Visit the Army Education Center (AEC) on your post. If you are deployed or in a foreign country, there are still AECs available to you. They will get you started.
Go to the Army Continuing Education System (ACES) website to take prep tests, learn about extra money you can get for school bills and about how you have already earned college credits just through your service in the Army (see Resources below).
Learn about Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Army Degree (SOCAD). You can discuss this with someone at the Education Center or view information online at hrc.army.mil. SOCAD colleges will look at your service, determine how many credits you have earned and inform you of what you need to take to graduate (see Resources below).
Get a SOCAD student agreement from the college you choose. The agreement is actually a degree program. Army TAP will not pay above 9 semester hours, unless you have a SOCAD agreement. It is useful to do this before you even start.
Find other scholarship money. The fact is, your college expenses will most likely not be 100 percent covered when you are active duty. There are many scholarships available to service members that are not government-funded programs. The Fund For Veterans Education is one. Military.com has a fantastic scholarship finder.
Don't forget about distance learning options. The Army even allows for some full degree programs to be completed online. While online-only degrees are still earning respect in the working world, they are become more and more the norm. If you need to do distance learning, don't let anything stop you.
Stop worrying about training. Almost all colleges on post will work with your units schedule. If you must leave post to train for two weeks or other similar situations, they will provide you make up coursework or some other options.
Complete a residency period at your home college. This means that you must complete a certain amount of coursework--usually 25 percent--at your home college. That's because your home college will issue your degree, even if you finish school elsewhere. If you transfer to another SOCAD college, your credits are guaranteed to transfer. If the new school doesn't offer the same courses you need in SOCAD agreement, your home college will approve individual courses to apply toward your degree.