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TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
CREDIT PROGRAMS
SENIOR MILITARY COLLEGES
RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS (ROTC)
SERVICE ACADEMIES
OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOLS
If getting a college education is your priority, the Military is one way to meet that goal. From Mili-tary Service Academies, to Military Colleges, the ROTC, Credit and Tuition Support Pro-grams, there are many options available to young people today.
Tuition Assistance Programs
Tuition support is one of the many ways that the Military can help you with the rising cost of postsecondary education. The Military’s Tuition Assistance Program pays for up to 100 percent of the cost of tuition or expenses, up to a maximum of $250 per semester hour credit and a personal maximum of $4,500 per fiscal year per student. This program is the same for full-time duty members in each military service. Selected military reserve and National Guard units also offer a Tuition Assistance Program, although the benefits may vary from the full-time duty program.
There are four main initiatives that make up Tuition Sup-port Programs:
• Montgomery GI Bill. Effective October 1, 2010, the active duty Montgomery GI Bill offers up to $51,336 in tuition as a benefit for a three-year commitment on full-time duty. Servicemembers contribute $100 a month for a year. In return, they get a maximum of $1,426 a month for three years - a very handsome return on investment.
The GI Bill can be used not only for college degree programs but also for certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training, and distance education courses, among others. Members of the Reserves and National Guard are also eligible for the GI Bill, although at reduced rates. For more information, go to www.gibill.va.gov or call 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).
• Post-9/11 GI Bill. This is a new education benefit, effective August 1, 2009, for individuals who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. Personnel who wish to take advantage of this program must have served at least 90 aggregate days of active duty after September 11, 2001, still be on active duty, or honorably discharged or released. Personnel currently receiving benefits under another military education assistance program may elect to enroll in the Post-9/11 GI Bill but will no longer be eligible for the benefits offered by the previous program.
Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill the individual would be eligible to receive the cost of tuition and fees not to exceed the most expensive in-state undergraduate tuition at a public institution of higher education, a monthly housing allowance, and a maximum books and supplies allowance of $1,000. Some individuals may be eligible for a $500 relocation payment.
Recipients may receive up to 36 months of entitlement. Eligible individuals should also be aware that if you are a member of the Armed Forces on August 1, 2009 you may be able to transfer your benefits to a spouse or dependent child.
Interested military personnel should visit www.gibill.va.gov for more information.
• College Fund Programs. (Also known as the Montgomery GI Bill “kicker”). Here’s another little-known secret with a large payoff. Enlistees in the Armed Services who become eligible for their College Fund Programs can increase their GI Bill payments, making them eligible to receive up to an additional $950 per month toward college tuition, upon honorable discharge. Enlistees who are awarded the College Fund by the Marine Corps or Coast Guard receive additional dollars that can make up a significant part - or all - of the funds needed to complete a college education.
• Loan Repayment Pro-grams. For many college students, student loan debt becomes a very big concern and issue following graduation. As an incentive to enlistment, each of the Military Services are free to offer a College Loan Repayment Program (CLRP). Under the program, the military will repay a portion of eligible college loans for non-prior service military members. Each of the services have applied their own maximums and criteria for eligibility. Loan repayment funds can be applied to approved Perkins, Stafford, or other Department of Education Guaranteed Student Loans that the student incurred while in college. For more information contact the military service in which you are interested.
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Credit Programs
Financial assistance isn’t the only way that the Military can help a young person obtain a higher education. Credit Pro-grams enable service personnel to earn credits at schools, colleges and universities across the country. Credit Programs are offered through four ways:
• Military School Credits. The Military has a network of over 300 schools and over 10,000 courses to train members in the skills necessary for over 4,100 occupations. One well-kept secret is that about 60 percent of these courses are certified for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE). That means that service personnel can earn college credits for being trained (at no cost to you) by top military instructors to learn a marketable skill. Note: A credit isn’t a credit until it’s approved by the college, but if you need help convincing them, ACE has a help desk available.
