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Highest BAH Rates for US Colleges & Cities

Updated | Garrett FitzGerald
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Colleges and Cities with the Highest BAH Rates

Which cities have the highest GI Bill BAH rates in the US?  If you’re looking to go to school, you’ll want to know which colleges and universities have the highest BAH in the US. 

As a part of your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit, you will receive a Monthly Housing Allowance. The Monthly Housing Allowance is equal to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents.

Your BAH (or MHA) depends on a lot of different factors, including the area of the country where the school is located. That’s why we’ve come up with a list of cities and colleges and universities with the highest BAH in the US.

Jump right to:

Cities with the Highest BAH Rates

You may know that San Francisco has the highest BAH in the country (the BAH for San Francisco is $4,329 per month).  But what other cities make the list?

Here is a partial list of the cities with the highest GI Bill BAH rates in the country. The figures show the BAH for an E-5 with dependents for these cities based on 2020/2021 school year rates.

  • San Francisco, CA BAH = $4,614
  • Santa Clara County, CA  BAH = $4,122
  • Long Island, NY BAH =  $3,465
  • Oakland, CA BAH = $3,243
  • Marin/Sonoma, CA BAH = $3,234
  • New York, NY BAH = $3,234
  • Westchester County, NY BAH = $3,150
  • Los Angeles, CA BAH = $3,114
  • Nantucket, MA BAH = $3,024
  • Boston, MA BAH = $3,024
  • Florida Keys, FL BAH = $2,976
  • Honolulu, HI BAH = $2,913
  • New Haven, CT BAH = $2,901
  • Northern New Jersey BAH = $2,853
  • San Diego, CA BAH = $2,850
  • Hanscom AFB BAH = $2,850

Do You Get Full BAH If You Attend Online Classes Exclusively?

You will receive BAH as a veteran attending online college, schools, or distance learning programs as a full-time student.

The current MHA or Post 9/11 GI Bill BAH rate for online schools is $871 for the 2020-2021 academic year (Aug 1, 2020 – Jul 31, 2021).

This is determined by taking half of the national BAH average.

RELATED: Online Colleges for the Military

Now that we know which cities have the highest BAH, here’s the list of the schools with the highest BAH.

The Colleges and Universities With the Highest BAH Rates

Below each military housing area is a partial list of schools in that area.

San Francisco, CA – BAH is $4,614

Please go here for more detailed housing allowance info for San Francisco

Santa Clara County, CA – BAH is $4,122

 

Long Island, NY – $3,465

 

Oakland, CA – BAH is $3,243

 

Marin/Sonoma, CA – BAH is $3,234

 

New York, NY – BAH is $3,234

Westchester County, NY – BAH is $3,150

 

Los Angeles, CA – BAH is $3,114

Nantucket, MA – BAH is $3,024

 

Boston, MA – BAH is $3,024

 

Florida Keys, FL – $2,976

 

Honolulu, HI – $2,913

 

New Haven, CT – $2,901

 

Northern New Jersey – $2,853

 

San Diego, CA – $2,850

Hanscom AFB – $2,850

 

Seattle, WA – $2,748

Camp Pendleton, CA – BAH is $2,589

Monterey, CA – BAH is $2,508

Juneau, AK – $2,454

How is BAH Determined for the Post-9/11 GI Bill?

The calculation for BAH depends on a few factors including:

  • zip code of the school (military housing area)
  • your GI Bill eligibility
  • if you are a full-time or part-time student 
  • equal to pay grade of E-5 with dependents

As BAH is partially determined where the school is located, it is important to know the city that the school is in.

 

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