What is the cost of 4 years of college in the Air Force Academy?

The Air Force Academy, like West Point and Annapolis, is fully federally funded. As such, cadets do not pay any tuition or room and board. In fact cadets are given a paycheck based on 35% of Second Lieutenant pay in the Air Force.

Expenses are incurred in the mandatory purchasing of equipment such as uniforms, however this is fully covered by cadet pay leaving a considerable amount of money left for discretionary use.

Cadets do have to pay for textbooks out of pocket, usually $200-$700 per semester depending on courses taken and the condition of the books, but these expenses can also be covered by cadet pay.