College credit for military recruit

[turbotortuga]

Should he decide to enlist, His only focus should be on completing his initial training and following the guidance of his chain of command. In He will have access to professional counseling regarding off-duty education in due time. Eventually  credit recommendations will appear on his Joint Services Transcript. It is very important to remember that any credits listed, as with all ACE recommendations, are just that recommendations. It is entirely up to the receiving institution to award credit or not. Most importantly, new recruits should focus on the task at hand before worrying about off-duty education.

Chief, focus on his actual question. This dude is looking to have advanced rank (E1--> E3) prior to signing his enlistment contract due to college courses taken. These guys are wayy smarter and more saavy than we ever were when we joined so please focus on his questioon and save the lecture for an appropriate moment. 

I have a teen son who is looking to enlist soon and considering getting college credits through Sophia beforehand. What would be the best and most affordable way for him to get those credits on an official transcript to have his rank adjusted during enlistment?
I was considering Clackamas for the library research credit or something else similar for him. Could he complete that course, apply as a transfer student and then have all his credits - the one from Clackamas and any Sophia courses show on his transcript from Clackamas? Open to any other programs that may be able to work similarly. He doesn't want to take time for an entire semester or year at community college before enlisting.

OP, I understand your question and your dilema for your son. First off, good on him for joining up and trying to hit the ground running with advanced rank for college courses. When is he planning on signing his contract/shipping out? He will probably need at least 60 semester hours of coursework for E-3, so there are a couple of possible scenarios that he could utilize that I am personally aware of:

1. He could do one term at UMPI for $1700 and take as many courses as he could muster. Spring 2 or Summer 1 would be the earliest one he could attend. UMPI gives all Sophia/SDC courses transfer credit and lists them on the UMPI Official Transcript as such with 3 semestor hour equivalency. 

Or 2. He could signed up for an easy TECEP at TESU for a few hundred dollars and get the sophia courses on a TESU Offical Transcript as well. I'm not super familiar with TESU so I don't know how they will appear, but TESU has a close relationship with the Navy, so if that's his branch, then he will have a good jump on finishing a degree with them in the future.