Service

The decision to use your military benefits to pursue a college degree is a choice that can truly change the rest of your life. As you may already have found, however, navigating the maze of benefit rules and potential colleges can be so daunting that many service members feel tempted to give up. That’s where Essential Knowledge can help.

Our goal is twofold: to assist you in understanding the education benefits you have earned, and to put you in contact with schools that can help you achieve your goals, because not all colleges are created equal. We are a company of military veterans and patriotic Americans

who are passionate about helping service members access the life-changing power of higher education. The good news is there are many high-quality, accredited schools that feel the same way and understand the special challenges inherent in going to college while serving (or after serving) your country. We call these schools “military-friendly.”

Essential Knowledge offers a Military School Matching Service that can connect you with these military-friendly schools that meet your unique needs and interests. This no cost, no obligation service can accelerate your search for the right military-friendly school. Our service is helpful because we begin by asking you to tell us about your unique background and the goals you have for your future. Through a personal interaction with one of our experienced and friendly representatives, we can then understand what you’re looking for in higher education, so that we can match you with a select group of schools to consider.

In life, one size does not fit all, and in education, one school is not right for everyone. Our network of schools assures that you can find the school that is right for you.

Who are the Schools?
Not all colleges and universities can be considered “military-friendly.” Our network consists of schools that truly understand how to support members of the military community so that they can successfully complete the requirements for their degree.

Essential Knowledge has been working for years to build a database that includes all of the nearly 2,000 accredited colleges and universities that are members of the Department of Defense-funded Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) consortium. These schools are committed to offering military-friendly policies, procedures, and student support systems. Collectively, SOC schools offer a wide range of associate, bachelor, master and doctorate level degree programs in most disciplines. To learn more about SOC and its member institutions, visit www.soc.aascu.org.

It’s important to note that we are an independent source of military higher education information. This means we are NOT, in any way, affiliated with the U.S. military/government or the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges consortium. We are committed to exclusively using SOC’s public list of member schools because we believe this DoD-funded organization is a valuable benchmark for military-friendliness among colleges and universities.

Further, we are not an agent for promoter for any specific school or program. To make it easier for you to evaluate matching schools, Essential Knowledge works to develop a relationship with all the SOC colleges and universities. Such a relationship allows us to connect you directly with college staff members who are specially-trained in military admissions and support. Once we share your profile and education goals with them, these college representatives will then contact you, rather than you trying to find the right person from a school’s website or by calling the general phone number. They understand your military benefits, have experience helping students from the service member community, and will give you the opportunity to have a no obligation consultation about your options.

How can I get started?
We believe that personal attention rather than a one-size-fits-all approach is the right way to begin your path to higher education, which is why we do not offer our school matching service online. We’d rather talk to you, in person or over the phone in order to hear and clearly understand your unique life and career goals. Based on this personal interaction we will provide you with benefits and college information that apply exclusively to you and/or your family.

After meeting with one of our dedicated and helpful representatives, we will use the information you choose to provide on our “Military School Matching Questionnaire” in order to search our network of schools for those that meet your needs. This process will identify your matching schools.

Within a few days of receiving your information – and after our friendly and knowledgeable support team contacts you to answer any additional questions – you will receive an e-mail with a select group of schools that can help you fulfill your stated higher education goals. Your school matches will include options for both online/distance learning as well as campus-based programs. It’s important to evaluate both because each student is unique – the right delivery for your needs is a critical part of the process of finding your path to success.

Finally, your information will be confidentially shared with specially-trained military representatives from your matched schools who will contact you to discuss your higher education plan. This is your opportunity to interview them in order to understand how that particular school may be the right one for you. It’s that easy!