You enlisted in the military and you’re stationed overseas. That doesn’t mean you have to put your education goals on hold. Thanks to the Internet you can attend college from anywhere, even while deployed, and obtain a military degree. Online colleges allow students to attend class where they want, whenever they want, even at three in the morning from Iraq.

The US Military says service members completed 710,000 college courses in 2007, online and on campus. In fact, one report finds 65% of student soldiers are taking courses online. The military encourages members to consider filling downtime with college courses. The government stands ready to make college affordable to active and veteran military, so there’s nothing to lose. If you are interested in getting more information about military dependent scholarships, check the web.

In 1944 the Montgomery GI Bill went into effect. Since then it’s helped more than two million soldiers pay for college. Last year Congress updated the bill. The new Post 9/11 GI Bill pays 100% tuition for soldiers who have served 90 or more days on active duty since September 11, 2001. Active and veteran military members are eligible for 36 months coverage. The new GI Bill also gives student soldiers $1,000 a month for living expenses and books.

Some online programs offer special tuition discounts for student soldiers. At the University of Notre Dame, soldiers get a 15% discount. Other schools have discounts up to 25%. That adds up to a nice way to stretch your college funds. Your spouse may even get a discount on college courses. If you would like more information about distance learning universitycheck the internet.

An online degree appeals to many soldiers because you can take your classes from anywhere at anytime. A soldier may start a degree while stationed in one area and finish it in another. When they arrive stateside, all those credits transfer. While some online classes have live lectures, soldiers can also download a tapes version at their convenience. With this there is no need to be in the same time zone as your school.

Taking online college classes allows military personnel to look to their future while deployed. Not only can soldiers pursue a civilian career, but they can earn promotion points to advance their military career. Military training can also be applied as college credits, getting soldiers even closer to their degree.

Military Advanced Education ranks the top 100 soldier friendly colleges and universities and many online schools made the list. Some of the top ranked schools are located close to military bases or offer courses on base. Others provide special scholarships and financial aid to the troops and their wives. Some institutions may have locations overseas. The faculty members may include active duty military, civilian contractors and Department of Defense employees. Other online institutions may have military divisions staffed with advisers who come from military backgrounds. For an abundance of information about gi bill check out the web.

Online college is a great way for deployed soldiers to make the most of their downtime. Capitalizing on the flexibility of online college, service members can pursue a military degree while working. That way when a soldier leaves the service they walk away not only with military experience but also a college degree obtained with the help of GI bill education availability.