You enlisted in the military and you’re stationed overseas. That doesn’t mean you have to put your education goals on hold. Thanks to the Internet you can attend college from anywhere, even while deployed, and obtain a military degree. Online colleges allow students to attend class where they want, whenever they want, even at three in the morning from Iraq.
The US Military reports that in 2007, service members took over 710,000 online and traditional college courses. One report finds 65% of soldiers are taking college classes are doing it online. The military actually encourages troops to consider taking online courses while deployed. The reason? It’s a constructive use of down time. Believe it or not, boredom can crop up in a war zone. Instead of hitting the gym, listening to music or hanging out with your unit, you can study. Plus, if you get the government to pay for your college education, why not?
In 1944 the Montgomery GI Bill went into effect. Since then it’s helped more than two million soldiers pay for college. Last year Congress updated the bill. The new Post 9/11 GI Bill pays 100% tuition for soldiers who have served 90 or more days on active duty since September 11, 2001. Active and veteran military members are eligible for 36 months coverage. The new GI Bill also gives student soldiers $1,000 a month for living expenses and books.
Some online programs offer special tuition discounts for student soldiers. At the University of Notre Dame, soldiers get a 15% discount. Other schools have discounts up to 25%. That adds up to a nice way to stretch your college funds. Your spouse may even get a discount on college courses.
The ability to choose when and where to study fits with the unpredictability of military life. A student may begin a degree stateside and finish it while deployed overseas and all class credits are transferable. Even if a professor gives a live lecture, a soldier can download the lecture at his their convenience. This is just one more reason students don’t need to be in the same time zone as their college.
Taking college courses can help a soldier’s career whether they want to increase their rank or pursue a civilian career. A college degree increases a soldier’s chances for promotion within the military. When they leave service, gaining a college degree would have prepared a service member for a career in the working world. Since online courses have flexible schedules soldiers can study year round. Many online programs enroll students every five to eight weeks. If a student is really ambitious they can complete a degree in less than four years. Military training can be applied as college credit, putting soldiers ahead of the pack.
Military Advanced Education ranks the top 100 soldier friendly colleges and universities. Many online schools made the list. Some of the top ranked schools are located close to military bases or offer courses on base. Others provide special scholarships and financial aid to the troops and their spouses. Some of these schools have locations overseas and military divisions. These departments are outfitted with faculty and advisers with military backgrounds.
Online college allows soldiers to maximize their downtime and get the benefits of online military colleges. Just because you are on active duty, doesn’t mean you can’t actively pursue a military scholarship so that when you are discharged from the service, you can either finish your education or if you have enough to graduate, go into a great career. Today’s online universities are continually expanding their education programs to accommodate military service members, offering the chance to pursue higher education via GI bill education even if a soldier is stationed overseas. For additional information about distance learning university, check the web.