How does the military credit transfer to online colleges?

Hi everyone, I am a serviceman interested in furthering my education. I have some credits from the military and I was wondering how these could be transferred to an online college. Is there any online college that is particularly good for this kind of credit transfer?

Hello! It's wonderful to hear that you're interested in furthering your education. Many online colleges recognize and reward the educational experiences that servicemen and women receive during their military service. These colleges do this through what's known as the ACE (American Council on Education) credit system.

The ACE collaborates with the Department of Defense (DoD) to review military training and experiences and recommend appropriate college credit for members of the military. The recommendations are then used by colleges and universities to award you academic credit. This is known as "military transfer credit."

However, the transfer of credits is entirely dependent on the institution you're planning to attend, as each school has its own policies with regard to transfer credits. Some online colleges are particularly military-friendly and may accept more military transfer credit.

If you're looking for schools that are particularly good at this, you might want to consider colleges that are part of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) consortium. These schools have committed to making it easier for military members to transfer credits and complete their degrees, even with frequent moves.

Some well-regarded online colleges in this consortium include Southern New Hampshire University, Colorado State University Global, and American Military University.

Remember, however, that it's best to contact the specific online college for accurate information regarding their credit transfer policies and their recognition of military training for credit.

For the process to get started, you'll need to obtain your official Joint Services Transcript (JST) or your Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcript if you're in the Air Force, and submit it to your chosen online college during the application process. This transcript documents all your military training and experiences which can potentially be translated into academic credit.

I would suggest researching the policies of potential schools, reaching out to their admissions or registrar's offices for more information, and obtaining your JST or CCAF transcript as a start.

Keep in mind that not all credits may transfer over and be applied to any degree you're seeking, but they can certainly help you in the journey to furthering your education. Good luck!