Military programs and college

Life Insurance - All members are enrolled in service members' life insurance. Retirees can enroll in the Survivor Benefit Plan. Job Training and Help - Service members leaving the military can get help finding a civilian job.

Retirement - Members who retire with at least 20 years of service get a monthly annuity for life. The military and federal agencies have resources to help you manage life. Use these tools to get help with finances, health care, jobs, moving, and other challenges. The National Resource Directory connects the military and veterans with local support. Many high school students dream of attending college.

However, there is rarely much discussion about the options available for military colleges. Marion is highly selective with less than full-time students. Mass Maritime is the second oldest state maritime academy in the nation.

The notable alumni include several members of the military that served at senior levels. NMMI is notorious for a demanding academic and physical training regime. Its unique educational philosophy incorporates honor, integrity, and responsibility. The noteworthy institute has a stellar reputation which dates to Coast Guard Academy is an underappreciated federal service academy.

Students are officers-in-training and seek to graduate with a Bachelor of Science. The alumni include several prominent admirals of the U. Coast Guard. The public university is the second-largest in Virginia based on enrollment.

Virginia Tech provides undergraduate and graduate degree programs for students. More than 1, cadets reside on the main campus in Blacksburg along the cadet barracks. Merchant Marine Academy is very affordable to attend for cadets. Students are known as Midshipmen who receive training in maritime law and marine engineering. USMMA features a long list of successful and highly esteemed alumni. The college is state-funded yet not affiliated with the University System of Georgia. The main facility is the site of the former state capitol of Georgia.

More than a thousand students also commute to the small campus daily for studies. Students that graduate from the two-year program get commissioned as officers in the U. Graduates have the option of serving the Armed Forces or pursuing a career elsewhere. The Valley Forge Corps of Cadets is unique in that the program is entirely run by the students. Image: Flickr Description: The Citadel is one of the larger military colleges in the nation as it competes in several Division I athletics.

The institution in Charleston is one of six senior military colleges in the country. It provides 18 academic departments which are divided into five schools and more than 20 majors. The public college separates a military program from its non-military programs. The Corps of Cadets combines academics with military discipline and physical demands. All members of the corps are required to participate in ROTC. Image: U. Most changes expanded or improved upon prior benefits.

Highlights include:. Restoring education benefits to people who lost them because their school closed. See a detailed list of Forever GI Bill changes. If you are in the military now, your unit may pay for your tuition if you attend college in your off-duty time. Many healthcare professionals are recruited this way as the military offers to pay off part or all of your college tuition if you serve upon graduation.

Serve the military full time, fulfill your service commitment, then go to college: Of course, you may not know what you want to go to college for or be undecided if you even want to go. You may also want to make a life-long career out of the military and retire. Either way, if you join the military and fulfill your commitment, the military provides funding for you to attend college at that point as well.

If the military is an appealing option, there are multiple branches to choose from to include the Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, Army, and Air Force. These branches also have part-time reserve components where you work your civilian job, yet go to drill a weekend a month and two full-weeks a year. You must meet an age requirement, which varies by branch and pass a health screening and vocational aptitude ASVAB test.

The health screening prevents many recruits from enlisting; no-goes include diabetes, asthma, and even color-blindness. As your rank in the military increases, so does your pay. There are other variables that can impact your wages to include if you receive a sign-on bonus when you enlist.

The highest earners however are commissioned officers. There are a few paths you can take to become an officer.