How much is my Military Training worth in College?

Hi, I just finished a training program with a branch of the military and I'm now considering going to college. Does anyone know if my military training would be counted as college credit? And, if so, how much would it be worth? Thanks!

While it's challenging to provide an exact number without specifics about your training program, many colleges indeed award credit for military training. The American Council on Education (ACE) works closely with the Department of Defense to evaluate military training and experience and recommend their equivalency in academic credit. Your Joint Services Transcript (JST) will include these ACE credit recommendations, which many colleges will use to determine the amount of credit to grant you.

However, each college has its own policy for reviewing these recommendations - some schools may accept all of them, while others may only accept a few or none at all. It's also worth noting that even when credits are accepted, they typically apply to elective credits. Whether they can be used to satisfy specific course requirements for your major will often depend on the nature of the training and the requirements of your desired academic program.

For example, a student whose military training incorporated a hefty quantity of technical or engineering coursework might find that their credits convert more directly to a degree in a related field than to a degree in the liberal arts.

Before you apply, I recommend contacting the admissions offices or Veteran's Affairs offices at the schools you're interested in. They should be able to provide you with information specific to their institutions about how your military training may be counted. It can be helpful to have your JST on hand for these conversations, so they can offer a more tailored response.