Coast Guard College Education Resources and Special Programs

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Flexible Online Education for Coast Guardsmen and Veterans

Whether you want to earn an associate’s degree or advance toward a bachelor’s, master’s, or even doctoral degree, Purdue Global has more than 175 online programs to choose from. As part of the respected Purdue University system, you can be confident that you’re earning a high-quality education from a regionally accredited public university.

We pride ourselves on being a Coast Guard-friendly college. Because we understand that your experience as a U.S. Coast Guard officer is invaluable, we offer online degree programs to help you get a jump-start in achieving your academic and professional goals. Your Coast Guard lifelong learning combined with coursework tailored to your rating or specialty can help you earn a college degree faster.

How Close Are You to a Degree?

Military Servicemembers and Veterans Earn Credit For Your Military Training
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    Note: Estimates are not a guarantee of credit. Awards are subject to change. Contact an Advisor to request an evaluation.*

    Education Pathways for Coast Guard Officers

    • Associate's in Small Group Management

      A Degree Created Specifically for Servicemembers

      Our online Associate of Applied Science in Small Group Management allows Coast Guardsmen to graduate in as few as 7 courses when applying enlisted professional military education and additional learning toward degree requirements.* View the transfer credit pathway to see how Coast Guard training can translate into credit toward a Purdue Global degree.

      Learn More
    • Military Leadership Concentration

      Master of Science in Management and Leadership: Military Leadership Concentration

      A Graduate Degree Created Specifically for Servicemembers

      Our online Master of Science in Management and Leadership with a concentration in military leadership allows you to save time and money by applying your graduate-level military leadership training as prior learning credit toward up to 4 courses.

      Note: This concentration is limited to U.S. active-duty servicemembers and veterans who have successfully completed an approved graduate-level military leadership training program.

      Learn More
    • Accelerated Pathways

      An Accelerated Degree Path for All Coast Guard Ratings

      Purdue Global recognizes the remarkable skills and dedication that enable you and your fellow U.S. Coast Guard officers to serve our country so admirably. To acknowledge and reward the experiences you’ve achieved in service, we are proud to announce that we have evaluated every Coast Guard occupation to determine its respective contribution toward earning a Purdue Global college degree. These credits are determined prior to review of your military transcripts.

      On average, Petty Officers First Class are awarded 33% of the credits needed to earn a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies.

      Find out how close you are to your degree by choosing your rating and rate in our transfer credit tool.

    • Educational Plan

      The First Step Toward a Degree

      Developing your educational plan is one of several steps you must complete in order to enroll, begin your education, and receive Coast Guard tuition assistance benefits. This plan is essential to ensuring you are on the right path to achieving your educational goals. Our Military Student Support Center can help you develop your educational plan, as well as guide you through the enrollment process. You should also discuss this plan with your Educational Services Officer.

    • Tuition Reductions

      We Offer an Affordable Education for Military Students

      We believe you have earned a quality education through your service and should not have to pay excessive out-of-pocket expenses to reach your educational goal.

      • Current Servicemembers (including Guard and Reserve): 55% per-credit reduction for undergraduate programs (plus we waive the resource fee) and 17% to 30% per-credit reduction for graduate programs
      • Veterans: 38% per-credit reduction for undergraduate programs and 14% per-credit reduction for graduate programs
      • Military Spouses: 10% per-credit reduction for undergraduate and graduate programs
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    We Are a Military Friendly School

    Purdue Global understands the importance of a quality education and offers flexible programs designed to support those who balance career, duty, family, and their studies.

    Military Friendly Top 10 School

    2024-25 Top 10 Military Friendly® School

    Military Friendly Spouse School

    2024-25 Military Friendly Spouse School®

    Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges

    2024 Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges

    Coast Guard Officers, You’re Already on Course With Our PME2Degree® Program

    The PME2Degree® program is a holistic approach to providing the best education option based on individual goals and the most efficient path to achieving those goals.

    An Option for Everyone

    Every enlisted rating in the Coast Guard has been evaluated at each level of service and mapped into various degree options, allowing you to pursue a degree program that may not specifically be related to your rating, but is relevant to your ultimate career goals.§ 

    Uncompromised Quality

    The comprehensive nature of our Coast Guard rating reviews ensures that the required outcomes needed to earn a college degree are achieved either in military service or through the degree plan.

    Built for Lifelong Learning

    At Purdue Global, we are committed to your ongoing success. We provide a continuous learning path, making it easier for you to explore the next steps in your academic journey from earning an associate’s degree to progressing to a bachelor’s, master’s, and even doctoral degree.

    With our generous transfer options, credits earned in many of our degree programs can be transferred into a Purdue Global advanced degree, allowing you to achieve your ultimate academic and career goals.# Along with transfer credits, we also re-evaluate your training to apply it toward the next degree level.

    Coast Guard Education Benefits and Tuition Assistance (TA)

    • Tuition Assistance (TA)

      What Is Tuition Assistance?

      Tuition assistance is a benefit paid to eligible servicemembers who meet specific requirements to receive TA benefits.

      Tuition Assistance (TA) provides active-duty Coast Guard members with funding for tuition costs associated with courses taken in an off-duty status at a college, university, or vocational/technical institution, whose regional or national accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Purdue Global is a regionally accredited institution.

    • TA Caps

      What Are the Caps?

      There is an annual cap of $4,500 per individual, which falls within each fiscal year (October 1 to September 30). Tuition can be paid up to 100% as long as it does not exceed the following caps:

      • $250.00 per semester hour
      • $166.67 per quarter hour
      • $16.67 per clock hour (for approved certificate/diploma programs only)

      Purdue Global is on the quarter-hour system. Current servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve, are eligible for a 55% per-credit tuition reduction for undergraduate programs, which reduces per-credit tuition to $165, which is below the per-quarter-hour cap.

