Servicemembers Opportunity College Army

Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOCAD) is a worldwide network of colleges and universities that are either on or accessible to Army installations. Courses taken by active duty servicemembers, their spouses or adult family members at any of these educational institutions apply toward an associate or bachelor’s degree.

Highlights

• If you are transferred to another installation or to several installations, you, your spouse or adult family members can continue to work toward college degrees, and the courses you complete at any SOCAD educational institution count toward the degrees.

• SOCAD has many distance-learning degree programs.

• The Army may foot the bill for a good portion of classes you, your spouse or your adult family members take while you are on active duty. The Army Education Center at your installation has details.

How It Works

1. Go to your Army Education Center. A counselor helps you find a field of study and a college that offers a degree in that field. That college is your SOCAD home college.

2. Enroll in your home college.

3. Your Army education counselor pairs you with an education counselor at your home college.

4. Your home-college education counselor evaluates your prior learning (including military experience) and completes a SOCAD Student Agreement Plan.

5. Begin taking courses.

6. If you are transferred to other installations, continue working on your degree by distance-learning or at SOCAD colleges on base or near your new installation.

7. After you complete courses, send the transcripts to your home-college education counselor. Likewise, send your home-college education counselor scores for credit-by-examination tests you take.

8. After you successfully complete coursework toward a degree, apply to graduate at your home college. Double-check that all of your documentation and records have been sent to your home-college education counselor.

9. If everything is in order—Congratulations! Your home college awards you your college degree.