College Credits for Military Training and
ExperienceMany states want college students who served in
Iraq and Afghanistan to get academic credit for their
military training and experience. The challenge is
figuring out how many credits that training and
experience is worth.

At least 26 states have passed legislation directing
their boards of education to develop statewide
policies to provide academic credit to the largest
influx of veterans since the end of World War II,
according to the National Conference of State
Legislatures. The Education Commission of the
States, a Denver-based nonprofit organization, says
19 states have enacted related legislation in the last
two years alone.

“There’s a lot of interest in a lot of different circles
[in helping] veterans,” said Cathy Sandeen of the
American Council on Education (ACE), which
represents the presidents of U.S. colleges and
universities.

More than 2,300 schools rely on ACE to review
various types of military training and experience
and recommend how to translate them into
academic credits. But as is the case with AP exams
or transfers from another school, each school
makes the final decision on how much credit, if any,
to award.

“The problem is it’s just a recommendation, and
schools can choose whether or not to accept it,”
said Michael Dakduk, who heads the Student
Veterans of America, a coalition of student veterans
groups on college campuses. Dakduk served as a
Marine in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The first step to claiming the credits you have
earned is to request a transcript from your military
service. Each service will provide unofficial
personal copies and send schools an official copy
of your transcript at no charge.

The Military uses the Joint Service Transcripts
System (JST), which automatically captures your
academic credits from military training, and
Standardized tests. The JST system is available to
enlisted Soldiers only.

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Master Leaders CourseCriminal Justice Degree Find Military Friendly Schools near your home
or online degree programs. There are many
schools that offer college credit for Basic
training, AIT, WLC, ALC, SLC and many other
military training courses