Higher Education Programs -
Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOC)
SOC was created in 1972 to provide educational opportunities to Service members who, because they frequently moved from place to place, had trouble completing college degrees. SOC functions in cooperation with 15 higher education associations, the Department of Defense, and Active and Reserve Components of the Military Services to expand and improve voluntary postsecondary education opportunities for Service members worldwide. SOC is funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) through a contract with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The contract is managed for DoD by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES).
Because of the nature of mobility faced by Service members, SOC criteria stipulates that institutional policies and practices be fair, equitable, and effective in recognizing the special and often limiting conditions faced by military student.
Colleges and universities within
the SOC Consortium must meet four
SOC Criteria (www.soc.aascu.org/socconsortium/Default.html):
- Reasonable Transfer of Credit: avoid excessive loss of
previously earned credit and avoid course work duplication
- Reduced Academic Residency: limited to no more than 25% of
degree requirements with no final year or semester in residence
(may require 30% for undergraduate degrees offered 100% online),
specifically avoiding any "final year" or "final semester"
residency requirement
- Credit for Military Training and Experience: recognize and use
ACE Guide for the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the
Armed Services in evaluating and awarding academic credit for
military training and experience
- Credit for Nationally-Recognized Testing Programs: award
credit for at least one nationally-recognized testing program
such as College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) General and
Subject Examinations, (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST),
Excelsior College Examinations
SOC Operating Programs
SOC Consortium (www.soc.aascu.org/socconsortium/):
Approximately 1,800 institutional members that enroll hundreds of thousands of Service members, their family members, and veterans annually in associate-, bachelor-, and graduate-level degree programs on school campuses, military installations, armories within the United States and overseas, and through a variety of distance learning methods.
SOC Degree Network System:
A subgroup of SOC Consortium member institutions selected by the military Services to deliver specific associate and bachelor’s degree programs to Service members and their families.
SOCAD (www.soc.aascu.org/socad/):
Associate and bachelor’s degree programs for Army personnel and their families.
SOCNAV (www.soc.aascu.org/socnav/):
Associate and bachelor’s degree programs for Navy personnel and their families.
SOCMAR (www.soc.aascu.org/socmar/):
Associate and bachelor’s degree programs for Marine Corps personnel and their families.
SOCCOAST (www.soc.aascu.org/soccoast/):
Associate and bachelor’s degree programs for Coast Guard personnel and their families.
ConAP (www.soc.aascu.org/conap/):
A partnership between the Army Recruiting Command and participating SOC Consortium colleges and universities to link new soldiers to a college at the time of enlistment.
SOC Publications and Resources
The SOC Consortium Guide provides specific information on each institutional member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium. The Institutional Information page contains the name, phone number, and e-mail address of a SOC Representative, Counselor, and Veterans Point-of-Contact; a list of military installations served; policies on awarding credit for national testing programs, military experience, and other non-traditional learning; and shows the college's participation in the SOC Degree Network System (SOCAD, SOCNAV, SOCMAR, SOCCOAST). The Guide also contains the SOC Principles and Criteria; a listing of SOC staff, sponsoring and cooperating organizations represented on the SOC Advisory Board; and a section on non-traditional learning. The Guide is printed biennially, and SOC Consortium Guide CDs are available directly from SOC or from DANTES.
An electronic version of the two-volume SOC Consortium Guide, SOC Consortium brochure, and other publications and resources may be downloaded using the following link: www.soc.aascu.org/socconsortium/PublicationsSOC.html
Contact Information
DANTES POC for the SOC Program: ace-soc@navy.mil
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges
1307 New York Avenue, N.W., Fifth Floor
Washington, DC 20005-4701
1-800-368-5622
Comm: (202) 667-0079
Fax: (202) 667-0622
E-mail: socmail@aascu.org
President of SOC: Dr. Kathy Snead
Last Updated: 2/9/12