The Cost and Benefit of a USCGA Education

At a time when even entrylevel jobs often require a bachelor’s degree, hardly anyone disputes the importance of a college education.

Yet the challenge of financing a four year baccalaureate degree is becoming more of a burden for most families. Because institutional, state and federal grant and scholarship programs have not kept pace with the cost to attend most universities, students and parents alike are strapped with ever increasing indebtedness. In addition to student loans, many college students must also work several hours per week to make ends meet.

The experience at the United States Coast Guard Academy is quite different. Cadets receive a baccalaureate degree in one of 13 fields of study at one of our nation’s top institutions of higher education. In fact, we were recently ranked #1 in the baccalaureate colleges (North) category in the 2011 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges issue. While the total cost for a top tier education over four years might well exceed $200,000, the tuition, room and board are absolutely free at the Academy.

In addition to this full scholarship, students receive basic pay each month, negating the need to get an off-campus job. Cadets retain unused dollars so at the end of four years, instead of a student loan bill, graduates are handed a check for any remaining balance on their accounts.
 
However, “no tuition” does not mean “no cost”. Cadets are tested physically and mentally in ways they cannot appreciate until they live through the experience. Then, upon graduation, they embark on a whole new beginning. Service academy graduates owe their country five years as an officer in their branch of service. This “cost” is also one of our greatest benefits.

Unlike graduates of traditional colleges and universities, USCGA graduates are guaranteed a job – and not just any job. Our graduates fully engage in their Coast Guard career immediately after graduation and experience the personal reward of providing meaningful assistance to others and security for our borders.
 
While a USCGA degree will serve students exceptionally well in the civilian workforce, over 80 percent of USCGA graduates remain in the Coast Guard well beyond their five year commitment – a much higher rate than graduates of any other service academy. This is due in large measure to the satisfaction they receive contributing to the Coast Guard’s humanitarian mission. It becomes so much a part of their lives that they choose to stay in the Coast Guard family.