Many Service Men And Women Benefit From Veterans Benefits!
While stationed in Afghanistan, a soldier finds a few hours of down time. This soldier can hit the gym, surf the Internet or hang out with their unit. Or the service member can pursue a college military degree. Online college makes getting a degree possible no matter where you are in the world.
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?
The Montgomery GI Bill has helped more than two million soldiers attend college since it was passed in 1944. The revamped version, approved last year, pays 100% tuition for 36 months. Service members must have 90 or more days on active duty since September 11, 2001. The new Post 9/11 GI Bill also grants a $1,000 monthly stipend 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 online college classes allows military personnel to look to their future while deployed. Not only can soldiers pursue a civilian career, but they can earn promotion points to advance their military career. Military training can also be applied as college credits, getting soldiers even closer to their degree.
Military Advanced Education lists 100 soldier friendly colleges and universities. Many online schools made the list. Some of the top ranked schools are located close to military bases, offering courses on base or at overseas locations. Others provide special scholarships and financial aid to the troops and their spouses. Some of these schools have departments just for service people, comprised of advisers and faculty familiar with military life.
Online college allows soldiers to maximize their downtime and get the benefits of military schools. Just because you are on active duty, doesn’t mean you can’t actively pursue a military degree 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 veteran education benefits, check the web.
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