Education Aid for Military Families
These tips will help your family get an education for the right price.
by Monique Rizer

Many military education programs assist spouses and children with their college tuition. In addition to traditional college funding, military families can take advantage of funding programs designed just for them. Here are programs and tips that can help your family get an education for the right price.

GI Bill Transferability
The Post-9/11 GI Bill includes an option to transfer up to 36 months of education benefits to your spouse or children. Active duty service members who have at least six years of military service may re-enlist for a minimum of four years for this benefit. The program took effect Aug. 1, 2009. The details of the program will be administered by the individual branches of service.

Servicemember Opportunity College Consortium (SOC)
SOC Consortium includes more than 1,800 institutions that agree to military friendly policies. SOC schools award credit for a national testing program, recognize non-traditional learning gained through work/life experience, and have a designated point of contact at the institution who understands military life. Also, within the SOC Consortium is a subset of schools that participate in the SOC Degree Network System (DNS) – institutions that provide degree programs often on or near military installations. Core members within the SOC DNS guarantee transfer of credits among participating institutions. Military spouses and children are eligible to enroll in SOC, if the dependent holds a military ID. College-age dependents should check with the SOC institution’s counselor to confirm eligibility. 

Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts Demonstration Program
Eligible military spouses may receive as much as $6,000 (over two years) toward the cost of tuition, books and fees through Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (CAA). The demonstration program began in 2007 and will run through 2010. The Department of Defense and the Department of Labor created CAAs to help military spouses earn degrees that will lead to portable careers in high-growth, high-demand fields. Spouses must be married to active duty service members based at one of the 18 targeted installations in California,Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, North Carolina, and Washington. Spouses must be also pursuing careers in: information technology, education, health services, financial services, construction trades, human resources, business management, hospitality management or homeland security. For more information visit http://caa.milspouse.org/.

Education Centers
Installation education centers are a one-stop-shop of education resources. With some exceptions, such as testing costs, the services at the education centers are free for military family members too.

In-State Tuition
Many states have extended in-state tuition rates to spouses of active duty service members, but policies will vary and the state may have a waiting period to establish residency. If waiting six months to acquire residency could save thousands of dollars, you may want to check the school’s policy before enrolling. 

Scholarships
There are also many nonprofit organizations that have established scholarship programs for spouses or children of service members. These include the National Military Family Association, Military Officers Association of America, the American Legion, Military Homefront, Thanks USA, and service affiliated relief and aid societies. Local spouse clubs are also a good place to check for scholarships.

Your family member’s school is another resource for additional grants and scholarship programs. Often times, an institution will have an alumni scholarship fund or academic awards available for its students. And if you’re still facing loans, help your family member research careers that offer loan forgiveness programs, such as teaching, nursing, or special areas of law.

Plan Early and Don’t Quit
Family members will face many of the same challenges as service members in completing their education. If you’re still on active duty, moves will probably occur while your spouse is in school, so transferring is likely. To get the most out of transferring credits do some research first.

Dr. Constantine Curris, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, recommends getting the refund policy at your institution in writing, checking to see if your school has an articulation agreement with other schools, and most importantly ensure the institution is regionally accredited.

“If you pick regional accreditation, it’s highly likely that your courses will be accepted at other institutions,” he said. You can view the list of regional accrediting agencies at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s Web site www.chea.org

Above all, don’t quit. Students must be their own advocates to ultimately succeed. “It benefits students who take the initiative and are aggressive,” Curris said.