College credit for military training

The transcript that lists your training

Soldiers, sailors, Marines and Coast Guard members, serving or separated, request a Joint Services Transcript from its website at no cost. It lists your military courses, occupations and test scores with credit recommendations from the American Council on Education, known as ACE. Airmen and Guardians use a transcript from the Community College of the Air Force instead.

Have the transcript sent straight to the college's admissions or registrar's office, since most schools accept only an official copy. Look through your own copy first, because a missing course or a wrong job code is easier to correct before the college reviews it.

How colleges decide

ACE recommends, and the college decides what to accept, how many credits, and where they count. Some credit lands as general electives that fill space in a degree without meeting major requirements. Other credit replaces specific courses, such as a first aid class, a physical education requirement or an introductory course in leadership or electronics.

Schools approved for GI Bill students have to review prior credit, military training included, and shorten your program to fit what they accept. Some states also require their public colleges to award credit for military training under set rules, which the registrar or the state higher education agency can explain.

Look through your own copy first, because a missing course or a wrong job code is easier to correct before the college reviews it.

Exams and other routes to credit

College Level Examination Program and DSST exams cover introductory subjects, and the Defense Department often pays for a first attempt for service members through the base education center. Veterans may be able to have a national test fee repaid through the GI Bill, which uses a small part of your entitlement.

Many colleges also offer prior learning assessment, where you build a portfolio showing what you learned on the job and a faculty member reviews it. Ask how many credits by exam or portfolio the college accepts toward a degree, since most set a ceiling.

Asking for more

If credit you expected is missing, ask the registrar for the evaluation in writing and request a review by the department that teaches the subject. Bring course outlines, training records or certificates to that review. A department chair can sometimes approve a course substitution that the general transfer rules overlooked.