If one of our students wants to pursue a degree other than those approved for the SOC DNS, can my school issue a Student Agreement for said degree? And, what “Degree Network” should I list on the Student Agreement?
Yes. DNS Core-members are encouraged to issue Student Agreements for degree programs not listed in Chapter 5 of the SOC DNS Handbooks. For those degrees from SOC DNS Core institutions that are not in the Guaranteed-Transfer or Auxiliary Networks, use "Open," as the entry for the "Degree Network" field. Please remember, however, Affiliate institutions may only issue Student Agreements for their approved degrees.
Where can I find guidance on how to complete a Student Agreement?
This guidance can be found in “Chapter 4: Student Agreements Policies and Requirements” in the SOC DNS Handbooks. See the subsection titled, “Instructions for Preparing a SOC DNS Student Agreement.”
SOC has also presented a webinar on the topic of completing the Student Agreement. A link to the archived webinar can be found on the Workshops page, located under the SOC tab in the navigation menu.
As a student completes courses over time and the Student Agreement is updated, should an updated copy be forwarded to SOC?
No. The college and the student should retain updated copies of the Student Agreement. SOC receives only the initial Student Agreement once the official evaluation has been completed. Refer to Chapter 4 in the SOC DNS Handbooks.
Can a SOC DNS school create templates for each of its degrees?
Yes. SOC highly recommends each SOC DNS institution use the SOC-provided Microsoft Excel® template to develop a master template for each of its SOC DNS degrees. Templates can and should created for any degree, including those that would be categorized as “Open” networks. The Student Agreement template is available online in the “Publications/Forms/Resources” tab on the SOCAD, SOCNAV, SOCMAR, and SOCCOAST web pages.
Which demographic information do I use on a Student Agreement for a Family member, that of the individual student or his/her military sponsor?
The individual student's information (NOT THE SPONSOR'S) should be entered, The only exception is the “Military Installation” field, which should be the military sponsor's assigned duty station unless the family member is not colocated with the military sponsor. If the family member is not colocated with the military sponsor, then please provide the student's home of record (City, State) on file with your institution. Refer to Chapter 4 of the SOC DNS Handbooks.
Which Course Category Codes listed for my school in the SOC DNS Handbooks must be listed on a Student Agreement?
If a course on a Student Agreement has a Course Category Code assigned to it and it has no “Before” date, then that code should be listed on the Student Agreement, including “Open” network Student Agreements. You may refer to your institution's Course Category Code index in Chapter 8 of the SOC DNS Handbooks or online at http://www.soc.aascu.org/dnstools/ for a listing of your institution's Course Category Codes.
If one of our students has a Student Agreement for one degree, can that student receive another Student Agreement for a subsequent degree?
There is nothing preventing issuance of a new Student Agreement to the student. Be sure that the additional Student Agreement is for a different degree than the one currently being pursued. You don't want to issue a duplicate Student Agreement.
The SOC DNS Handbooks state that veterans and retirees should not be issued Student Agreements. What do I do if a veteran or retiree asks for a Student Agreement and is a “Family” member of an active-duty service member?
If the veteran or retiree is a dependent of an active-duty service member, then a Student Agreement should be issued. Please be sure to indicate “Family” in the "Branch" field on the Student Agreement.
If I have a question about Student Agreements not covered in these FAQs, whom may I contact to resolve my issue?
If you are unable to find your answer in the SOC DNS Handbooks or these FAQs, please call SOC at 1-800-368-5622 or email us at socmail@aascu.org. You may also visit us online at http://www.soc.aascu.org/.
I noticed that a student's JST (formerly AARTS ⁄ SMART) ⁄ CGI transcript has a large amount of college credit recommendations. Once these credits are awarded in transfer, should all of them be declared on the Student Agreement?
No. Only credit that is applicable to the degree should be annotated on the Student Agreement. This includes credit applied toward the major, open electives, and institutional requirements.
Why do Student Agreements have to be signed by a college official?
Until a college official signs the Student Agreement, the document is considered an unofficial degree-planning worksheet. Please remember that a signed Student Agreement serves as a “contract-for-degree” between the home college and the student, which guarantees that the home college will award the degree to the student once all stated requirements have been met.
What date should be entered on the Student Agreement?
The date entered in the “Date” field is the actual date that the authorized college-official signs the Student Agreement. This date and the official's signature certify that the institution will honor the degree requirements as specified on the Student Agreement
What does the term “contract-for-degree” mean?
It means that the student's signed copy of the Student Agreement serves as a guarantee to the student that the home college will award the specified degree to the student when all stated requirements for that degree are met. The contract-for-degree also ensures that the home college will not change degree requirements specified on the Student Agreement.
Will SOC accept electronically submitted Student Agreements from my school?
SOC does receive electronic copies of Student Agreements from specific programs operated by the US Army and US Navy. However, schools that are not a part of those specific programs should continue to issue paper-based Student Agreements and forward them to SOC by mail.