While a cadet at the Academy, you will be fully cared for and have no student loans to worry about. Your education, valued at more than $400,000, is an investment the Air Force is willing to make in you. You will receive:
Fully paid tuition
Cost-free Room and board
Cost-free Medical care*
A Monthly stipend
Interest-free loans to cover emergency situations if necessary
Access to a low-cost, government-sponsored life insurance program
*Outpatient treatment, physical examinations and routine dental examinations are performed in the cadet clinic. Cadets may not refuse necessary medical treatment because of religious or personal beliefs.
500K +/- 50K...the more flying programs/classes the cadet is involved in, the higher the cost. I'm sure other programs such as D1 athletics can also put it on the higher side. At least that is what we were told last year.
https://www.usafa.edu/about/ is indicating that "An Academy education is valued more than $416,000..." - from other sources I've seen, this grows to $500k+ when non-educational expenses (flight training, "military" training, etc.) are included into the calculation.