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Military College Programs No longer is the choice between the Military OR college. Now, it can be both. These days, the Military provides a huge range of educational opportunities to servicemembers to study in advance of, during, and after their military commitment. After all, more education gives you unique advantages in everything you do, both in the Military and in any career you choose beyond.  Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Tuition Assistance Testing Programs Military School Credits Certification Programs Montgomery GI Bill College Fund Programs Community College of the Air Force Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) SOC enables military members and their families to get college degrees through a group of over 1,200 colleges, universities, and technical institutes. SOC member schools all acknowledge and transfer your credits, making it possible for you to continue your college studies as you move to new duty stations. SOC features include:
More on the SOC Program More on Distance Learning   Tuition Assistance All services have a tuition assistance program. In fact, the Military spends over $130 million each year reimbursing troops for tuition. In one year, this support helped servicemembers earn over 35,000 advanced degrees. Tuition Assistance provides servicemembers — enlisted or officer — the opportunity to enroll in courses at accredited colleges, universities, junior colleges, high schools, and vocational-technical schools. Each service has unique programs that can help with tuition for anything from a high school diploma to a graduate degree. To qualify, there are certain conditions — such as having a minimum time remaining on your service contract and a cap on credit hours (or dollars) per year. Testing Programs The military administers over 150,000 academic exams to servicemembers each year — high school equivalency, college level, and beyond. The testing is available at a discount and is divided up into the following:
Military School Credits You can earn four semester hours of college credit simply by completing Initial Entry Training; otherwise known as "Basic Training" or "boot camp." It's easy for hard-working servicemembers to earn college credits and to get a good education. After Basic Training, the advanced job training the Military gives you — called "A School" — can also count for college credit. In short, you can earn college credit as you are learning a military job. The American Council on Education (ACE) regularly visits many military schools to grant accreditation. Note: Not every military school is accredited. Be sure to ask your recruiter whether the school that would train you offers college credits, and if so, which specific courses offer them. Certification Programs Not technically a college program, but if your military training school doesn't offer college credit, it may instead lead to certification in a specialized technical field. Over 30 national trade associations recognize military certification tests, so if you choose not to reenlist, passing a Certification Exam helps you begin your civilian career right away as a fully trained individual, without having to go through a long apprenticeship period at low pay. Certification testing is available in the automotive, computing, electronics, management, broadcast engineering, emergency medical technician, medical technology, and food preparation fields, among many others. Ask your recruiter for details about certification. More on Certification Programs Montgomery GI Bill With the Montgomery GI Bill, you can get up to $37,224 for college if serving on active duty and up to $10,692 if you serve part time (a six-year contract, in general) in the Reserve or in the National Guard. The MGIB program provides up to 36 months of education benefits, which may be used for degree and certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training, and correspondence courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances. Generally, benefits are payable for 10 years following your release from active duty, date of program eligibility, or date of severance from the Reserves/National Guard. More on the Montgomery GI Bill College Fund Programs If you qualify for the Army or Navy College Fund Programs, your education benefit will increase to $50,000 when combined with the Montgomery GI Bill. In the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, college fund grantees can receive $30,000 in combination with the GI Bill. College fund awards are competitive, and decisions are made on the basis of academic merit. The Air Force doesn't have a College Fund Program, but it does have a community college (see below). Community College of the Air Force The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) is an accredited two-year college open only to enlisted men and women in the U.S. Air Force. It offers over 70 different associate degree programs in many scientific and technical fields. They include Computer Science Technology, Aircraft Systems Maintenance Technology, Space Operations Technology, Allied Health Services, Paralegal, and Information Management. Every CCAF degree requires courses in your technical job specialty, leadership/management/military studies, general education, and physical education. You can accumulate credits while you're on active duty either at Air Force "A" (advanced training) schools or when you enroll in colleges near your duty station that offer accredited courses. CCAF also accepts credits by examination. More on the CCAF
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