Posted on Sep 30, 2018
Issues adding my bachelors degree to my ERB and receiving promotion points for it?
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I have a question regarding promotion points. I have a bachelors degree from before I enlisted and I am curious as to whether or not I’m allowed points for it. My S1 said that I can’t get points for it because I came in as a SPC and that’s what I get rather than points. I have talked to several other college specialists most of whom are E5/E6 at this point who have their credit hours on their ERB and also got points for them. My ERB says “baccalaureate” degree and lists no credits. Is my S1 correct in that I don’t get points for it and those guys just got hooked up by their old units or was my degree entered incorrectly when I joined? They pointed out at the promotion board that I was missing my credits as well. I’m confused as to how to proceed at this point. The Ed center on post doesn’t have an answer either.
Promotion Points
S1 Personnel NCO
Education
HRC
11B: Infantryman
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 8
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I was always told if you had your bachelors degree before you joined it didn’t give you any promotion points. It had to be earned while in the army for it to give you promotion points.
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SPC Erich Guenther
CPL (Join to see) - The regulation says you get 20 points for completion of a degree on Active Duty. So I think that you basically got it right in your post above. No points for having the existing degree. But points from your existing degree can be applied towards promotion at SGT and SSG, doesn't matter if you had it before you enlisted. I think your education center enters the credit hours and all that but things might have changed since I was in service............do they even have education centers?
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SPC Erich Guenther
SPC Ethan Reddick - Doesn't harm to get a second opinion. The way you are phrasing it that existing degrees do not count towards promotion points to SGT and SSG unless you earned them on Active Duty sounds waaaaayyy off track to me. Understood promotions systems change but the Army could not change it that much without it failing Congressional review and harming retention........so I doubt they went that far. As it was the new promotion system downgraded credit for college in favor of points for deployments and Army education.
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SPC Erich Guenther
SPC Erich Guenther - Also, I was misled repeatedly about rank for college by my S1 when I was in. I was told if the MEPS didn't give it to me by swearing in that I could never get it.........also wrong, went through ABMCR.
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SGT (Join to see)
your S1 is full of $#!T. you get points for credits earned (2pt per credit/semester hour) up to 120pt (60SH) for E5 promotion and 160pt (80 SH) for E6 promotion. you dont get the additional 20Pt for earning the degree because you came into the army with it completed. contact your college and get a sealed transcript and submit it to a crediable S1 person ( I was going to say NCO, but sometimes NCO are just overpromoted PFCs).
Good luck.....
Good luck.....
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Gee I can answer this one even though I have been out since the age of the dinosaur. Think about it for a moment. If they didn't give you points for the degree each step of the way, what is the incentive for someone without a degree to go and get one? So the answer is yes you should get points for the same Bachelors degree several steps up in the rank system. I only skimmed the reg mentioned below because it is a new promotion system since I got out a long time ago. They mention in the reg SGT and again for SSG. Surprised your S1 got it wrong. I believe they need the actual registrar certified college transcripts though to enter the points in addition to the degree certificate (unless stated on the transcripts you earned a degree). The courses and college have to be accredited via the accrediation system the Army uses and you need the raw transcripts for that as well as calculating semester hours for points.
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You get the points for the semester hours, but not for degree completion because it was prior to enlisting. Not to worry, though. You'll max points in civ ed.
IAW AR 600-8-19 para 3-19a (semester hours) and 3-19c (degree completion)
IAW AR 600-8-19 para 3-19a (semester hours) and 3-19c (degree completion)
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CPL (Join to see)
Thank you 1sg that was what I thought and also what my 1sg told me when I passed the board. That is where my s1 was saying that I wasn’t eligible to receive the points for the credit either. Thanks for your reply 1sg
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1SG (Join to see)
CPL (Join to see) - I am 100% sure that what I have above is the correct answer.
Use the reference with your S-1 to square them away.
Use the reference with your S-1 to square them away.
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