Questions about Education for Military Service Members programs and services

Overview

The Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Program offers eligible service members opportunities to further their education through a variety of programs and services provided by the individual branches of Service. These resources are available to assist in planning, completing, and paying for educational advancement from basic academic competencies up to Doctoral degrees. Due to the mobile lifestyle of service members, credit for courses can be earned several different ways, including through the traditional classroom setting, college-level equivalency testing, an assessment of prior learning, an assessment of military training, independent study, and distance learning.

The following are Frequently Asked Questions about Education for service Members programs and services.  What is voluntary education? Voluntary education provides service members with opportunities to voluntarily pursue their education goals during off-duty time (after work) or during duty hours as authorized by the branches of Service. These opportunities are intended to be comparable to those available in the civilian community, regardless of duty location. How can I participate in voluntary education programs when military orders require frequent moves? The voluntary education programs are offered by each branch of Service through a variety of methods to meet the needs of the mobile military community. Service members can earn credit for higher education through traditional classroom settings, college-level equivalency testing, an assessment of prior military training, independent study, and through distance learning. The installation Education Center staff can provide detailed information on the various education programs, assist with completing required forms for study, and help design a specific course of study (i.e., degree planning). What kinds of voluntary education programs are available for service members? The Department of Defense (DoD) offers the following programs and services to assist service members in achieving their education goals: Academic Skills Programs - These programs offer service members opportunities to update or enhance basic academic competencies in areas such as English, reading, writing, speaking, and mathematics. High School Diploma - This program provides full reimbursement for the cost of studies and testing leading to service members receiving a high school diploma or a high school equivalency credential. Examinations Program - This program allows service members to earn certificates, licenses, college credits, and a high school diploma, as well as satisfy entrance and employment requirements, with successful completion of tests such as the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT), and the National Teacher Exam (NTE). Military Evaluations Program - The American Council on Education (ACE), under DoD contract, develops credit recommendations based on its evaluation of Service school courses, military training, and most enlisted occupations. Most colleges and universities award college credit based on these recommendations. Independent Study and External Degree Programs - These programs allow service members the opportunity for academic advancement through flexible scheduling, little or no residency requirements, and nontraditional approaches to education, such as distance learning through broadcast video, recorded video, interactive CD-ROM, teleconferencing, or the Internet. Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) - SOC is a network of colleges and universities that has partnered with DoD to meet the educational needs of the mobile military community. SOC schools have minimum residency requirements, accept credit transferred from other member institutions, and award credit for military training, experience, and results of nationally recognized testing programs. To address the specific needs of different branches of Service, SOC has designated five individual degree networks: SOCAD (Army), SOCNAV (Navy), SOCMAR (Marine Corps), SOCCOAST (Coast Guard), and SOCGUARD (National Guard). Postsecondary Degree Programs - The primary focus of DoD voluntary education programs is to enable service members to earn college credit towards an Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctoral degree. In many cases, the courses are offered on military installations or are available to service members who are at sea or deployed. Military Tuition Assistance (TA) Program - The TA Program authorizes all of the branches of Service to pay 100 percent of the cost of tuition expenses for service members taking courses at colleges and universities. TA is not a loan that needs to be repaid, but rather a benefit earned for serving in the military, similar to base pay. Different eligibility criteria, obligation of service requirements, application processes, and restrictions exist for each branch of Service. Transcript Services - Each branch of Service offers transcript services to track and document a service member's or veteran's military coursework and training. These transcripts can be obtained by the service member or veteran at no cost and sent to accredited universities and colleges for use in obtaining college credit for military experiences. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps have partnered with ACE to use the Army / ACE Registry Transcript System (AARTS) and the Sailor / Marine / ACE Transcript System (SMARTS). Transcripts for Air Force and Coast Guard personnel are available from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) and the Coast Guard Institute (CGI), respectively. Loan Repayment Programs - These programs are offered to qualified service members to assist in managing college debts. After each completed year of active duty service, the military pays 33-1/3 percent or $1,500, whichever is greater, on the total remaining original principle balance. Programs for Afloat College Education (PACE) - PACE offers Sailors at sea the opportunity to continue their college studies. PACE is free for the Sailor (the only cost is for books) and offers courses taught by civilian instructors aboard the ship or access to college classes using computer technology. Yes, but other programs are available to veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers various education benefit programs for eligible veterans, including: Montgomery G.I. Bill - Active Duty (MGIB) - The MGIB provides up to thirty-six months of education benefits for college, business, technical, correspondence or vocational courses, apprenticeship/on-the-job training, or flight school for service members who have served on active duty in the past and are now no longer with the military. Participants can receive over $36,000 in tuition and can use the MGIB in conjunction with the Military Tuition Assistance (TA) Program to cover additional tuition costs not covered by their branch of Service (within DoD limits). MGIB - Selected Reserve (SR) - The MGIB-SR provides similar benefits as the MGIB but is targeted towards members of the Selected Reserve (Army Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, and the Army National Guard and Air National Guard). The MGIB-SR provides up to thirty-six months of education benefits for degree programs, certificate or correspondence courses, cooperative training, independent study programs, apprenticeship/on-the-job training, vocational flight training programs, and remedial, refresher, and deficiency training under certain circumstances. Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) - REAP is a relatively new veterans' education benefit program that provides financial assistance for education to members of the Reserve components called or ordered to active duty in response to a war or national emergency. Reserve component service members who were called to active duty can receive up to thirty-six months of assistance, payable based on a percentage of the MGIB three-year rates, and on the number of continuous days served on active duty. As with the MGIB, the program provides educational assistance for institutional training, correspondence training, flight training, apprenticeship training, and cooperative training. Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) - The VEAP is available if service members entered active duty between 1 January 1977 and 30 June 1985 and elected to make contributions from their military pay to participate in the program. The government matches contributions to the account at a rate of $2 for every $1 and this money can then be used for degree, certificate, correspondence, apprenticeship/on-the-job training, and vocational flight training programs. Where can I receive more information on voluntary education programs and services? Installation Education Centers can provide service members with more information on any of the voluntary education programs. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits website can also assist service members in obtaining information about VA-administered programs. Individual branches of Service voluntary education websites are listed below: Army - Army Continuing Education System (ACES) Marine Corps - Marine Corps Lifelong Learning Navy - Navy College Program (NCP) Air Force - Air Force Virtual Education Center (AFVEC) Independent Study and External Degree Programs - These programs allow service members the opportunity for academic advancement through flexible scheduling, little or no residency requirements, and nontraditional approaches to education, such as distance learning through broadcast video, recorded video, interactive CD-ROM, teleconferencing, or the Internet.