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GETTING STARTED ON COLLEGE
GETTING STARTED – STEP 5
Submit a request for an "Application for Transcript" from the Coast Guard Institute.
To get a transcript showing
credits earned through completion of "A" and "C" schools, DoD schools, some
commercial schools, and for advancement courses submit a request for an education assessment to the Coast
Guard Institute using the
"Application for Transcript" (form CGI-1561). Before you submit this
form to your ESO, make sure all courses you’ve taken in the Coast Guard that
can be put into DirectAccess have been put into DirectAccess.
And read the instructions on the last page of the form!!!
The Institute’s staff will use the information you provided as well as that
in DirectAccess to prepare a transcript showing how many college credits you
would have earned from Coast Guard training if you’d taken college courses
that covered the same material.
This form allows you to do any or all of the following:
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request an assessment of credits earned through Coast Guard service,
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update a previous assessment (e.g., when you've been advanced beyond E-6),
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request to have an official copy of your transcript sent to one or more colleges or universities.
If you request only an assessment or updated assessment, you will receive an unofficial transcript showing course names and the number of credits the American Council on Education has determined you would have earned if you had completed a college course which covered the material that was covered in your Coast Guard training course. This unofficial transcript is for your information only.
The Institute's staff will only assess courses you took as part of your Coast Guard service, taking this information from DirectAccess and training you've completed which can't be entered into DirectAccess. (You'll need to provide completion certificates or the like as proof you completed training in this latter category.) As a result, before you submit this form to your ESO, ensure that all courses you’ve taken in the Coast Guard that can be put into DirectAccess are in DirectAccess.
Colleges/universities will not accept it as proof of credits you've earned while in the Coast Guard. For that you'll need to have an official transcript sent to the colleges/universities you're interested in. To have this done, you must also complete section 4 (and section 8, if you want transcripts sent to multiple institutions) on this form.
Be aware that just because you have a lot of courses and credits listed on your transcripts colleges and universities aren't required to accept those courses and credits toward their degree programs. Every institution of higher learning in the country determines for itself which courses and credits it will accept toward its degree programs.
To get a transcript of DoD service (if you served in one of the DoD services) you'll need to contact your previous service directly to get a SMART transcript (USN and USMC), AARTS transcript (USA), or CCAF transcript (USAF) sent to colleges/universities.
All first-time tuition assistance users who are pursuing an undergraduate degree must have requested an assessment from the Coast Guard Institute within the previous four years.
Degree Plans
The transcript you will receive is not a degree plan.
Degree plans list all courses
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needed to complete your desired degree,
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the school will consider completed (based on credit transferred from elsewhere), and
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you still need to earn your degree.
By knowing which courses you have to take and which you've already completed, you know which you still have to pass and, therefore, how far you are from earning your degree. Comparing the degree plans you receive will help you determine which school is the best fit for you.
In mid-December 2009, the Coast Guard Institute stopped providing degree plans. As a result, you no longer have to provide copies of transcripts from colleges/universities you've previously attended.
Assuming you've arranged it ahead of time, counselors at schools which interest you may create degree plans from your Coast Guard transcript and any college/university and/or DoD service transcripts you also had sent to them.