The Army Education Family programs offer a variety of opportunities to the Servicemember, their spouse, and their dependents. There are several different opportunities available:
SOCAD. Servicemembers, spouses, and their dependents can attend programs via the Servicemember Opportunity College degree program. It is a network or family of colleges that offer bachelor and associate degree programs at locations that are available and accessible to Army personnel at installations around the world. Each of the SOCAD colleges in a region or area joins together to form these groups, families or networks of schools. These schools accept credits from other network schools.
The SOCAD program makes sure that Army Servicemembers, spouses, and dependents are able to pursue and complete college programs despite the disruption that an Army career can bring. There are programs available through the SOCAD program that enable distance learning, and can be completed at any location around the world. There are not any residency requirements for some of these programs; this allows a lot of flexibility for Army personnel and dependents.
SEAP. The Stateside Spouse Education assistance program is an educational assistance program that is designed specifically for Active Duty Soldiers, and their spouses. This includes those Army spouses who are widows or widowers. It is a need based program, and allows financial support for those spouses wishing to continue their education.
The purpose of the SEAP program is to help spouses gain education to assist in finding occupational and career opportunities. Individuals can qualify for free tuition assistance, or money can be available for books, fees, supplies and other educational costs. SEAP funds are limited to twenty five hundred dollars per academic year per person. EAP. This is the Spouse Education Assistance program or EAP for short. This is designed mainly for Spouses who are assigned with Army Servicemembers in Japan, Korea, Okinawa, or Europe. It is a grant-based program to help with educational costs, up to three hundred fifty dollars per person, per term.
SSEAP. The Stateside Spouse Educational Assistance program is an education program for Active duty and retired spouses of soldiers, and widowers and widows of Army personnel who died while on active duty. It is designed to help these qualified spouses with various educational costs they encounter while pursuing a college degree. SSEAP fund are designed to be applied toward full time attendance at post secondary or vocational education or training. It is capped at twenty nine hundred dollars per academic year, per person.
