DANTES, abbreviation for the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support, offers a wide range of programs that make it easier for service members, their dependents, and other Department of Defense (DoD) personnel to attain the credential or college degree of their choice.
Created after Congress closed the U.S. Armed Forces Institute in 1974, DANTES is dedicated to helping members of every branch achieve their professional and personal educational objectives.
Over the past three decades, voluntary education for the military has experienced many changes. As technology continues to advance, service members are enjoying the convenience, accessibility and ease of use as they pursue their educational objectives. In fact, since the mid 1970s, the number of military service members taking online courses has increased from five percent to more than 70 percent.
By providing alternatives to on-campus or on-base courses, DANTES’ Distance Learning Program enables service members to earn technical or college credit from wherever they are stationed… even in the most remote locations. DANTES partners with hundreds of distance learning institutions to offer thousands of course and degree programs, all of which are listed in their catalog.
Through DANTES’ examinations program, members of the military can earn a high school credential, satisfy their undergraduate and graduate-level college admission requirement, and earn college credit. Some of the titles offered are GED, ACT, SAT, CLEP, DSST, ECE, GRE, GMAT and Praxis. Exams sponsored by DANTES are administered by over 500 military education sites, including base-sponsored academic institutions with national test centers (NTCs). While many of the test control officers continue to give paper exams, the number of NTCs offering computer-based exams continues to increase.
DANTES has long offered credentialing services to members of the Armed Forces. By successfully completing these tests, a soldier demonstrates that he or she possesses a level of knowledge that not only meets industry standards, but also makes it easier to find employment in the civilian job force when service is complete.
Also available are programs to help convert one’s military training into college credit. Since 1945, the American Council on Education (ACE) has provided a shared link between DoD and higher education through the review of military training and experiences and the recommendation of equivalent college credits for service members.
DANTES also funds the Service members Opportunities College (SOC) consortium which runs a variety of programs that afford service members opportunities to earn degrees while in the service, enroll in a college while enlisted in the Army or Army Reserve, and earn credits and degrees while in the Army National Guard. Since it’s founding in 1974, the SOC consortium has grown from 77 community and junior colleges to more than 1,800 colleges and universities.
Finally, DANTES’ Troops to Teachers program provides counseling and referral services to military personnel interested in launching a second career in public education as a teacher after departing the service. The program has successfully placed thousands of quality teachers in at-risk schools across the country.
DANTES will be celebrating its 35th anniversary at the DoD Worldwide Education Symposium in Atlanta at the end of July.
For the latest information concerning Military education benefits and procedures, please visit your education counseling office.
