Of course, everyone who enlists on active duty are eligible for the G.I. Bill. In addition, the Army offers a college fund for individuals who agree to enlist in jobs that the Army considers critically undermanned. The Army College Fund adds money to your monthly GI Bill entitlements. Like all of the services, in addition to the G.I. Bill, the Army also gives tuition assistance for college courses you take when off-duty.
Like all of the services, when you are off-duty, you can take college courses on campuses close to the military base you are assigned to, or take advantage of courses offered on-base through the base education offices. Courses offered on-base are by actual colleges and universities, that are considered "military friendly," in that they generally give credit for military training, and usually have liberal credit transfer policies.
Due to duty schedules, frequent deployments, and field training, off-duty education can be challenging in the Army. It's hard to attend traditional college courses, when you are deploying for 12 months at a time, or you are undergoing field training for two weeks every four months. To combat this, the Army encourages distant learning (correspondant courses and internet classes). In fact, under a program called eArmyU, certain Soldiers can receive a free laptop computer in order to participate in Internet college courses.
Want to read more about the pros and cons of choosing the Army?
- Recruiting Environment
- Enlistment Incentives
- Job Opportunities
- Basic Training
- Assignment Opportunities
- Deployments
- Quality of Life
- Promotion Opportunities
- Enlisted Commissioning Programs
Interested in the pros and cons of the other military branches?
