Online Colleges for Active Duty Military Members: How to Find

Online colleges are an ideal way for active duty military members to gain postsecondary education. Through the Internet resources outlined below you can search for schools with distance education programs, find an accredited college or university, turn your military training into college credit or enlist the help of a school's military education department.

How Do I Find Online Colleges for Active Duty Military Members?

When searching for an online college, students should consider schools that are recognized by a legitimate accreditation agency. These agencies help ensure the quality of a school's education by awarding accreditation to colleges and universities that meet rigorous educational standards. Selecting an accredited school will also help students avoid diploma mills that offer degrees and certificates with little or no coursework.
You can locate accredited institutions through the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (www.ope.ed.gov). Their website allows visitors to search for accredited programs by region, state, school or accrediting agency, such as the Distance Education and Training Council's Accrediting Commission.

Online Resources

U.S. News & World Report (www.usnews.com) is another resource for finding online schools. A directory lists online undergraduate and graduate majors, such as business, nursing, education, public health and engineering. The National Center for Education Statistics (www.nces.ed.gov) also allows students to search for schools with distance education programs.

Military Education Departments

Some schools have military education departments staffed by admissions specialists who can help veterans and active duty military members enroll in online education programs. They can also help applicants apply for scholarships, GI Bill benefits, in-state tuition and transfer credits for military experience.

Credit for Military Experience

Military training and experience can often be used to earn college credits. The American Council on Education (ACE) works with the U.S. Department of Defense and postsecondary schools to award college credits to members of the Armed Forces. On the ACE website (www.acenet.edu) prospective students can submit their service experience. Upon review by the council, their branch of service will submit an official transcript of military education free of charge to the college or university of their choice.