Veterans or Active Duty military personnel should submit the following transcripts to the Office of Admissions:
- AARTS (Army American Council on Education Registry Transcript System)
- SMARTS (Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript)
- AFIADL (Air Force Institute of Advanced Distributed Learning)
- CGI1564 (Coast Guard Institute)
- DD-295 (Application for the Evaluation of Learning Experiences during Military Service)
- DD-214 (Separation from Military Service)
- Transcripts from regionally accredited colleges
Credits will be awarded for courses that are comparable to courses offered at South Suburban College. Credits awarded will not be calculated into a student’s grade point average.
Veterans who present a copy of their DD-214 form to the Office of Admissions will receive four (4) semester hours of physical education credit and two (2) semester hours of health science credit. This credit is posted on the permanent record, but will not be calculated into a student’s grade point average.
If credit is not awarded for a course and a student wishes to challenge that decision, an appeal should be submitted in writing to the Dean of Student Development or their designee. Additional supplemental materials may be submitted along with the appeal letter. These include a course description, course syllabus, letter from a faculty member, or text reference.
Educational Program Benefits Accepted
Military Tuition Assistance
Tuition assistance (TA) is a Department of Defense program. TA rules will vary between military branches and depend on whether the unit is active, Reserve or National Guard. Service members can use Federal VA Education benefits in combination with TA. TA is considered a source of financial aid for active duty military. Please contact your Educational Services Officer (ESO) or Education officer within your unit to obtain approval to use TA prior to enrolling at South Suburban College. More information on using TA for each branch (how to apply for TA, procedures for using TA, how to obtain approval) can be found by clicking on the link for your branch below:
ARMY: https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/Benefit-Library/Federal-Benefits/Tuition-Assistance-(TA)
U.S. MARINES: https://usmc-mccs.org/articles/how-do-i-apply-for-tuition-assistance/
U.S. NAVY: https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/sailors/tuition-assistance-ncpace.htm
U.S. AIR FORCE: https://www.afpc.af.mil/benefits-and-entitlements/military-tuition-assistance-program/
U.S.COAST GUARD: https://www.forcecom.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/FORCECOM-UNITS/ETQC/VOLUNTARY-EDUCATION/Tuition-Assistance/
MIA-POW Scholarship
The MIA-POW Scholarship program is available through the Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs (IDVA). The scholarship pays tuition and the per credit hour student fee. Any additional fees billed to your student account cannot be billed to MIA-POW. Once approved by IDVA, the 120-unit eligibility is equivalent to four full-time years of enrollment at an Illinois public college or university. MIA-POW cannot be used toward noncredit courses at South Suburban College. For additional information on this benefit please visit their website below.
State Benefits (Illinois)
- Apply for the Illinois Veterans Grant by completing their online application.
- Apply for the Illinois National Guard Grant by completing their online application. You will need to reapply every academic year to continue your eligibility.
- You may apply for the MIA/POW scholarship by completing their online application.
- Request/acquire copies of your DD-214 – www.archives.gov