You don’t have the time or money to waste on education or training that won’t help you meet your goals. Not all schools deliver on their promises, and some care more about their own bottom line than getting you qualified for a career.
Research what you want to do for a living.
- Use an objective source to get reliable information about the education you need to get the job.
- What kinds of schools offer that degree or certification?
Use the U.S. Department of Education's College Navigator tool to research the schools that offer what you need. Look for a school’s:
- graduation rate: How many students successfully complete programs at those schools?
- cost: The Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill Comparison Tool will show how much your benefits will cover.
- loan default rate: Look up the share of students who have paid some of their debt within three years of leaving school. A high default rate could mean graduates have too much debt or they can’t get jobs in their field. Either is a warning sign to look elsewhere for your degree.
- accreditation: Regional accreditation of a school is often more beneficial to you. If you want to transfer, some institutions may not accept credit from a school with national accreditation. Also, in some specialized careers fields like law or engineering, their accrediting bodies might require specific accreditation. Make sure your school meets those requirements.
- status as a non-profit or for-profit: Unlike non-profit schools, for-profits generate earnings for their owners. Some may stretch the truth to persuade you to enroll.
Get some real-life experience with the school you’re considering.
- Sit in on some classes. Are the students engaged?
- Talk to student veterans and recent graduates. What do they think of the school? Did the school help them reach their goals?
Contact Student Veterans of America (SVA). They can connect you to veterans through their local chapters. Get first-hand feedback on a school’s track record for supporting veterans. Find out if the school you’re looking at has an SVA chapter.
Ask for credit for your military training. Find out if the school takes credits from programs like the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), which has DOD-funded tests that could earn you college credit. Use the American Council on Education’s ACE Military Guide to search for the military training you’ve had and see if you can get college credit for it.
Ask the school’s registrar about its transfer credit policy. If you took college courses at another school, find out where to send the transcript. Check to see if those credits will apply to your new degree program.
Read the school’s enrollment contract before you commit. Get the documents a few days before you need to sign them so you can review them. If the school won’t give them to you in advance, don’t enroll. Make sure everything they promised is written in the contract.
