Do ARNG Soldiers have to attend a SOC college to take advantage of National Guard education beneftis?
No. Servicemembers may attend any accredited college, university or vocational/technical institution. However, they should consider SOC member institutions because these institutions are absolutely committed to the needs of military servicemembers. Since SOC has more than 1,800 member institutions nationwide, the chances are excellent that the college you may be thinking of attending is a SOC member. Some colleges also sponsor courses for credit at selected National Guard armories as a convenience for soldiers who cannot get to a campus classroom. SOC member colleges designate a counselor to help Guard members in their academic planning.
