Find a Military-Friendly College Near You

Civilian Education for Military Advancement

Each branch of the military encourages active duty military personnel to advance their military careers while in the service, though the branches differ in the weighting of civilian education as a criteria for advancement.

If you're in the Army and working toward promotion, for example, you can earn up to 100 promotion points for civilian education in both the middle and upper promotion tiers. The Navy also awards promotion points for associate's and bachelor's degrees for grades E4 to E6. As a Marine, you can earn 75 promotion points for self-education for promotions to grades E4 and E5.

Even if you're a grade or in a branch of service, such as the Air Force, that doesn't weight civilian education in promotion decisions, oftentimes you'll receive a favorable recommendation for taking classes or pursing a degree as it qualifies under "supplemental information" that promotion boards consider.

Finding the Right College Opportunity

One of the challenges that active duty military and their families face is how to get a college degree in the face of frequent moves and relocations. The second challenge is how to pay for school. The military-friendly schools and opportunities included below are available for military personnel and their families to help address these challenges.

GI Bill Schools

Though the GI Bill is typically used by veterans, active duty and Selected Reserve members of the military can use this benefit as well. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains a list of schools where you can use your Montgomery or Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. As different training programs are covered under these two GI Bills, the school one attends can vary slightly based on the version of the GI Bill that is elected.

Attending a GI Bill school can make a big difference to servicemembers because his or her GI Bill benefits can be used to pay a large portion (if not all) of the tuition and fees. The payment rate and method of funds distribution differs according to version of the GI Bill that's used.

Yellow Ribbon Schools

Servicemembers who qualify for 100 percent of their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits may elect to attend a Yellow Ribbon School. These schools participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a joint agreement between the school and the VA in which the Yellow Ribbon Schools pledge to cover up to one half of their tuition that is not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and the VA matches the school's payment. This program allows servicemembers to choose a degree program based on its merits and convenience, not just the cost.

Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC)

Almost 2,000 colleges and universities belong to the Servicemember Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium. These schools work together in order to make it easier for military students in all branches of the military to earn college degrees. Schools in the SOC consortium agree to limit the amount of course work that's required to be taken at a single college (25 percent for campus programs and 30 percent for online degree programs), and also award college credit for military training and experience. The policies at these schools are designed to minimize the number of credits one might lose when transferring to another school to complete a degree.

MyCAA Schools

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) is a program that provides tuition assistance for military spouses of E1-E5, W1-W2, and O1-O2 servicemembers to get career training for portable careers. Career training can include certification, licensure, or an associate's degree in high-demand, high-growth fields.

The benefit is a maximum of $4,000 over a three-year period (capped at $2,000 per year) and can be used to pay for tuition at MyCAA schools. MyCAA schools must be accredited and enter into an agreement with the Department of Defense. Currently, if one searches for a MyCAA school and doesn't find his or her school listed, that school can be invited to participate in the program. The invitation process takes 3-4 months, so spouses who are looking to take advantage of this opportunity would be advised to plan ahead.

Finding a Campus Near Base

If one is going to attend college while on active duty, or if a spouse of family member is currently using a military education benefit to pay for college, knowing which colleges are closest can be essential.

Depending on the program of study, some may be limited to campus-based study. But what if there isn't a campus near base? The number and type of distance and online degree programs is constantly increasing. Many military education benefits can be applied toward online study, as long as the school is accredited.