Online Colleges for Veterans and Military Personnel

Military-friendly colleges may go above and beyond to help both active duty and veteran students transition into a higher education setting. This could mean support of an academic, social or financial nature. Many schools with fully online programs fall into this category, making it much easier for past and present military members to learn in a flexible, remote environment. Prospective students evaluating online degree programs should ask questions of each school related to five key considerations:

The Importance of Accreditation and VA Approval

An accredited online school with VA approval means students can pay for their education with the GI Bill and that the school's accreditation certifies:

Students can search for accreditations and VA approvals for individual schools that they're considering at the Weam's School Search Tool. For those searching a wider area than a single school can choose a state to round up a list of prospective schools. Each school listing links to "Programs" and provides details on the courses under the "Institution of Higher Learning" link. Students can use contact information for the school to inquire into the curriculum and requirements of the degree program.

Examine the tuition rates at each prospective, VA-approved school. Fees are typically higher at private institutions and for out-of-state students. To receive the best tuition coverage, students should look at public schools in their own state. Post 9/11 GI Bill tuition payment tops out at the current tuition rate for state residents at approved schools. The available tuition payment for education at private schools is capped at $21,084.89 for 2015/2016. A veteran receiving support under The Montgomery GI Bill must pay tuition and materials/books/fees out of the total grant.

College Credit Options for Training and Experience

One way students can up their degree completion process is to transfer credits that they earned in the service in the form of military training, technical schools and duty. Not all institutions accept credit, but the military friendly schools on the VA approval list do. Military job descriptions for warrant officers, enlisted personnel, and a limited number of officer roles are translated to college-credit values by The American Council on Education (ACE). The ACE guide is continually updated to reflect the nature of knowledge and experience related to military occupations and training courses.

For example, in looking at converting experience to credits, there's the ACE guide of the 11B Infantryman MOS job description (stateside):

"Leads, supervises and serves as a member of an infantry unit of 10-20 persons, employing individual weapons, machine guns and anti-armor weapons in offensive and defensive ground combat."

ACE specialists review the MOS and create skill level summaries. An E-6 level summary, for example, states that:

"Able to perform the duties required for Skill Level 20; as a first-line supervisor, directs the utilization of personnel and equipment; coordinates unit actions with adjacent and supporting elements; insures proper collection and reporting of intelligence data."

Next, ACE sets a credit recommendation for the skill level. In this case, the credit evaluation reads:

"In the vocational certificate category, three semester hours in mechanical maintenance. In the lower-division baccalaureate/associate degree category, one semester hour in map reading, one in first aid, two in record keeping, three in personnel supervision, three in human relations and credit in surveying on the basis of institutional evaluation."

Let's say an incoming student from the E-6 11B Squad might face completion of three 3-credit intro classes in the major. However, ACE recommendations show that the Leader would earn 10 school credits that reflect his education at the 11B MOS. Now the student can leap past the intro section and possibly other courses that are credited. The ultimate time-to-degree is shortened.

Active service members should contact the following education agencies to request transcripts to send to prospective online military colleges. Search by branch:

• Joint Services Transcript (JST) system, for the Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard
• Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) for the Air Force

There is no template for how many credits each school should offer incoming service personnel and veterans once they receive their transcripts. Because these can vary by institution, it can be an advantage to compare transfer offers since ultimately credits can speed up time to graduation as well as cut total costs of a degree.

The JST system is the agency of choice for veterans seeking transcripts. However, vets can also submit a completed DD-295 – Application For The Evaluation of Learning Experiences During Military Service directly to prospective colleges. A copy of DD-214 Discharge Form should accompany each request. The National Archives will provide a copy of D-214s.

Other Forms of College Credit

Potential schools should be asked if they accept non-traditional forms of college credit, including DANTES, ACE and CLEP. The total amount of transferable credit from these programs also varies widely between institutions. This amount can vary quite a bit between schools. Students should ask about the maximum amount of credits for each potential degree program. It all can add up to savings in time and money.

To protect their VA support, students should contact the admissions office and relevant department heads to ensure their prospective courses are approved. Typically, the accredited online school offering the degree can coordinate the on-campus studies.

Distance education is still evolving and the VA regulations regarding campus/online hybrids (also called "blended programs") categorize the degrees as fully online. That means a lowered housing allowance. According to the VA, courses meeting campus residency requirements have "regularly scheduled standard class sessions that meet at least once every two weeks and the total number classroom instruction (based on 50 minutes of instruction per hour) must equal, or be greater than, the number of credit hours awarded for the course multiplied by the number of weeks in the term."

