For the third consecutive year, Arcadia University is recognized in the Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities.

The 2012 guide notes that Arcadia offers online programs, commonly referred to as “distance learning,” and is among the  Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges. Service members Opportunity Colleges (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 servicemembers worldwide.

Arcadia also awards American Council on Education credit for military training and accepts transfer credits. For more than a half century, the ACE Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services has been the standard reference work for recognizing learning acquired in the military.

Arcadia participates in in the Yellow Ribbon program along with all veteran education benefit programs, including Chapter 30, Chapter 31, Chapter 35, Chapter 33 (which extends to Yellow Ribbon), Chapter 1606, and Chapter 1607. Arcadia also is authorized to participate in Tuition Assistance programs through the various military branches. The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This program allows post-secondary institutions in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with the Veterans’ Administration to fund tuition expenses that exceed the VA’s set reimbursement rate. The institution can contribute up to 50 percent of those expenses, and the VA will match the same amount as the institution. For the 2011-12 academic year, effective 8/1/11, for private schools, the VA will reimburse up to $17,500 per year for tuition and fees at Pennsylvania schools.  Arcadia, and the VA will cover the remaining balance after that for tuition (each contributing 50 percent of the remaining amount as a match). Click here for additional information on the program.

The guide, compiled by Military Advanced Education,  is a journal dedicated to the higher learning of today’s service members. See the Guide.