Some of you may remember me from my post on maxing distance learning points from last year. This guide is getting out of date since Percipio got its funding cut… so I wanted to put together another guide that may help some of you out there.
Maxing out civilian education is worth 135 from SPC to SGT and 160 from SGT to SSG.
Here is my dummy proof guide to get you the most amount of college credits in the shortest amount of time.
TLDR
This guide goes over enrolling in an accredited college, accessing your JST, and taking FREE DSST/CLEP exams while doing Sophia Learning and/or Study.com courses.
This guide gives substantive, actionable guidance, that you will need to put in work to achieve results (more than just “Give S1 your JST”).
If you found my last guide helpful, you’re going to love this one.
Feel free to share this with others.
1. SELECTING AND ENROLLING IN A COLLEGE
This is simultaneously the easiest, yet the most time-consuming step.
The most important thing about this step is making sure you enroll yourself in a regionally accredited school.
From my experience the most friendly schools for military and transfer credit are (in no particular order):
| School |
|---|
| American Military University (AMU) |
| Western Governors University (WGU) |
| University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) |
These are good places to begin your research to select a program and a school.
Make sure your program requirements allow you to transfer NON-TRADITIONAL credits (online courses), these are most of the credits you obtain through this guide.
If you need clarity from your school you can just email the advising team.
The schools that are most accepting of non-traditional credits are AMU and WGU.
The easiness of your program also matters in this step.
Ensure you find a program that has a high amount of transferable credits, i.e. general education/electives requirements.
2. DSST/CLEP EXAMS
I wish more soldiers knew about this one.
As an active duty service member, ALL CLEP/DSST EXAMS ARE FREE FOR YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT.
IF YOU FAIL YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT YOU DO NOT OWE ANY MONEY, UNLIKE TA.
There is no downside to taking CLEP and DSST.
A lot of them are fairly easy as well.
I am a high school dropout and I barely studied AND PASSED for all of the ones I took.
There are a significant number of resources to help study.
See r/clep for study materials and preparation.
Study Resources
| Resource |
|---|
| r/clep |
| Easiest CLEP Exams |
| Easiest DSST Exams |
You want to take the easiest exams that can also be transferred into your degree plan.
While you are registering for your course, be sure to have your transcript of the exam to be automatically sent to your college.
If you skip this step, you will have to spend $30 to order the transcript to be sent to your school.
Once you have registered for your exam(s), just call your closest Education Center, and schedule an appointment for the test to be proctored.
I took and passed 4 exams (12 credits, 24 promotion points) in a month, taking CLEP/DSST exams.
3. SOPHIA, STUDY.COM (SDC)
This is where you are going to spend the most amount of work.
Sophia and Study.com offer American Councill on Education (ACE) accredited online courses that are easily transferable to the schools listed above.
There is one downside to these as you will have to pay out of pocket for these courses.
Cost Comparison
| Program | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Sophia | $100 |
| Study.com (SDC) | $235 |
A small price to pay to improve your quality of life, potentially getting out of the barracks, and setting yourself up for success on the civilian side.
I am very happy with my purchase and recommend it here because it will end up, helping me get promoted, and will likely pay me dividends in the long run.
Sophia Learning
I recommend Sophia because it is the cheapest option, and their courses ARE NOT proctored.
I was able to complete 14 courses (42 college credits, 84 promotion points) in my one-month subscription.
See:
| Resource |
|---|
| r/sophialearning |
| Sophia Learning |
Study.com (SDC)
SDC is good for upper-level course requirements (i.e. upper-level Accounting, Business, Comp-Sci courses) as it has been around longer and has probably the strongest reputation for non-traditional learning online.
A major downside of it is that you can only take 2 courses with your $235 subscription, and then you can fork over another 70 for each course you complete (up to 5 courses total through the month).
I was able to complete 2 courses (6 credits, 12 promotion points) through SDC.
Study.com Resource
Here is an excellent video on SDC that inspired me to make this guide:
4. SENDING YOUR JST TO YOUR SCHOOL
This one is free and absolutley the least time-consuming.
If your AIT is ACE accredited, consider yourself lucky (some AITs are not ACE accredited), these are the easiest credits you will obtain throughout this process.
Everyone should have at least 6 credits (12 promotion points) from basic training.
5. SEND YOUR TRANSCRIPTS TO YOUR SCHOOL
All you have to do now is spend a few bucks to get your Sophia transcripts and your SDC to be sent to your school.
Good luck!
Feel free to share this guide with others.
I’ll take a 64oz of Red Bull for all the studying I still have to do to finish my degree…
Additional Resources
Pierpoint Community and Technical College
Almost free A.A.S. degree from a regionally accredited school with no residency requirements from Pierpoint Community and Technical College.
You basically transfer in your credits, pay a super low fee and they issue an Associate’s degree.
This program was created for working adults with a bunch of credits but no degree.
Benefits
| Benefit |
|---|
| Regionally Accredited |
| No Residency Requirements |
| Transfer Existing Credits |
| Associate Degree Awarded |
You can then transfer that degree to a 4 year University to obtain your bachelor’s degree.
Saylor Academy
VERY Low Cost ACE Certified College Credits
Coursera ACE Certified Courses
These programs are worth college credit.
Coursera Plus
1 year subscription to Coursera Plus
Free CLEP Vouchers
University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI)
The University of Maine, Presque Isle has a flat fee online program that allows you to transfer in up to 90 credits towards a Bachelor’s degree.
It’s self paced and there’s no limit on the amount of classes you can finish per term, so it’s possible to earn a 4 year degree in a couple of months if you transfer in everything except the 30 residency credits.
Obviously, University of Maine is regionally accredited, as it’s a public state university.
It’s a better alternative for those who don’t like proctored exams and it is definitely the least expensive State University option.
Currently, tuition is $1,500 per 8 week session but will be going up to $1,700 starting with fall 2024 session.
https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/academic_programs
Additional Advice
I highly advise you to look up degree hacking on YouTube.
Born and raised in Bozeman, Montana, he graduated from George State University with an MBA in Actuarial Science. His hobbies include beach volleyball, hiking, fishing, and lifting weights
George is also a certified nutritionist with a passion for health and fitness.
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