Policy on Academic Credit for Military Service and Training (S-13)

Policy on Academic Credit for Military Service and Training

Rationale

As part of Rhode Island’s continuing efforts to serve the men and women of our armed forces, and pursuant to §16-101-1. and §30-30.2-3(1) of the Rhode Island General Laws,¹ the Council on Postsecondary Education establishes this policy which supports veterans and service members in achieving their academic and career goals. The General Assembly has directed the prior Board of Education (now the Council on Postsecondary Education) to adopt policies or regulations that require each public higher education institution to award academic credits to a student enrolled in the institution, based upon the student’s military training or service, when academically appropriate. 

Policy: Academic credit for military training and coursework

1. Each Rhode Island institution of public higher education shall grant credit for veterans’ military training, experience, courses and occupations toward degrees and certificates. 
2. Awarding of credit is ultimately determined by each institution. 
3. The Rhode Island public institutions of higher education will make clear to prospective and enrolled students how credits will be awarded for military training, experience, courses and occupations.  
4. The process for evaluation should be transparent and documentation of denial of credits should be explained to students with a clearly stated rationale. 
5. College credit will be granted for military training, experience, courses and occupations based upon recommendations by the American Council on Education (ACE)², or other recognized means of assessment which may include but are not limited to: individualized portfolio assessment, DANTES, CLEP examinations, DSST Examinations, Joint Services Transcripts, or College of Air Force Transcripts.
6. Any military training, experience, or coursework or training credit assessed by the receiving institution as meeting a general education requirement or a course toward the major should count toward the fulfillment of these degree requirements. Otherwise, courses determined by the receiving institution as being equivalent to college-level credits will be assessed as free elective credits. 
7. Credits awarded through the evaluation of military credits will transfer in accordance with the Council on Postsecondary Education’s policy on articulation and transfer.  Whenever possible, the credits will be accepted as applicable to meeting degree requirements and specifically, as general education and courses toward the major or a minor as deemed appropriate by the receiving institution.  

Implementation guidelines

1. Each institution shall provide accessible and timely information to prospective and admitted students regarding opportunities for the award of credit for veterans’ training and courses and occupations on their websites. 
2. The public institutions of higher education should develop and maintain a list of military training courses and programs that have qualified for academic credit.  
3. Each institution will have a contact person who is responsible for facilitating the evaluation of military credits. Contact information for this person should be available on the institutions’ webpages. 
4. The Rhode Island public colleges and university will identify the resources available to assist active military personnel and veterans seeking credit for military experiences, training, courses, and occupations.  
5. Students should be encouraged to work with an advisor to determine how military training, experience, and coursework credits can be best used toward completing a certificate or degree. Students should also be encouraged to consult with financial aid and school certifying officials regarding the impact of military credits on eligibility for benefits. 
6. Each institution will inform the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner of the applicable institutional policies no later than July 1, 2015. 

¹RIGL §16-101-1, Academic Credit for Military Service, provides inter alia that: “State public higher education institutions in the state shall honor the military training, experience, correspondence courses and occupations of an individual who has served in the military or armed forces of the United States by allowing academic credits that meet the standards of the American Council on Education or equivalent standards for awarding academic credit, if the award of the educational credit is based upon the institution’s admission standards and its role, scope, and mission…” 

RIGL §30-30.2-3(1), Academic Credit for Military Training and Coursework, provides inter alia that: “The state board of education shall ensure: (1) Enrolled students are awarded education credits based upon their military training or service when academically appropriate; …”

²Recommendations in the ACE Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.