •  If a student is living on campus, all Room/Board charges must be paid upfront by the University deadlines.
  • If a student is charged out-of-state tuition, the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition must be paid upfront by the University deadlines.
    • Review the Choice Act to see if you would qualify for in-state tuition while using Post 9/11 benefit
    • Ask us about Yellow Ribbon if you do not qualify under the Choice Act
  • If a student is less than 100% eligible for Post 9/11, the remaining % of tuition needs to be paid upfront by the University deadlines. 
  • Please let us know about any scholarships or other tuition/fee specific aid being received for each semester. Click here for more information

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