Home  »  GI Bill   »   Highest BAH Rates for US Colleges & Cities

Highest BAH Rates for US Colleges & Cities

Updated | Garrett FitzGerald
BAH, military friendly, collegerecon, GI Bill, student veterans, colleges and universities, student veterans of america, high BAH

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.  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 2022/2023 school year rates, which is a good baseline for anticipating your budget for the next academic year.

  • San Francisco, CA BAH = $4,644
  • Santa Clara County, CA  BAH = $4,362
  • Boston, MA BAH = $4,188
  • Westchester County, NY BAH = $3,792
  • San Diego, CA BAH = $3,792
  • Nantucket, MA BAH = $3,741
  • Long Island, NY BAH =  $3,708
  • New York, NY BAH = $3,666
  • Oakland, CA BAH = $3,585
  • Los Angeles, CA BAH = $3,531
  • Florida Keys, FL BAH = $3,489
  • Camp Pendleton, CA BAH = $3,408
  • Hanscom AFB,  BAH = $3,348
  • Honolulu, HI BAH = $3,303
  • Fort Monmouth, NJ BAH = $3,165
  • Marin/Sonoma, CA BAH = $3,132

BAH Calculator


 
 

 

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 $1,054.50 for the 2024 academic year.

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 $4,644

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

Santa Clara County, CA – BAH is $4,362

Boston, MA – BAH is $4,188

Westchester County, NY – BAH is $3,792

San Diego, CA – $3,792

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

Nantucket, MA – BAH is $3,741

Long Island, NY – $3,708

New York, NY – BAH is $3,666

Oakland, CA – BAH is $3,585

Please go here for more detailed housing allowance info for Oakland, CA

Los Angeles, CA – BAH is $3,531

Florida Keys, FL – $3,489

Camp Pendleton, CA – BAH is $3,408

Hanscom AFB – $3,348

Honolulu, HI – $2,913

Fort Monmouth, NJ – $2,853

Marin/Sonoma, CA – BAH is $3,234

Monterey, CA – BAH is $3,039

New Haven, CT – $2,901

Seattle, WA – $2,910

Juneau, AK – $2,550

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.

 

RELATED:

 

 

SaveSave

SaveSave

Tagged: