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SERVICEMEMBERS OPPORTUNITY COLLEGES (SOC)


Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges
1307 New York Avenue, N.W., Fifth Floor
Washington, DC 20005-4701

1-800-368-5622 or (202) 667-0079 FAX (202) 667-0622
e-mail: socmail@aascu.org
President of SOC: Dr. Kathy Snead

SOC is a consortium of national higher education associations and over 1800 colleges and universities who have pledged to support the higher education needs of the military Service member following specific SOC Principles and Criteria. Created in 1972 to help Service members overcome obstacles faced in getting a college education using traditional means, SOC works closely with civilian and military educators to provide college-level education opportunities.

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.

SOC Criteria stipulates that institutions provide the following services:

  • Limit academic residency requirements for active-duty members to 25 % for an undergraduate degree
  • Minimize loss of credit transfer and avoid duplication of course work.
  • Award credit for at least one of the nationally recognized testing programs or extra institutional learning outside the classroom.
  • Award credit for military training and experience.

SOC Degree Programs

SOC operates a variety of degree programs that give Service members opportunities to earn associate or bachelor's degrees while in the Service; enroll in a college concurrently with enlistment in the Army or Army Reserve; and earn college credits and degrees while in the Army National Guard:

Degree Programs include:

  • SOCAD-2 and SOCAD-4: Army Associate and Bachelor degree curriculum network systems.

  • SOCNAV-2 and SOCNAV-4: Navy Associate and Bachelor degree curriculum network systems.

  • SOCMAR-2 and SOCMAR-4: Marine Corps Associate and Bachelor degree curriculum network systems.

  • SOCCOAST-2 and SOCCOAST-4: Coast Guard Associate and Bachelor degree curriculum network systems.

  • SOCGuard: Army National Guard Program.

  • ConAP (Concurrent Admissions Program): An initiative by SOC and the Army Recruiting Command that links enlistees with a SOC College upon entering active duty.

SOC Publication: SOC Consortium Guide 2005-2007

The SOC Consortium Guide provides specific information on each institutional member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium. The Institutional Information page for each college or university contains the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of a SOC Representative and Counselor; a list of military installations served; policies on awarding of credit for national testing programs, military experience, and other non-traditional learning; and identifies the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps installations where institutions in the SOCAD, SOCMAR, and SOCNAV degree networks provide associate and bachelor's degrees.


DANTES POC for the SOC Program Contract:

John Page at ace-soc@navy.mil

To learn more about SOC, go to SOC Home page


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