College transfer program for vets

Published 11:20 am Monday, September 13, 2010

Riverland Community College will soon offer a new online credit transfer system for veterans and members of the armed forces, which will allow them to earn credits for courses they took during military training.

The Veterans Education Transfer System was announced earlier this month by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, which Riverland is a part of.

It allows military members and veterans to go online and receive information on programs at colleges and universities that match the type of training they received. At that point, they can look at what completion requirements a program has and request a transfer evaluation, where they submit basic information about themselves, what military experience they have and which MnSCU school and academic program they want to complete.

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The transfer system is still in its infancy, as it identifies awardable credits for only law enforcement, diesel and truck mechanics, administrative and human resource assistants and paramedics. More programs are being reviewed and added in the future.

This transfer system is considered to be the first of its kind in the country, although colleges in the past have set guidelines for how military training translates into credits earned for a degree. Credits will be awarded based on American Council on Education guidelines.

For more information or to explore the system firsthand, visit the military credit transfer page at www.veterans.mnscu.edu.