Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC)
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The U.S. armed services believe in the value of a good education. They also understand that when you are serving in the armed forces, where you can repeatedly and suddenly be restationed, it’s hard to be in one place long enough to complete a degree. That is why the armed forces created the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) program in 1972.
What Are Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges?Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges are colleges that have agreed to participate in a consortium of schools tailored to the educational needs of servicemembers and the families of servicemembers. There are over 1,800 colleges and universities participating in the program including Auburn University, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the ITT Technical Institute, DeVry University, Boston University-Metropolitan College, St. Joseph’s College and Texas A&M.
Who Supports The Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges?The SOC is funded by the Department of Defense through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and is managed by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). The program is cosponsored by the AASCU, the Association of Community Colleges, the armed services and the National Guard.
How Does The SOC Consortium Work?Any servicemember or family member can enroll in SOC consortium programs to attend a university, college, community college or technical institute. Soldiers and military students can enroll from their military installation or armory or school campus. Students can earn associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees and even graduate degrees in a variety of disciplines. Which programs will be available will vary from branch to branch. Each branch of the armed forces is managed by a different division of SOC; SOCAD for the Army, SOCNAV for the Navy, SOCMAR for the Marine Corps and SOCCOAST for the Coast Guard. Degree programs at SOC schools are also available to Army National Guardsmen through SOCGuard.
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