While your military training and education are valuable, it may not always work in your favor as transfer credit in higher education. This is primarily because military transfer credit is often evaluated as electives, which then could negatively impact your academic progress status and financial aid eligibility by limiting the applicability of credits.
As shared previously, the Joint Services Transcript tool translates military service training and education for the civilian sector and serves as a record of the total school records. It is mainly applicable to Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard active-duty and veteran enlisted, officer, and warrant officer ranks. The Air Force and Space Force service members go through the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), which is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools on Colleges, and therefore, a degree-awarding institution like any other college.
Each college or university has its own policies and procedures for how military credit is evaluated. Overall, these evaluations are based on the American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations and the U.S. Department of War, as outlined in the Military Guide Online. Because it varies by higher education institution (e.g., count of max allowable credits or classification variations like general education or electives), the way in which the type of military training is applied to a degree program may differ.
There is no overarching, consistent national data on the percentage of mapped military transfer credits as electives. The general consensus is that a lot of JST credits are evaluated in this way because course equivalencies do not exist for the program’s curriculum requirements. More research and analysis are needed to fully understand the practices and policies governing military education and training equivalencies.
Earning Academic Credit from Your Service
The majority of military and veteran members use their tuition assistance or GI Bill benefits for educational purposes. However, there are good reasons why military-affiliated students opt to use financial aid. These reasons include the following factors:
- Financial aid assists with covering tuition costs where the annual amount is exceeded.
- Educational materials, books, fees, labs, or other supplies can be covered by financial aid if not available for reimbursement by other means.
- Housing allowances may not align with local living expenses.
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is sometimes required by institutions for eligibility with work study grants, institutional scholarships, and other forms of assistance.
- GI Bill typically provides 36 months of educational benefits. Financial aid covers costs for students who may need more time to finish due to a variety of reasons such as degree plan changes, remedial or failed coursework, or part-time enrollment.
- Students may opt to use federal student aid grants, scholarships, and loans to save their military education benefits for later or to pass on those benefits to their dependents.
- Financial aid helps pay for courses, vocational training, or other supplementary education not covered by the GI Bill.
Students who choose to use financial aid educational assistance must follow specific requirements and demonstrate satisfactory academic progress, which is accomplished by measuring the maximum time frame, program grade point average, and completion ratio. Financial aid only pays for the current program, which means that all the classes must be applicable to the degree program pathway. Students lose their financial aid eligibility when they do not make satisfactory academic progress.
Maximum time frame follows the “150% Rule,” which is calculated by the expected completion degree credits (e.g., associate’s degrees are typically 60 credits, bachelor’s degrees are 120 credits, etc.) multiplied by 150%, which would be 90 attempted credits at the associate’s degree level or 180 attempted credits at the bachelor’s level. Attempted credits include passed or failed courses, repeated courses, withdrawn courses, and transfer course credits. Military-affiliated students who bring in a lot of additional JST credits that are applied as electives are then disadvantaged at the start of their degree program.
The completion ratio determines the pace at which students progress through their program. It is calculated by the earned credit hours divided by the attempted credit hours and then multiplied by 100. The standard for financial aid eligibility is 67 percent. Attempted credit hours include transferred credit hours.
To put it in simpler terms, JST credits may accelerate service members to earn their degree, but they will also be included in the maximum time frame that is used to maintain financial aid eligibility.
How Colleges and Universities are Supporting Military Students
The good news is that most colleges and universities recognize both the benefits and implications of JST transfer credits. These institutions may implement a cap on military transfer credits or only post the credits applicable to the degree program. It is important to note that not all JST credits are accepted. Schools provide additional support to military students to help them make informed choices when submitting their JST, which includes assistance from financial aid, academic advising, and veteran services offices. There are also financial aid appeals available.
School counselors and advisors suggest military students develop an academic plan and how they intend to pay for their education to ensure they limit negative impacts and account for wiggle room in case any transferred credits, changes in their major, or future unearned credits affect their satisfactory academic progress.
At the end of the day, while your military service and training represent valuable knowledge and experience, the way JST credits transfer into higher education is not always a linear path and can cause financial aid challenges. Military-affiliated students are not alone. Colleges and universities offer support to help them understand how JST credits apply to their chosen degree program and how they interact with financial aid requirements. By working closely with advisors and carefully planning an academic pathway, military-affiliated students can maximize their educational benefits while avoiding unintended setbacks. With informed planning, the value of military service education and training can be leveraged toward academic and career goals.
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