• Servicemember Opportunity Colleges (SOC). Hundreds of thousands of servicemembers and their family members enroll annually in programs offered by SOC Consortium member universities, colleges, community colleges, and technical institutes. Military students may enroll in associate, bachelor, and graduate-level degree programs on school campuses, military installations, and armories within the United States and overseas. It’s popular because it’s a built-in way to get a college degree - even if duty stations change. SOC is a group of 1,800 colleges and universities that agree to transfer credits between themselves for members of the Military and their families. Be it Key West, Florida or San Diego, California, you can continue college studies via SOC. Coursework is done in the classroom, at a distance by computer or by mail. For information contact Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges, 1307 New York Ave., NW, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20005-4701, 800-368-5622 or 202-667-0079, fax 202-667-0622, E-mail: socmail@aascu.org or visit the Web site www.soc.aascu.org.
• Credits Earned Through Testing (CLEP). Enlistees need to look no farther for college credit than the local Base Education Center (most bases have one). There they can take the CLEP examination series (general exams like Mathe-mat-ics or subject exams like West-ern Civilization), the DSST subject series, or the well-known Regents examination series. Name the subject, and the Mili-tary probably has a test for it. Pass, and the credits are awarded, usually three credits per subject exam. For more information visit www.dantes.doded.mil, E-mail: dantes@navy.mil, call 850-452-1111, or fax 850-452-1159.
• Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). Air Force enlisted personnel may earn an Associate’s degree in Applied Science in job-related fields. The degree is offered in the five broad career areas: Aircraft and Missile Maintenance, Allied Health, Electronics and Telecommunications, Logistics and Resources, Public and Support Services.
Registration is free, and CCAF establishes a special study program for each student. Go to www.au.af.mil/au/ccaf for more information. You may also call 334-953-2223 for questions about admissions.
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Senior Military Colleges
For students who would like to experience a military environment while getting an education, a Senior Military College (SMC) offers both. Learn more about SMC’s by visiting their Web sites: Norwich Univer-sity (www.norwich.edu); Virginia Military Institute (www.vmi.edu); The Citadel (www.citadel.edu); Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets (www.vtcc.vt.edu); North Georgia College and State Uni-versity (www.ngcsu.edu); Texas A & M University Corps of Cadets (www.aggiecorps.org); and Mary Baldwin College - Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership (www.mbc.edu/vwil).
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Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
ROTC programs, offered by the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and the Air Force, train qualified young men and women to become officers in those services upon graduation from college. (Coast Guard does not have an ROTC program. However, high school seniors, and college and vocational students between the ages of 17 and 28 can enroll in the Coast Guard Student Reserve Program.) ROTC is available in over 1,000 colleges and universities through-out the U.S., both those that host ROTC units or detachments and those with cross-enrollment agree-ments with them. During college, students take a full course load. However, included in the curriculum are Military Science courses that provide the specialized knowledge needed as an officer. In addition to academic courses, ROTC candidates wear uniforms once a week during military labs, drills, military science presentations and other practical training activities. ROTC summer programs offer a taste of military life - such as midshipmen cruises in Naval ROTC - and round out a candidate’s military training.
For more information, visit www.todaysmilitary.com.
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Service Academies
The four military service academies: the U.S. Military Academy (West Point, New York), the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland), the U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, Colorado) and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (New London, Connecticut) offer still another way to pay for college. Tuition, books, board, medical and dental care are all fully paid for all four years - and you get paid a monthly stipend as well. The “catch” is that the competition to get in is fierce. They each look for (and get) the cream of the crop - high-achieving men and women with leadership potential. Admis-sions criteria include: high school academic performance; standardized test scores (SAT or ACT); athletics and non-athletic extracurricular activities; leadership positions; community involvement and work experiences. Graduates receive a Bachelor of Science degree (four-year college degree) and a leadership job as a junior officer in the Military - Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. There is a minimum service obligation of five years, but most academy graduates make the Military their career.
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Officer Candidate Schools
College graduates who missed out on ROTC but who would still like to become military officers can do so by attending the Officer Candidate (or Training) School (OCS/OTS). OCS/OTS is available in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, and lasts between 10 and 17 weeks. Admission right after graduation.
For more information: Army OCS, www.goarmy.com/ocs/; Marine Corps OCS, http://officer.marines.com/; Navy OCS, http://usnavyocs.com; Air Force OTS, www.afoats.af.mil and follow the link for Officer Training School; or Coast Guard OCS, www.coastguardocs.org.
Source: www.todaysmilitary.com
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