Classroom in the combat zone.

9% of college applicants and their parents say they'll select a college with the best academic reputation. 55% look for the best overall fit.--The Princeton Review

MANY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES are expanding their education programs for the U.S. military, including the University of Maryland University College, which recently deployed faculty and staff to Afghanistan to help educate some of the 18,000 service people stationed there.

The classes in Afghanistan are part of a broader UMUC program in that country and Iraq that provides higher education in person and online to those in all branches of the military.

Last year, approximately 59,000 U.S. service members and their dependents were enrolled in UMUC courses. While UMUC is one of the biggest educators of military personnel, many other colleges and universities work with the military, including the University of West Florida, Coastline Community College (Calif.), Central Texas College, and DallasTeleCollege (Texas). Many are partners in eArmyU (www.earmyu.com), an online portal that informs those in the service about higher ed opportunities and tuition assistance.

Overall, the U.S. military spent approximately $461.4 million in tuition reimbursement last year for those studying while serving, according to budget documents available through the Defense Activity for Nontraditional Education Support (DANTES).

No doubt, it is appealing for IHEs to want to get some of those reimbursement dollars. And higher education is a big benefit for those in the field, notes one soldier quoted in a DANTES bulletin. Studying helps to stay focused and beat stress, he reports.

Duquesne University (Pa.) is just one of several IHEs that most recently revamped courses so that material could fit on digital handheld devices, allowing soldiers to continue studies in the desert or other remote locations where computers and internet connections are rare or non-existent.