Did you know that the number of military students is rising? That’s right – military students currently make up 4% of the total undergrad population, and that number is expected to increase. Earning a degree could be a great way for military members to embark on a new career path or build on existing skills and knowledge. This can be particularly important for those who are transitioning between military and civilian life. In some cases, military experience may even be accepted as college credit at certain military-friendly institutions. As such, it’s always a good idea to check with the admissions department at your chosen college to confirm whether or not they accept military experience as credit.
Demographics of Military Students
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So what do today’s military student look like? According to a recent study, 3,184,575 military students earned a bachelor's degree – and 2,026,400 earned an associate's degree. When it comes to how students are studying, popular areas of study include Business, Engineering, Science, History and Criminal Justics. This is not surprising, as earning a degree in these areas could potentially allow military students to build on knowledge and skills that they’ve attained while in service.
Veteran Education Benefits
You may be surprised to learn that 66% of military students are married and/or raising children. When you combine this fact with ever-increasing tuition costs, it makes sense that military students may need to look to certain benefit programs to help them fund their education, if they qualify. The good news is that there may be a variety of education benefit programs for qualifying Veterans and their families. Examples of these programs include the Veterans Education Assistance Program (VEAP), Survivors and Dependents Assistance (SEAP) and The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act. To find out more about Veteran benefits visit www.benefits.va.gov.
Other Ways to Fund Your Education
In addition to veteran benefit programs, military servicemen could also look into scholarships that may be available to qualified students. Some examples of military-focused scholarships include the NMCRS Education Assistance Program, the Henry J. Reilly Memorial Scholarship Program and the AFAD Program. While scholarships alone may not be enough to cover your tuition costs, if they are available and you qualify, they could definitely help ease some of the burden. Click here for more information on military and veteran scholarships.
Another area to look into is Military Education Benefits, which may be available to qualified members of the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, Reserves and National Guard. To find out whether or not you qualify for military education benefits, visit the official website of your respective military branch.
The term “military students” refers to military service members, veterans and dependents (spouse & children).
eLearners.com is not connected with any government agency. If you would like more information about potential benefits, please see: http://www.benefits.va.gov, http://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/, http://www.militaryonesource.mil/
[i] naspa.org/images/uploads/main/NASPA_vets_13%281%29.pdf
[ii]nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014017.pdf
[iii]operationpromiseforservicemembers.com/ACE%20MilService.errata.pdf
[iv]studentveterans.org/what-we-do/million-records-project.html#data
[v]studentveterans.org/what-we-do/million-records-project.html#data