Originally Posted by
Romeo Hotel
That seems to be the running theme every time I look up a school, or use the GI Bill calculator on the VA website. While I may be covered for the degree itself... the flight training will be almost entirely out of pocket.
Ignore the GI Bill calculator. All you care about is whether flight fees are billed as part of university tuition and fees which are, in turn, paid by the VA. At the majority of schools, flight is a required part of a degree, and thus payable as tuition and fees for GI Bill purposes.
For example, the school I went to, San Jacinto College in TX which is a community college, lists each flight rating as an individual course on their degree plan. Each course generates a charge for flight fees, which become course fees, and are certified on a larger semester tuition bill for the VA. VA pays the school at some point in the year, but to the student it doesn't matter because the school knows the VA is good for it, and counts the course as paid. At my school this block of money is then released to the flight provider who carries it in a flight account that is billed against for instruction. BLUF, if you are 100% Post-9/11 GI Bill, then nothing comes out of pocket; enjoy BAH and book money direct deposited to your bank account.
I looked at FL in my national school search, and you're right, there aren't really any good public options. Remember, though, that you can use the GI Bill at any public school anywhere in the country and, thanks to legislation, get in-state rates. You really need to broaden your search and do a holistic cost-benefit analysis of top 2/4 yr aviation programs looking at school quality, weather, what the degree plan includes for coursework, etc.