Translating Military Training into College Credits?

As I'm considering joining the military after high school, I'm curious about whether the training I receive can be translated into college credits. Is that possible? How does the process typically work?

Yes, your military training can indeed be translated into college credits. This process is often facilitated by the American Council on Education (ACE), which evaluates military training and experience to determine their equivalence in academic credit. This provides service members and veterans with a significant head start when they eventually transfer to a higher education institution. Here's an overview of how the process typically works:

1. Complete Military Training: When you complete any formal military training or other learning experiences in the military, make sure to keep all your certificates and documents safe. These will be valuable when you apply for college credits.

2. ACE Review: The ACE conducts a periodic review of military training and occupations to recommend equivalent college credits. Your job in the military, the training you've undergone, and your military rank could all contribute to the college credit recommendations.

3. Military Transcripts: As a service member or veteran, you can request your military transcripts. These transcripts include all your military training and experience, along with the ACE recommendations for college credit.

4. College Application: When applying to colleges, you can submit your military transcripts for review. Each institution individually decides how many credits, if any, they will award from your military transcripts.

5. Credit Award: Following the review of your transcripts, the college or university will let you know how many credits they will award you based on your military training.

Do note that it's important to contact the college or university you're interested in to understand their process for evaluating military training for credit. Not all colleges interpret the ACE recommendations in the same way, and some may be more generous than others in awarding credit for military training. Thus, it could be worth exploring a few different colleges to see where your military training might count the most.