Military Postsecondary Education

College programs for military personnel & veterans

The US Military recognizes that it is in competition for young people so it offers a number of different ways to combine service with a college education. Military postsecondary education consist of five main programs.

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Education Resource Center For The Military

As a valued member of this nation's military, you're entitled to special benefits in your pursuit of a college degree. But with so many schools to choose from, how do you make the right decision? With a little help from us. Through an exhaustive research process, we've identified the very best colleges for military personnel and veterans.

• Officer Track, where the military waits until you have finished college and then you join as an officer. This includes the service academies themselves, ROTC and OCT/ORS.
• College-Enlisted Track, meaning go to college first, get some credits or graduate and then you join as an enlistee.
• Enlisted-College Track, where you might join and serve out your time in the military and then, when you leave, get help in going to college. This is what we usually call the GI-Bill (although the bureaucrats have changed the name, of course).
• Enlisted-Officer Track. Here, you'd join as an enlistee and then some years later (after you've made a good impression!) you'd leave for four years to go to college and then come back as an officer.
• Concurrent-Track. You take your college courses at the same time as you are in the service.

Other Military Postsecondary Options

In addition to all of these college programs the military has other postsecondary education opportunities. Training as a military specialist is often equivalent (or higher!) than the qualification from a vocational or technical school. But above all, keep in mind the military principle: wars are won, battles fought, by being smart. This is why there are so many military postsecondary educational opportunities. It's in both the military's interest and your own to develop your mind through postsecondary education.

Source:
Rand Corporation.