Vets often denied academic credits

[unhappycamper]

Vets often denied academic credits
By Peter Schworm
Globe Staff / February 5, 2008

When Sean Lunde enrolled at the University of Massachusetts at Boston in 2005, he expected his four years of training and experience as an Army medic in Kosovo, Germany, and Iraq would earn him as much as 50 college credits, or about a year and a half of courses. He received none.

"I went to medic school for 12 hours a day, six days a week, for four months," he said. "None of that was accepted."

When recruiting, the military highlights its educational advantages, promising young men and women that service will give them a leg up toward a college degree and a better career. But many of the thousands of veterans who attend college after tours of duty are denied credit for military courses and specialized skills despite an accreditation system set up to award it, veterans' advocates and students say. That forces students to take more courses than they expected to, straining already thin GI Bill benefits.

In response to veterans' criticism, colleges say they are fairly evaluating military courses and that a good deal of service training does not match with academic subjects. But in the minds of veterans, the denial of credits casts doubt on the academic qualifications of their military training, coursework, and specialties. That leaves many feeling bitter and disillusioned.

"When I went into the military, they told us we would get credit for military experience," Lunde said. "But hardly anyone I know that served gets the credits they thought they deserved. So it hasn't worked out like I expected."


Rest of article at: http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2008/02/05/vets_often_denied_academic_credits/

[Longhorn]

1. It must depend on the college and the MOS.

A student in my college algebra class told me he received all but six hours of credit necessary for an associates degree from his training in Army intelligence, and he was only in three years. He got the credit through a college in Arizona -- I can't remember the name. He's going on to get a degree in criminal justice.

I'm sure there's definitely some exaggeration, if not downright lying, going on by the recruiters, though.

[Submariner]

2. I went to UMASS Amherst and got a semester's worth of credits

when I got out of the Navy as an electrician's mate. It was 12 or 16 credits worth in 1970. I even had my 4 years tuition waived bc I was an in-state vet.

Sean Lunde got screwed for some reason, although 1.5 years credit might be excessive.