Military Friendly Colleges in Alaska

Growing up in the outdoors –hiking in the forest, hunting, fishing, and trapping– puts you one step closer into a certain type of mentality than most Americans will ever experience today. This mentality has a lot in common with the SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training that select pilots and other DoD personnel undertake, and it’s also second nature for anyone who’s grown up in Alaska.

Alaska has a colorful history of being important militarily. It holds the distinction of being the only territory in the United States that was invaded by a foreign power during World War Two, occupied for nearly a year no less. Today it hosts important bases that are key to Pacific and future Arctic deployments, and for providing vital radar coverage to the entire West Coast.

Featured Programs:

Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (ADMVA) Military Education Benefits

The ADMVA’s motto pledges to serve Alaska one veteran at a time. It’s there to help you connect with the education benefits you’ve earned for yourself and your family through your dedicated service. It can help you through the application processes for national veteran programs and state-level programs that are unique or specially tailored for those who call Alaska home.

National veteran education programs include:

Montgomery GI Bill®
Post-9/11 “new” GI Bill® developed for veterans of the War on Terror and applicable to in-state public school tuition and private school tuition where it is capped
Top-Up Program that allows you to combine your GI Bill® with Military Tuition Assistance
Yellow Ribbon Program that can help you fund the cost of an education that’s not covered by the GI Bill®, especially for National Guard and Reservists, and could be applied to public, out-of-state, private, and graduate school tuition and fees

Education resources for Alaska’s veterans include:

ADMVA’s Education Officer

The ADMVA has dedicated education officers who are focused on providing service members and their families with information on all available educational benefits. For example, Alaska allows you to apply veterans educational benefits to apprenticeship programs, giving you flexibility to choose between colleges, universities, and trade schools.

Free Tuition for Families of KIA Veterans

Are you a student enrolled in a school in the University of Alaska system? You can have your undergraduate tuition and fees waived under this program if you’re the spouse or dependent child of a member of the armed services who was killed in the line of duty. When you’re mourning the loss of a loved one the last thing you need to worry about is how you’re going to fund your education.

Alaska National Guard Enlisted Association (ANGEA) Scholarship

ANGEA members who are in the Alaska Air or Army National Guard, or their dependents, could be eligible for a $1,000-per-year scholarship to cover tuition and fees. You can use this funding at colleges and universities or vocational and technical schools. This is a way ANGEA can say thank you to Alaskan guard members and provide flexible funding for both academic study and job training. Applications are accepted between January and March.

In-State Tuition for Service Members and Families; Military Credit

If you attend a school in the University of Alaska system and are a service member stationed in-state or family member thereof, you could be eligible for in-state tuition. As a bonus, all Alaskan community colleges and universities will evaluate the eligibility of military training to count towards educational credits. This means credit is given where credit is due, and you can spend less time repeating classes whose content you’ve already mastered.

Alaska Sea Services Scholarship

If you’re the spouse or child of an Alaska resident who’s in the Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard, you’re eligible for this scholarship which funds $1,000 of undergraduate education. Candidates are considered on factors of merit like community involvement, character, and leadership. Every year a total of four scholarships are awarded, and you can win this grant a maximum of two times.

Possible Station Assignments and Military Bases in Alaska

Air Force

Just outside of Fairbanks, this base is the home of the 354^th Fighter Wing, part of the 11^th Air Force Pacific. The 354^th is known for its F-35As and F-16s. It recently participated in Operation Desert Storm.

Air Force-Army

Located in Anchorage, this base is shared by the Air Force (Elmendorf Air Base) and Army (Fort Richardson). You could be stationed here if you’re part of:

Space Force

Hosting Air National Guard, Air Force, and members of the Canadian Air Force, this remotely-located radar facility in central Alaska reports to NORAD on incoming missile detections. It’s one of the most strategically important bases in the nation that provides a security blanked over the entire West Coast.

Army

This Army installation in Fairbanks recently saw significant action in Afghanistan, deployed as the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. In the near future the fort is expected to transition to a focus on conducting air assaults and cold-weather operations.

Coast Guard

This Coast Guard station provides important rescue services, often for commercial fishing vessels. Located 250 miles from Anchorage, it’s home to MH-65D Dolphins and MH-60T Jayhawks.

This Coast Guard station is in charge of the safety of Prince William Sound eastwards of the Kenai Peninsula. Duties include container ship inspections, oil spill response, and foreign tank vessel examinations.