I was speaking to someone about joining the military and they mentioned something about military college credits. Can anyone clarify what these are for me? I'm guessing they're connected to educational opportunities within the military, right? Thanks for any insights.
Yes, you're correct. Military college credits reflect the learning, training, and skills you acquire during your military service, which can be recognized as fulfilling certain college course requirements in civilian academic institutions.
These credits are typically documented on a Joint Services Transcript (JST) for Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel, or a Community College of the Air Force transcript for Air Force personnel. These transcripts list all completed military training courses and jobs, then suggest corresponding American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendations.
For instance, many technical and leadership training programs in the military match the content of certain college courses. Let's say you complete a training program in electronics in the Army - thanks to ACE recommendations, a college might confer a certain amount of credit for that training, essentially allowing you to skip a basic electronics course if it's required for your degree.
It's important to note that each college and university sets its own policy about which military training and experience, if any, they will grant credit for, and how much. So, it's advisable to check with your intended school's admissions or registrar office to understand their particular policy.
In addition, the service branches also offer tuition assistance programs for active-duty, Reserve, and National Guard members who wish to pursue college-level education in their spare time. The Department of Veterans Affairs also provides educational benefits to veterans under the GI Bill.
So, in this way, serving in the military can provide a significant head start on a college degree and contribute to reducing the time and costs associated with earning a degree.
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