Post-9/11 GI Bill®

**Graduate tuition based on 9cr/term in a Business degree.

Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act (Chapter 33)

The Post-9/11 GI Bill® provides up to 36 months of educational benefits for individuals who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. Eligibility for benefits is extended to 15 years from the last period of active duty. Benefit entitlement is determined by length of active duty after September 11, 2001. In addition to coverage of tuition and fees, which is capped at the highest in-state undergraduate tuition as a public institution, there are provisions for a monthly housing allowance equal to E-5 basic allowance for housing with dependents (based on zip code) and a yearly stipend of $1,000 for books and equipment.

Benefits Based on Length of Active Duty

• 100% - At least 36 months
• 100% - At least 30 continuous days and service-connected disability discharge
• 90% - At least 30 months
• 80%  - At least 24 months
• 70% - At least 18 months
• 60% - At least 12 months
• 50% - At least 6 months
• 40% - At least 90 days

Approved training under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® includes undergraduate and graduate degrees and vocational/technical training. All training programs must be offered by an institution of higher learning (IHL) and approved for GI Bill® benefits. Additionally, tutorial assistance and licensing and certification test reimbursement are approved under the Post-9/11 GI Bill®. 

Visit the GI Bill® website for more information on eligibility.

You may be eligible for money to help pay for your housing while you’re studying. If you’re eligible for monthly housing allowance (MHA), the VA will pay you at the end of each month.

You’re not eligible for an MHA payment if any of these are true:

• You’re on active duty, or
• You’re a spouse using transferred benefits while the Veteran is on active duty, or
• You’re in school half time or less than half time, or
• You’re taking correspondence training or flight training, or
• You’re on break from school

If you’re taking in-person courses in the U.S.

The VA will base your MHA on the Defense Department’s Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for an E-5 with dependents, using the zip code where your training takes place. They use the 2026 rates to calculate the MHA you get between August 1, 2026, and July 31, 2027.

The zip codes for our campuses:

Westchester – 10522
Bronx – 10461
Manhattan – 10001

Find BAH rates by zip code on the Defense Travel Management Office website

The VA starts with the BAH rate, and then pays you a percentage of that rate (called a “prorated payment”) based on these additional 3 factors:

• The percentage of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits you’re eligible for (your eligibility tier). Your eligibility tier is determined based on how long you served on active duty and certain other factors.
• How much school you’re attending (your rate of pursuit). Your rate of pursuit is based on how many credits you’re taking each term or how many clock hours you’re scheduled to attend each week. For example, if you’re taking 9 credits in a standard-length term and Mercy considers 12 credits to be full time, your rate of pursuit is 80% (9 divided by 12, rounded to the nearest tenth). To be eligible for MHA, your rate of pursuit must be more than 50%.
• The location where you physically attend most of your classes. The VA calls this “location-based housing allowance.”

If you’re taking online-only courses or you’re at a foreign school

The VA will pay you a percentage of the MHA (called a “prorated payment”) based on these 2 factors:

• The percentage of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits you’re eligible for (your eligibility tier). Your eligibility tier is determined based on how long you served on active duty and certain other factors.
• How much school you’re attending (your rate of pursuit).  Your rate of pursuit is based on how many credits you’re taking each term or how many clock hours you’re scheduled to attend each week. For example, if you’re taking 9 credits in a standard-length term and Mercy considers 12 credits to be full time, your rate of pursuit is 80% (9 divided by 12, rounded to the nearest tenth). To be eligible for MHA, your rate of pursuit must be more than 50%.

MHA for online learning

The VA bases your monthly housing allowance on half the national average for MHA.

If you started using your benefits on or after January 1, 2026, they will pay you up to $1,119. This is the maximum amount you will be paid each month.

Note: If you take at least 1 class in person while taking other online learning classes, you may be eligible for the higher resident MHA.

The VA will give you up to $1,000 each academic year to help pay for your books and supplies for each program you’re enrolled in. If you’re enrolled in more than 1 of the programs listed here in the same academic year, you may be eligible to get up to $1,000 for each program:

• A college or university
• A non-college-degree school
• An apprenticeship or on-the-job training program
• VET TEC 2.0 (high-tech program)

If you’re enrolled in a college or university,you may be able to get up to $41.67 per credit hour, for up to 24 credits per year, prorated by the percentage of benefits you’re eligible for. The VA will pay you at the start of each term or enrollment period.

Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program

Mercy University is a proud participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Veterans who have served a minimum of 36 months of active duty service after September 10, 2001 are eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program. This program enhances your educational entitlements by covering virtually 100% of additional tuition and fee costs above are allocated annual allowance.  

Visit the GI Bill® website for more information on eligibility.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.