Turn Military Experience into College Credit?

Hello everyone! I have been serving in the military and I'm considering going to college soon. Does anyone know if it's possible to use my experience in the military to earn college credits? What would be the process for that?

Most higher education institutions in the U.S. recognize the value of military experience and look at it as a substantial learning opportunity. They respect the training, skills, and real-world experience military members gain and offer ways to convert that into college credits.

Firstly, your educational experience in the military gets documented in detail on the Joint Services Transcript (JST). This official transcript documents your military occupational experience and training along with the corresponding American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendations. The ACE has evaluated many military training programs and provided recommendations for equivalent college credits.

You can request your JST online, and it will highlight your experience and the recommended credits. Once you have this, you can submit it to the college or university you're applying to. Each institution will review your JST and decide how many credits they would award.

Colleges will often evaluate the credits in relation to your chosen degree program. For example, if you were a medic in the military, and you're going into a nursing program, you might find a lot of the credits applicable. But if you're switching fields completely—say, from being a medic to studying computer science—fewer of your military training credits might get applied.

Remember that the decision ultimately lies with the institution. Not all schools award credit in the same way, so it can be useful to consult with academic advisors or admissions representatives at your prospective institution to understand how they evaluate and award credit for military experience.