    • TA Eligibility

      Who Is Eligible?

      TA is available to active-duty Coast Guard members and reservists. To utilize TA, you must:

      • Meet all requirements set forth in ALCOAST or standing policy order.
      • Complete the TA-authorized course(s) on or prior to RELAD, discharge, or retirement. If you are going to RELAD and provide documentation showing that you will be in the SELRES, then TA-authorized course(s) may begin in active-duty status and be completed in SELRES status.

      The following individuals are not eligible for TA:

      • Coast Guard members in advanced education programs
      • Undergraduate students whose average GPA is less than 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for the previous 12 semester hours completed under TA
      • Graduate students whose academic average for the previous 12 semester hours is "less than a grade of "B" (or less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale)
      • Chaplains (funded through Navy TA) Contract and Non-Appropriated Fund (NAF) employees
      • Personnel awarded an administration discharge, in confinement, on appellate leave, or awaiting administration separation other than honorable or general discharge under honorable conditions
      • Servicemembers convicted by foreign or domestic courts and serving sentences in foreign prisons
      • Coast Guard members who are inmates in military, state, or federal prisons
    • TA Coverage

      What Is Covered?

      TA is available for undergraduate and graduate courses up to master’s degrees.

      Developmental courses may be authorized if required by the institution prior to taking a higher-level course. Many colleges require a developmental course in math, English, and reading if the member has been out of school for several years. Usually these courses (usually numbered starting with zero "0" as the first digit) are "not transferable."

      TA will cover only tuition.

      TA does NOT cover books and course materials, academic institution fees, or retakes of the same course. Additionally, TA will not fund your courses if you leave the service before the course ends, you quit the course for reasons other than personal illness, military transfer, or mission requirements, or you fail the course. In the event one of these situations occurs, you will have to provide reimbursement for any funds already paid.

      TA is NOT authorized for the following:

      • Courses leading to a lateral or lower-level degree than you already possess (e.g., second associate's or bachelor's degree)
      • Audited courses (courses you are not officially registered for and for which you do not earn a grade or credit)
      • Physical education or recreation courses, unless the courses are required by the institution for degree completion or you are a candidate for a degree with a major in physical education or recreation and have not been awarded the physical education credits recommended by ACE for military training
      • Prerequisite courses, licenses (maritime, real estate, AC&R, etc.), tests (GMAT, GRE, LSAT), or certification courses (computer, maritime, law, medical, etc.)
      • Courses resulting in continuing education units (CEUs) or professional development units (PDUs)
      • Courses credited in contact hours or clock hours, including courses converted from contact/clock to quarter/semester hours (usually applies to certificate programs)
      • Course tuition paid for by the primary employer (not Coast Guard); if only a portion of the tuition is paid for by the primary employer, you may submit a TA request for the remainder of the tuition
      • Courses when you are in a duty-under-instruction status (DUINS) and your educational fees are being paid through another Coast Guard program
      • Any course for which you are receiving assistance under any other federally funded program. TA may be used when you are receiving financial aid such as a student loan, Sallie Mae, Stafford loan, etc. However, per COMDTINST M1500.10C, TA is to be calculated after grants, scholarships, and fellowships have been deducted from the cost of tuition, with the exception of Pell Grants. These grants are need-based and therefore may be used by the student to defray any educational expense.
    • My Education/WebTA

      What Is My Education/WebTA?

      My Education is the central portal for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard TA processing. A servicemember submits a WebTA application via the My Education portal each time TA is requested for a specific term. Each service branch authorizes their respective WebTA applications.

    • Additional Info

      Where Can I Learn More?

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    That's the Purdue Global Commitment.

    Accreditation

    Purdue Global is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLCommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

    Degrees for Military Students

    We offer flexible programs designed to support those who balance career, duty, family, and their studies.

    Your Path to Success Begins Here

    Connect with an Advisor to explore program requirements, curriculum, credit for prior learning process, and financial aid options.

    NOTES AND CONDITIONS

    *The 7-course determination is specific to Coast Guardsmen and is based on the transfer of 55 quarter credit hours toward the 90-credit AAS in Small Group Management. Coursework reduction reflects an educational mapping based on the completion of common core coursework, credit for rating duties, and credit for additional sources of prior learning (such as functional training, CLEP/DSST exams, and other college credit). Credit awards will vary based on occupation, rate, completed military courses as listed on your official Joint Services Transcript(s), and applicable prior learning that can apply toward degree requirements. Purdue Global does not guarantee transferability of credit from any of these sources. All credits must be validated on official transcript(s) to be eligible for transfer.

    Coast Guard occupations have been awarded, on average, at least 41% of the credits needed to earn an associate’s degree and 42% of the credits needed to earn a bachelor’s degree. Based on a member of the military who transfers in the maximum amount of credit toward the stated degree. Coursework reduction reflects an educational mapping based on the completion of the standard courses required for rank advancement as well as credit for occupation duties. Credit awards have service-level requirements. Exact transfer amount may vary depending on completed military courses and occupations as listed on your official Joint Service Transcript(s). State-specific requirements, as listed in the University Catalog, may apply. All credits must be validated on official transcript(s) to be eligible for transfer.

    Military Tuition Reduction: Military tuition rates cannot be combined with other Purdue Global tuition reductions or ExcelTrack® pricing. Per-credit tuition reductions are based on standard tuition rate of $371.00.

    §Employment and Career Advancement: Purdue Global does not guarantee employment placement or career advancement. Actual outcomes vary by geographic area, previous work experience and opportunities for employment.

    #Future Programs: The University cannot guarantee that students will be granted admission to any future programs. Speak to an Advisor about transfer credit opportunities and see the University Catalog for the Prior Learning policy.