Active Duty Degrees: An Overview
Today’s active duty military members operate in some of the most challenging and dynamic environments in the world. When they’re not on the front lines of Freedom, their lives still have a number of demands: family, kids, hobbies, and in many cases, college degrees.
In 2019-20, the American Council on Education reported that about 4.8 percent of all undergraduate college students were either military veterans, active-duty military members, or members of the Reserves or National Guard. That doesn’t sound like a lot until you know how many college students there are today.
Degree Programs for Active Duty Military
The Education Data Initiative estimated that there were approximately 19.28 million undergraduate students in fall 2024. If the 4.8 percent rate held steady, that would be about 925,000 veteran or active military undergraduate students.
How is it that so many military students are pursuing their degrees? You’re about to find out!
Active Duty Degrees
These days, there are countless programs available to help active-duty members complete their college degrees. With everything from Tuition Assistance (TA) to the Forever GI Bill and a whole host of service-specific programs, military members have the path to a quality education.
Army IgnitED
The Army IgnitED program gives soldiers greater control over their educational path. That way, soldiers can pursue the degrees, credentials, or certifications they want for professional development or transition preparation.
Air Force Virtual Education Center
The Air Force has developed a Virtual Education Center, which synthesizes a myriad of programs available to Air Force personnel. The flexibility of this system is just amazing, and it offers every educational program Airmen can use to earn their active-duty degrees.
Navy College Program
The Navy College Program offers a structured 5-step process to support Navy personnel’s educational goals. Students can start at whichever step best suits their current situation, which frees up time to get the process moving. All actions take place in the MyNavy Education portal, where students can access information about TA, the GI Bill, Scholarships, and even request guidance from a certified education counselor.
Marine Corps College Programs
The Marine Corps offers a wide range of education programs tailored to today’s Marines’ needs. The brunt of their college programs fall under the umbrella of the Voluntary Education Program. The VOLED program is where Marines access information about TA, CLEP, DANTES, COOL, and DoD Skillbridge. There are too many to list here, so click the link to read more.
Coast Guard Volunteer Education
The Coast Guard’s VOLED program is designed to serve personnel interested in earning a college degree while still in the service. The Coast Guard developed a Student Toolkit that guides students through the process of applying for TA, getting their Joint Service Transcript, and obtaining professional credentials for the military training they’ve completed.
US Military Apprenticeship Program
The US Military Apprenticeship Program is a training program that places service members into apprenticeships while they’re still on active duty. This program supports a successful transition for those who complete apprenticeships in their chosen field. This program is open to active members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
Education Goals
No matter which service you’re in, there are programs that can help you accomplish your educational and career goals. The sections listed above are a great starting point because we have brought to you all the programs we could find and presented them in one place.
Don’t forget, if you need help finding a school, check out our CollegeRecon School Search Tool. You can search by location, area of study, availability of veteran & military programs, and your education goals.
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RELATED:
- The Best Online Schools for Active Duty Military
- Army College Education Programs and Benefits
- Marine Corps College Education Programs
- Navy Education Programs for College
- Air Force Education Programs and College Benefits
- Coast Guard College Education Programs
RELATED:
- The Best Online Schools for Active Duty Military
- Army College Education Programs and Benefits
- Marine Corps College Education Programs
- Navy Education Programs for College
- Air Force Education Programs and College Benefits
- Coast Guard College Education Programs
About the author
Michelle Nati is a contributing writer to CollegeRecon who has written about higher education and finance for Granita Media/Big Edition site Work and Money. She's also written law content for Leaf Group's Legal Beagle site and is a ghostwriter of non-fiction books. She lives in Los Angeles and spends her spare time combing flea markets for vintage photos and decor and playing with her dogs, Jellybean and Jukebox.
