The Voluntary Education Program provides personal and professional learning opportunities to the Marine Corps community.  The program positively impacts recruitment, retention and readiness of all Marines.  Services and resources are provided by qualified counselors and advisors in cooperation with education service providers through individual and group counseling, workshops and training opportunities to include testing for college credit and pre-admission. Marines will be informed of the full breadth of tuition funding sources and how they can advance their degree plans and academic achievement with appropriate courses and institution selections.

Services

• College Level Exam Program (CLEP) test mastery of college-level material acquired in a variety of ways to include general academic instructions and significant independent study or extracurricular work.  Successfully completed exams are generally accepted by institutions of higher learning for academic credit.
• Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) provides nationally recognized examination and certification programs, in addition to consolidated management of contracts and programs to prevent duplication of effort among the Services.
• Education Service Officers are available provide information about other education programs and provide high quality individualized academic advisement to maximize resources.
• Joint Service Transcript is now the official transcript tool for Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard personnel that validates and documents the recommended college credits for professional military education, training courses and occupational experience of service members and veterans.  This unified and standardized document makes it easier for institutions to review and articulate these credits as appropriate to service members and veterans degree programs.
• Provides information on the American Council on Education college credit recommendations, the Montgomery GI Bill that funds college expenses for veterans or active duty service members who served after 1 July 1985, the Post 9/11 Montgomery GI Bill that funds college and living expenses for veterans or active duty Service members who served after 11 September 2001, and the United States Military Apprenticeship Program that documents skills acquired while on active duty, which leads to civilian recognition and journeyman status in a compatible civilian trade or skill.
• Tuition Assistance(TA) offers training, experience, and opportunities Marines need to develop to support personal and professional goals of individual Marines.