Attending a military academy certainly has its perks, including having 100% of your tuition paid for courtesy of the Armed Forces Tuition Assistance (TA) Program. The Tuition Assistance is not a loan. In fact, you should view it more as money that you’ve earned through your service.

Still, the programs are rigorous–academically as well as physically. So if you know what you want an education that prepares you for service in the officer corps of the army, navy, air force, or coast guard, a military academy might be for you.

Here is the breakdown of different types of military academies offered in the United States.  Side note: some academies do enroll regular civilians.

State-supported maritime colleges and universities

• California Maritime Academy
• Great Lakes Maritime Academy, a division of Northwestern Michigan College
• State University of New York Maritime College
• Maine Maritime Academy
• Massachusetts Maritime Academy
• Texas Maritime Academy, a division of Texas A&M University at Galveston

Senior Military Colleges

Public Senior Military College 

• Virginia Military Institute

Public Senior Military Colleges Which Also Enroll Civilian Students

• North Georgia College and State University
• Texas A&M University
• Citadel Military College of South Carolina
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 

Private Senior Military College Which Also Enrolls Civilian Students

• Norwich University

Federal Service Academies

• United States Military Academy at West Point
• United States Naval Academy in Annapolis
• United States Coast Guard Academy in New London
• United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point
• United States Air Force Academy