Virginia College's Military Offerings

 


Experience, accessibility, and benefits: enrolling as an Army student at Virginia College means having access to the tools you need to succeed. Faculty and staff members at Virginia College make it their goal to help military students like you add a quality, accredited education to your existing Army experience.

Learn more about Virginia College, including facts about the school's online and on-ground offerings, the military education benefits and programs that are accepted, and the typical educational experience for Army students.

Virginia College School Facts

Well into its third decade of serving students, Virginia College thrives on a history of excellence in instruction. The school offers training that leads to associate's degrees, diplomas, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees, in a range of subjects. These programs are designed to help students maintain or enter their chosen career fields.

Through coursework in business, management, administrative, technical, and professional programs, students have a range of educational options from which to choose. Students complete training at their own pace, with many choosing to keep full-time careers while studying online or on a campus.

For students who don't live near one of the various Virginia College campus locations, online education options at Virginia College offer the opportunity to earn a degree from anywhere in the world. Online degree programs allow students to take control over when and where they pursue their educations. Army students particularly appreciate the benefits of logging on to efficiently complete the training necessary to earn their degrees.

Army students are highly valued members of the Virginia College student body. Faculty and staff members at Virginia College prove their dedication to the armed forces through specialized assistance, military benefits advisors, and flexibility designed to help ease the transition from Army service to civilian education.

Educational Experience for Army Students

As an Army student, you might be closer to a degree than you think. Virginia College grants academic credit to students who have completed approved coursework as part of their military training. As an Army member, you may have already earned credits that can be transferred to your college education at Virginia College. Credits are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and students should talk to an admissions associate for more information.

As an Army friendly school, the staff and faculty of Virginia College recognize that Army members often need to move without extensive prior notice. For this reason, Army students may withdraw from classes without penalty if they share their deployment proof or orders to a new base with their campus administrators.

Students at Virginia College can work toward their degrees and enjoy flexibility in the classroom. Army students see specific benefits in the online education model:

  • Accessibility allows active duty Army students to pursue an education from anywhere in the world
  • Online interaction with students from around the world increases global awareness
  • Students who need to move unexpectedly can earn a degree without interruption

Enjoy an educational experience that upholds a standard of quality recognized at the national level. Virginia College is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Accepted Army Education Benefits & Financial Aid Options

"From honorable service....to career success." Virginia College's motto helps to prove its commitment to U.S. military members and veterans around the world. Working with Virginia College's admissions associates means learning more about how you can take advantage of the education benefits you earned as a soldier, National Guardsman, or Reservist. Army students at Virginia College have access to their military education benefits, including:

  • Tuition Assistance (TA)
  • Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB)
  • Post-9/11 GI Bill
  • Veterans Education Benefits

In addition to the standard benefits enjoyed by military members, Virginia College offers special benefits to members of the military as well as eligible dependents. In addition to waiving fees, take a look at how Virginia College goes the extra mile for its Army students:

  • Patriots Service Scholarship: a program that reduces tuition, books, and fees to the amount that's covered by Tuition Assistance. This way, school is essentially free to the servicemember.
  • Yellow Ribbon Program: Virginia College agrees to pay up to 50 percent of the tuition that's not covered by the Post 9/11 GI Bill in a number of states. The VA then matches Virginia College's contribution.
  • Armed Forces Recognition Scholarship: eligible servicemembers can get a 15% waiver of tuition per term.
  • Credit Transfers: Up to 75 percent of required credits can be transferred from CLEP, DANTES, and military training to be applied toward your degree.

If you've worked with Army education benefits in the past, you already know the complexity involved in working with different benefits plans and packages. Fortunately, staff members at Virginia College's Military Student Center are trained and ready to work with your specific requirements to create a benefits package that meets your needs. Personalize your financial aid package to your eligibility and individual requirements as a student with the helpful Military Student Center staff.

Career Services for Military Students

At Virginia College, faculty and staff understand that part of your ultimate goal in education rests in the ability to maintain or secure employment in the military and civilian worlds. Because of this, the college offers career training programs designed to help you work toward success in a changing job market. The goal of Virginia College is to help you keep your skills current and add formal education to your Army experience.

Preparing for a job search can be a stressful time for any student. Active duty Army students can feel even more pressure from having to find the time to browse employment offerings, rework a civilian resume, and establish connections outside of the military while maintaining their military duties. The career services department at Virginia College is available to help students research the job market, generate job leads, and contact potential employers. Associates offer one-on-one assistance to students, including:

  • Resume review
  • Interview technique assistance
  • Career counseling
  • Marketing to potential employers

Students of online and campus-based programs at Virginia College can take advantage of the school's professional career-planning services. Even Army students attending class on the other side of the world can begin the process of creating a resume, seeking out positions, and setting up contact with potential employers.

Though the career services department at Virginia College can't guarantee job placement, you'll find they offer a wealth of resources and assistance designed to help you reach your personal career goals. With Virginia College, you have one more tool to help you make the jump from professional soldier to civilian professional.

Virginia College Military News

People are starting to take note of Virginia College's commitment to the military. This school has caught the attention of military groups and magazine rankings alike. Take a look at a few of the school's military news headlines.

Virginia College Attends Ft. Hood Military Event

Admissions associates from Virginia College's campus in Austin attended the Hood Howdy event at Ft. Hood in Killeen, Texas. The event, organized by the Ft. Hood Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department, is designed to welcome new soldiers in Ft. Hood and help them get acquainted with local schools, merchants, and agencies.

Working in the military community gives staff members at Virginia College a chance to reach out to servicemembers. "We were able to connect with more than fifty families and all of them had members interested in the programs we offer," said Dan Darden, one of the associates. The school's willingness to meet and work with Army members and their families is just another trait that makes Virginia College staff accommodating to military students.

Bret Althiser, another associate of Virginia College, was grateful to the Morale, Welfare and Recreation staff for putting on the event. "We had a great time interacting with the soldiers, airmen and their families and friends," he said. Hood Howdy events are free and open to the public.

Virginia College Designated a "Military Friendly School"

G. I. Jobs magazine designated Virginia College a "Military Friendly School" for 2010. The designation was awarded thanks in part to the school's dedication to help active duty Army students and veterans navigate their military benefits. In creating and staffing a Military Student Center, Virginia College takes one more step toward anticipating and meeting the needs of Army students.

Campus president Harvey Giblin is happy to accept the designation. "We are proud to receive this recognition, and it directly reflects our increased commitment to the success of our military and veteran students," he says. From offering coursework appealing to Army school students to providing students with targeted staff assistance, Virginia College earns the designation awarded to the top 15 percent of schools nationwide set up to honor military members, veterans, and their families.

"Our motto is 'From honorable service...to career success,'" notes Giblin, "and we are proud to be able to help our military transition back into civilian life." At Virginia College, faculty and staff members work to help Army students pursue a college education with the confidence they earned with their military service.