Practically speaking, for the student to meet full housing criteria, they must join a 3-credit campus-based class that meets a total of six hours every other week, for 48 weeks.

But that's just for undergraduates.

For graduate students, the VA has created different on-campus training definitions. Typically these programs reflect hybrids in that the class for "in-residence" students meets regularly on campus. The student also must meet research requirements conducted online, on campus, or through a combination of formats.

The VA's definition of distance learning states the process as "consisting of interaction between the student and the instructor (who is physically separated from the student) through the use of communications technology instead of regularly scheduled, conventional classroom or laboratory sessions. Communications technology includes mail, telephone, audio or videoconferencing, computer technology (online internet courses or email) or other electronic means such as one-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite or wireless communications devices. Any courses that consists of some interaction using communications technology and some weeks of standard class sessions, but do not meet the requirements to be classified as in-residence training, are considered distance learning."

A full-time student attending one campus class and the balance online can be especially vulnerable to VA restrictions. If the VA finds that the campus course is technically "distance learning," the student would lose the full stipend and receive the $714.50 online allowance. Prospective students should contact each institution to determine which campus courses are VA-approved as in-residence classes.

With the standard GI Bill, students were issued payment and they would be responsible for paying for tuition, housing and books.

Under provisions of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the VA pays the institution directly, awarding up to 100 percent of in-state tuition at public schools and capping the annual tuition support at $19,198.31 for private institutions.

Students attending colleges that charge them non-resident tuition or private school tuition over the VA cap must make up the difference out of their own pocket.

There is program designed to bridge the shortfall, if the institution has a participating agreement for the VA's Yellow Ribbon Program.

Note: GI Bill pay rates are adjusted each October 1st; Post 9/11 GI Bill pay rates are adjusted annually on August 1st.

For its part in the program, the VA in-turn matches the total fees paid or waived by the participating school. Ideally, the combined contributions would cover 100 percent of the veteran's tuition and fees. But participating schools may decide to waive or fund a smaller percentage of the costs, creating a matching reduction in support from the VA.

The VA has determined it will not pay tuition support for online or hybrid developmental-level courses (typically with class numbers under 100). Students must either pay their own or take the approved course on campus and receive VA funding.

One way to reduce out-of-pocket payments on tuition is to qualify for scholarships, tuition discounts or school vouchers.

It pays to research online colleges for military personnel for additional avenues of financial aid. The Top-Up option allows veterans to tap the funds remaining in their service branch Post 9/11 GI Bill or MGIB entitlements to pay for tuition.

Through the Top-Up, the VA receives a statement reflecting the shortfall in tuition based on what the institution charges and the TA contribution and pays the difference by reimbursing the TA and deducting the converted amount in terms of remaining student entitlement in their old GI Bill/MGIB accounts.

Post-9/11 GI Bill veterans using the Tuition Top-Up option do not have funding calculated based upon a credit hour formula. Instead, a full semester of entitlement is deducted by the VA, irrespective of any reimbursements made to service branches.

MyCAA: Funding Programs for Qualified Military Spouses

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) program was launched by the Department of Defense in 2010 to assist the spouses of active duty service members to take online and campus courses that lead to credentials or licenses for an approved career path. The program provides up to $4,000 to spouses of active duty military or Title 10 Selected Reserve members in lower pay grades to help defray college costs. Because the Department of Homeland Security oversees the Coast Guard, spouses of members in that service branch are not eligible for the MyCAA program.

The program is specifically created to assist spouses of military members with low pay grades that haven't accrued the required six years of active duty to participate in Post 9/11 GI Bill® benefits. The MyCAA military grades authorized for the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force are E1 through E5; W1 and W2; O1 and O2. Spouses of activated Guard and Reserve members are eligible if sponsors remain on Title 10 orders for the duration of each semester.

Spouses are encouraged to receive educations in designated portable career fields. Approved programs lead to:

Spouses qualifying for MyCAA accounts can attend campus, online or blended programs and must complete their funded education in three years.

Online colleges for veterans, active service members and eligible spouses make it possible to complete a college degree without interruption or displacement, no matter the deployment or stationing conditions. And VA-funded educational financial aid programs open doors to universities, colleges and trade schools for service personnel and veterans.