If you are ready to get a college degree, be prepared to wade through an assortment of schools that offer distance learning. However, when choosing an online college, make sure to select an institution that offers programs specifically for students who are in the military. Military students have unique needs that not every school is capable of meeting. Read on to learn just a few of the reasons you should pick a college that specializes in educating military students.

1. You Won't Have to Worry About Credits Expiring

One of the main caveats of attending college at an institution that doesn't work with a lot of military students is that your course credits tend to expire sooner than course credits from a school that offers programs specifically for the military. Whether or not your course credit expires depends on the course and your school's specific policies; if some of their credits do expire, this typically happens within 10 to 15 years.

You may think that 10 years is a sufficient amount of time to complete your education. However, you may need to take breaks from your schooling if you are deployed. Or, if you decide to get a master's degree, you might have to take certain courses as a pre-requisite for enrollment in a graduate program. The last thing you want to do is have to retake courses that you have already worked hard to pass.

2. You Can Adjust Your Education to Your Work Load

Another benefit of an online university for military members is that it permits you to accelerate and slow down the rate at which you take your courses. You may decide to take extra courses when you have a light workload, or you may want to take a break from school entirely during your deployments.

With a conventional school, switching between full-time and part-time status can be a cumbersome task that requires a lot of effort and paperwork. A college with a military program tries to make it easy for you to adjust your course load so that it better suits your needs. 

3. You Can Start Courses at Non-Conventional Times

At most colleges, there is a fall session, summer session, and spring session. These are the only possible start dates if you want to take a course.

However, at colleges for military students, it is common for courses to have significantly more start dates. Courses might begin each month of the year. This permits you to squeeze in more courses when you have a larger block of free time, instead of having to wait until the next semester to increase your course load.

For more information on online colleges for military families, contact your local admissions office. 

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