Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) enables military members and their families to get college degrees through a group of over 1,200 colleges, universities, and technical institutes. SOC member schools all acknowledge and transfer your credits efficiently, which makes it possible for you to continue your college studies as you move to new duty stations. SOC features include:
- Your own degree plan and "home college."
- A program ensuring that no one SOC school needs to contribute more than 25 percent of total degree course work.
- College credit for both your military experience and for accredited military training courses.
- College credit for national tests such as CLEP (College Level Examination Program).
Hundreds of thousands of servicemembers and their families are enrolled each year in SOC. Course work can be done both in the classroom and at a distance by computer or correspondence. SOC coordinates associate's and bachelor's degrees in a variety of curriculum areas for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. These degree programs are offered by colleges and universities on or accessible to military installations worldwide. Within each curriculum or degree network, member colleges agree to accept each other's credits in transfer. Servicemembers and their family members in isolated locations can take courses through such "distance learning" methods as the Internet, correspondence, computer, or video.
SOCAD - SOC Army Degrees
SOCNAV - SOC Navy Degrees
SOCMAR - SOC Marine Corps Degrees
SOCCOAST - SOC Coast Guard Degrees
SOCGuard, an SOC program for the Army National Guard, supports Education Services Officers in developing partnerships with the higher education community in their state. The goals of SOCGuard are to link Army National Guard civilian and military education and training needs with degree programs offered by local colleges and universities; assist Army National Guard ESOs in marketing education benefits; and assist the Army National Guard to maximize the participation of soldiers in federal and state education benefit programs.
In cooperation with the United States Army Recruiting Command, SOC operates the Concurrent Admissions Program (ConAP) to increase college enrollment of Army recruits and reservists.
User Agreement
Degree Completion Options for Undergraduate Programs
Through University of Phoenix Prior Learning Assessment, service members have the opportunity to receive undergraduate college credits through assessment of prior college-level learning, and through approved national testing program examinations. As a service member, credits earned through the assessment of prior college-level learning process and national testing examinations can accelerate your time towards completing an undergraduate degree at a fraction of the cost of tuition.
Credit for Military Experience
There is no charge for service members to submit official military documents of training and experience to be evaluated for college credit. DD Form 295, Application for the Evaluation of Learning Experiences During Military Service, DD Form 214, Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge, or Army/ACE Registry Transcript System (AARTS) are examples of official military documents. The credit recommendations are identified by the American Council on Education in The Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.
College-level Learning Gained Through Experience
The recognition of prior learning is a concept based on accepted principles of adult learning and serves to validate the professional competence achieved by service members outside the classroom.
Credit for Previously Documented Learning
- Professional Training
- Workshops & Seminars
- Licenses
- Businesses & Professional Course Certificates
- Transcripts from Unaccredited Institutions
- Transcripts from Nationally Accredited Institutions
- Articulated Agreements for College Equivalency
Credit for Experiential Learning
Service members who wish to have their personal and professional experiences assessed for equivalence to college-level learning can take a Prior Learning Assessment course.
Credit Earned Through National Testing Programs
Service members are eligible to take College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or Defense Activities for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) examinations through an approved military installation at no charge. As a convenience to our students, University of Phoenix offers the CLEP examination at campuses nationwide for a nominal fee. Up to 30 undergraduate credits can be earned through approved national testing programs. To receive a complete listing of all University of Phoenix testing locations for CLEP, please take a moment to complete our Information Request Form.
- College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
- Defense Activities for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES)
- Berlitz® Language Testing
Academic Quality and Standards
The University adheres to standards that meet or exceed those recommended by the recognized national organizations to ensure the academic integrity of our programs.
- American Council on Education (ACE)
- American Council on Education (ACE)/National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs
- American Council on Education (ACE)/College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT)
- American Council on Education (ACE)/Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services
- The Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS)
- Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI)
- Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART)
- Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)
